PlanetCatfish.com

There is so much incorrect info out there...from pet shops to breeders.Can someone please set me straight. What is the L number for the peppermint bristlenose (ancistrus spec) Is it 'pleco' L030 etc. If so where can I get some info on it? I've been told some very 'fishy' stories about this breed and it's ability to reproduce in a home tank. I've also been told it only grows to 12cm but yesterday saw one at an impressive 23 cm long. What the???? Once I have the correct info I will then be able to research the species until my heart is content. Many thanks for your help!

Regards,

There are also a "L030 Peppermint pleco" that fits a bigger size and I know they breed them in Australia and it's not any Ancistrus, I think it can be hard to just look for peppermint bristlenose because many of the small spotted Ancistrus are called with that name.
What I can say about this type of Ancistrus is that they prefer very soft water to breed successfully.

Janne

Janne, The peppermint pleco grows in excess of 12 -18" i believe & looks totally different to the peppermint ancistrus 5 " -6" max (as one would expect). The peppermint Pleco, last time i was notified was only available (legally) in New Zealand. It is a beautiful creature (having seen it in books only) however I have 20 Peppermint Bristlenoses my self and I will endevour to find out the correct L #. RMB It's definatly NOT L030

Regards Snowy

I think you'll struggle unless you have more data than "black with white spots".

I just explained how difficult it is to find the correct identity of bristlenoses in this thread. Whilst the thread itself may not help identifying your species, it's certainly the same problem... Capture location of the parents is definitely helpfull - assuming of course that the information is correct and accurate.

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Mats

this just in from a local fish importer friend of mine here in W. OZ. The L# for Peppermint ancistrus are as follows:LDA04, L300, L176, L031

See if any of you piccy's match these ...happy hunting

regards Snowy

I've seen L183's sold as Peppermints here in Australia. Easy to I.D because of the white rimming on fins.

http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/sp ... ies_id=221

Mats post the link to the key that you gave to me. That was a really useful bit of information that allowed me to correctly identify the species in my collection of black with white spots fishys.
Again thank you very much for this link I'm sure RMB will appreciate it as much as I did.
Matt

I'm afraid without a picture of the fish you are refering to RMB, it is impossible to help you.

As mentioned above, the name "peppermint" is pretty much meaningless.

What I can say about this type of Ancistrus is that they prefer very soft water to breed successfully.

Janne is correct. All of the dark brown to black Ancistrus spp with light-colored spots (there are several) are black water spp. Regardless of the exact sp involved, they all need a typical black water set up to thrive and spawn. That means driftwood, soft water (very soft to spawn), and a pH lower than 7.
-Shane

I'm pretty sure the Ancistrus sold as "Peppermint Bristlenose" in Oz are , L183.
Shaun

[Mod edit: replace italic with clog tags --Mats]