Confused about Bristlenose!

[scoobiemandan]

So I have a Bristlenose but I cannot fathom out whether he's just a plain old 'common' or something else?

Anyone shed any light and also sort out my confusion about him. Do BN's have numbers like the L Nos.?

[bekateen]

Good morning,

Your fish looks nice!

I see fine white spots on it. No it's not a common BN. There are several different Ancistrus with white spots (and yes, some have L numbers), but I can't tell them all apart. Catch location may matter.

Regards, Eric

[scoobiemandan]

Exactly Eric, neither can I

Had him since he was about an inch in size, tank bred so he could be a mix of, who knows!!?? I think that's half the problem with BN's.

But yes, he is a handsome fella ain't he ;)

[bekateen]

tank bred so he could be a mix of, who knows!!??

This is just a personal expectation of mine, but I don't believe from this photo that there's any reason to think it's a hybrid. I'd say it's really just a matter of knowing which species because so many species do have pinpoint white spots like that. If I were you, I'd say this fish will make a great subject to look at in a tank, but unless you can find out who bred it and what the parents were, I'd look elsewhere for breeding projects; find a source where you can get all the fish at once. But that's just my two cents.

Cheers,

[Shane]

The current estimate is that 90% of Ancistrus species have yet to be described. Hybridization in Ancistrus has been documented under rare conditions in aquariums. The sad fact is that hobbyists trying to find a name for their fish will default to thinking their fish is a hybrid if it doesn't match anything in the Cat-E-Log. The truth is, statistically, that their fish is simply undescribed. Don Taphorn is working on a major paper on the Ancistrus species of Venezuela and Colombia. It will undoubtedly identify several species in the hobby. It will also demonstrate that some of the names accepted in the hobby are incorrect.
-Shane

[smitty]

No such thing as a plain old catfish (lol)

[scoobiemandan]

Thanks for the input guys!

@bekateen, I'm not looking to breed, just curious ;). Due to the vast amounts of differing Ancistrus, I figured it'd be an impossible task, especially as he came from a large chain store, but, worth a try!