What species of Ancistrus does my friend have?

[MVC1995]

Hey everyone, my friend and I originally thought he was just an Ancistrus claro. He has since grown to be 6" long and doesn't look like a standard Bristlenose. Anyone have any idea which species he could be and where my friend could find a female?

http://imgur.com/gallery/6iUDXXm

[bekateen]

Hi MVC1995,











Those overhead photos are not really much to go on. There are lots of Ancistrus which look like that.

Any chance of getting more photos, especially in a glass or at least transparent tank and from different angles.

What do you know about the fish? Where did you guys get it? What was it sold as? How old is it (in your care)?

Cheers, Eric

[MVC1995]

He got him 2 years ago and at the time he was labeled as an Ancistrus dolichopterus, but from what I have seen he lacks any of the clearly defined spots and white tipped tail. He bought him from a store called Aquariums Unlimited in Virginia Beach, Va. Here are some more pics of him

http://imgur.com/gallery/SulFvoE

[bekateen]

Interesting you mention

Ancistrus dolichopterus

. I was considering that or more likely

Ancistrus hoplogenys

. Does it have any red on it?

How large is the fish today and how big was it when you got it?

The tail looks a little tattered, so I'm not sure you'd see dolichopterus- or hoplogenys-typical tail markings anyway.

Check it this image of dolichopterus in the CLOG: https://www.planetcatfish.com/common/im ... e_id=17203

Cheers, Eric

[MVC1995]

I actually suggested hoplogenys when I was looking around but wasn't 100% sure. His fins are completely intact, but I don't have any clear pictures of him with his fins flared. He definitely has red in his fins though

[bekateen]

His fins are completely intact, but I don't have any clear pictures of him with his fins flared. He definitely has red in his fins though

Really? It appears the caudal is ragged in the side view photo. I'll take your word for it.

Red leans me towards A. hoplogenys.

[MVC1995]

Yeah it may have been an older picture , but he looks great all flared out, not a blemish on him.

Okay thank you very much!

[Karsten S.]

Hi,

well, there are countless Ancistrus species with dark colour and clear spots. Without knowing the origin it might be impossible to find out what it is.
The two mentioned species however, can (most likely) be excluded. Unfortunately the most important detail is not visible in the pictures. It would be very useful to have a picture of the erected dorsal fin.
A. dolichopterus has more branched dorsal fin rays (8-10) whereas most other Ancistrus only have 7.
A. hoplogenys has bigger spots on the fins than on the body.
Reddish fins is not a unique feature of A. hoplogenys.

Based on available pictures I'm quite sure that it's none of the two species.

Cheers,
Karsten

[bekateen]

Thanks Karsten. I was expecting that the colors seen here are more influenced by stress coloration. But yes, if the is the natural color of the fish, definitely not either dolichopterus or hoplogenys.

Cheers, Eric