This critter:
has previously been identified as an L-318. I finally got an underside photo. This fish has very little interest in food other than driftwood. There's a lot of "sawdust" in the tank. This isn't like a Chaetostoma, Otocinclus or L-147 who appear to rasp on the aufwuchs on the driftwood. This tank has sawdust I need to get rid of on a daily basis. I tried eliminating the driftwood and replacing it with a slate cave I made. I left the cave in the tank for 3 days, in hopes the fish would become hungry and feed on other foods. Nothing, not even bloodworms were attractive to this fish. I had to suction them out (I left them in overnight). As soon as I put the driftwood back in, he was all over it, this time in a different section, since the other section was eaten away! Do Hypancistrus sp. ever "eat" wood? If not, what other means can I use to get this fish to eat the proper nutrition? I'm slightly baffled.
Amanda
That plec seriously looks like a L260. I have two of them and they look just like that one. The lines are thinner than those of the L318.
As far as I know Hypansistrus do not eat wood. If I am right and this is a L260, try feeding him/her frozen shrimps (mine adore them and go mad when I put them in the tank). My female eats blanched cucumber and potato too.
How long have you had the plec? It took both of mine (bought at different times) about 2 months to settle in and eat in front of us. Otherwise they'd only come out once the lights were out and I'd have to put food for them before I went to bed.
48"x15"x18" Tropical fish tank,planted with few fish and we also have a 24"x15"x15" Tropical, used mainly to raise Corydoras fry(panda, bronze and Trilineatus) and Oto fry
The fish in question appears to be similar to h. sp. "monte dourado", which is possibly synonymous to L-318. In any case, I would assume the driftwood sawdust, as you put it, is merely a by-product of the natural break-down of the wood itself. Depending on how long you've had the piece/ what kind of driftwood it is, structural integrity will be variable.
Carmen, I think it's all in what river system they're from.
Jon, the sawdust is in the shape of poo. Maybe the bloodworms were eaten. His eyes are so inky black! I guess this would make the lighting in the 10 gal.quaranine tank he's in now too intense. The 55 gallon I'm going to be setting up will be low-light. I also have a 75 gallon with medium lighting and a lot of hiding places(but an entrenched L-147, Corydora Paleatus and Otocinclus sp.). Would either be appropriate?
Amanda
Sorry; I misinterpreted what you meant by "Sawdust". My bad. In any case, I can't really forsee the hypancistrus eating any sort of wood; are you sure it was sawdust and not, well...sh*t? Given a good feed, even carnivores such as hypancistrus can defecate a good amount, not to mention, as far as my experience with panaque go, sawdust just looks like---well, sawdust. Also, I see you have paleatus stocked in the 75? Would that make it too cool for the hypan?
That is no L318. I have a bunch (5) of them and they have fewer broader markings that are more dark gray and white. Regardless, it is a Hypancistrus and it eats mostly meaty foods and a few incidental veggies like a few tastes of an algae wafer. Mine eat live blackworms, frozen bloodworms, Tetra Color Bits and the like. It does look more like L260 or something very close.
Actually, the animal broadcasted under the aforementioned L number in DATZ (with the broader stripe base and washed out color) is theorized (whether you want to buy this or not is up to you) to be a juvenile of what eventually grows to become a similarly patterned fish as the above.
My L318 were almost 6" TL. I seriously doubt they were going to grow much more. They had the washed out coloring and wider stripes. They were most definitely not the same species as this fish is, which IMO, does look like the Hyp. sp. "Monte Dourado" species pics I've been seeing around.
I understand your fish are certainly larger (I've seen the pics ;)--have they begun to reproduce again yet?) than the animal above, but what I'm saying is that,as L-numbers are hardly the most scientific basis upon which to classify things, not to mention that multiple species could be grouped under one number, it is difficult at best for one to say "no, that is not an L-______", as it would be here.
Hi Jon,
My L318 have not bred yet. They have been in a Heckel Discus tank until I fished out 12 plecos. They were supposed to be L066 but when I sorted them out I had 1-L066, 2-L333 and 5-L318. I have yet to set up the L318 in a breeding tank but they are well developed adults of 5 inches. The males are engaging in some fairly violent fights but they are just going to have to work things out for themselves for now. As I can make space I will give them their own tank set up per usual Hyancistrus spawning environment. I have been told by someone who has bred them before that the fry were harder to raise than other Hypancistrus she has worked with. She might be able to add more on this subject but I cannot from personal experience.
Larry
That's okay, Jon. It was most likely poo. I believe the 75 would be too cool. The 55 gal.is a likely candidate, once set up. Well, the above fish in question has begun eating! I tried bloodworms again and they disappeared before I could get the light off. I am relieved. It would be nice, though, to know who this fish is, so that I can find a female or two. Unfortunately, I don't know the river of origin. That would make life too easy, wouldn't it? Is the white belly helpful in identification?
Amanda
Amanda,
I call it L Number Overload Syndrome(LNOS).
All my L318 and L260 have white under bellies. There is little doubt in my mind that these are very close relatives.
Larry
Actually, I was referring to barbie, as, IIRC, since her last spawn, they've been on a hiatus. Although it's nice to see you're making a lot of headway on the hypancistrus breeding project you've got going there .
Last edited by Jon on 11 Oct 2006, 05:05, edited 1 time in total.
Well they'd finally started to spawn again, but I recently had a parasite problem in a quarantine tank that I somehow managed to spread to the tank with the L318 and LDA08 and one other tank. I lost the male L318 and both of my female LDA08. Sometimes I think god has a sick sense of humor or I just REALLY have bad luck ;).
Then again, I'm really too busy with the store and wedding stuff at the moment anyway so I guess I just need to remember doodoo occurs. Hopefully I'll be able to replace them in the coming months.
apistomaster wrote:Amanda,
I call it L Number Overload Syndrome(LNOS).
All my L318 and L260 have white under bellies. There is little doubt in my mind that these are very close relatives.
Larry
I agree, Larry. I always look forward to the scientific description of a species. It helps defray much of the confusion.
Amanda
I could'nt agree more with you Amanda, I am becoming frustrated with the L-number system. It is better than no system at all but it is far from perfect and the tremendous variations in markings within populations and within age ranges make it much like the marine angelfish situation where many juveniles were assigned a different scientific name from the one given to the adult color form. Classification of the L number cats will be a massive undertaking but I would expect it to change in time.
It would be nice, though, to know who this fish is, so that I can find a female or two. Unfortunately, I don't know the river of origin. That would make life too easy, wouldn't it? 
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