PlanetCatfish.com

Sold as chocolate Cututae. From the pictures on PlanetCatfish the fish is most like SP1 or Pirateta but is a small fish.

My friend and I have several species of BN and we are pretty certain this isn't an SP3, they are closer to Claros in size. The mature male is 7cm/3" and hasn't changed over the past year.
They are reticulated not spotty like SP3's. They have a definite lateral line that I have tried to show in one of the pictures.

The females have a definite mouth, what I would call rubber lips. They are slow growing, the young in the cave with the male are the same size as the 3 month old young.

I have every variation of SP3, although I have seen on Aquabid a minuture SP3, these just do not like SP3'S in profile - which is very hard to picture on a photo.

Your thoughts / help would be great - please can someone tell me what they are

Come on out there help me. If you want any more pictures I can post them. I have tried to question the wholesaler but why would they care? Someone must have seen these, or have some ideas what they are.

http://www.auctiva.com/hostedimages/sho ... =0&lgdin=1
http://www.auctiva.com/hostedimages/sho ... =0&lgdin=1
http://www.auctiva.com/hostedimages/sho ... =0&lgdin=1
http://www.auctiva.com/hostedimages/sho ... =0&lgdin=1

Have you ruled out ?

At last a reply - many thanks Silurus.

No I haven't ruled it out, the size of triradatus is consistent and they do look similar. But from the pictures on PC I thought the noses were a lot flatter than my fish. Perhaps I will need to contact the keepers and ask if they think the fish is the same.

I also realise that someone may have crossed 2 varieties and my fish may be some sort of hybrid.

How about LDA53?

Many thanks zombie I appreciate your input. To be honest that is what I think they most resemble but an important difference is that mine are half the size. From my experience of BN's they act and look mature, and I can't see them getting much bigger.

Most BN can grow to around 6 inches, but with any fish the size of the tank and what you feed them can help detemine thier size. Also BN can grow slow. There are dwarf species that only grow to about 4 inches.

Check out my thread and pictures at http://www.planetcatfish.com/forum/view ... highlight=. Silurus ID'd these as A. triradiatus, and yours look really similar to mine. I don't have a good picture of my male, but it looks very much like the one you have.

Many thanks for your reply. I had seen your listing and did think your fish were similar looking but my females dont have mouth bristles. How big are your fish? Do you know where they shipment was from?

Julie

Where I live I'd be lucky to get a reasonably correct common name, let alone where the fish came from. Mine are about 3 inches for the male and 2 1/2 for the females. I bought the male in March and the females more recently. I think the mouth bristles may develop with age, so if yours are small they may not show it yet.

Thanks bslindgren.
The only thing is both of my females are laying eggs which makes me think they are mature, both males and females are 2" at most. I thought, perhaps wrongly (I am sure someone will correct me if so), that Ancistrus breed when they are mature and have their bristles. I have an juvenille male who is developing bristles but again he is about 2" at most.
Having said that, if the concensus is that they are A. triradiatus I am more than happy to accept that ... I just wonder how many years it will take them to reach the full size?

I'd like to point out that my currently largest female is about 4" total length. She laid her first eggs at about 2.5". Male was smaller. I think I've had 2" females lay eggs too.

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Mats

Mats, I don't understand your post.

Are you saying that you agree with the identification of A. triradiatus or are you saying your BN species have spawned at 2".

To clarify.
The male in the picture I posted of 2" at most and I think he is fully mature and will not grown any bigger. I have based my thoughts on his bristles and the experience / thoughts of other owners who think they have the same fish.
Planet Catfish states A. triradiatus standard length of 4.7.

Please clarify what you were saying for me Mats, Julie

I'm trying to say that the size when spawning is not indicative that teh fish is fully grown - it is just an indication that it's mature enough to spawn. Fish are different from primates in that they often grow quite a bit after they have first spawned.

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Mats

Thanks Mat