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Is anyone keeping them? Like to know the size they max out and how is their availability like in your country? The lfs here is selling them slightly above the average prices, is it worth consider its degree of rarity?

cant really see the colour blue in them...
will the colour be clearer when they grow bigger???

I'm not sure, dont have experience in them before.

Anyone with info??????

Polkadot,
I am keeping a pair (male and female) in a ten gallon tank with hopes of spawning them. You can see my male in the at-E-Log (Ancistrinae L 239), and yes they are very blue! They are blackwater fish from the upper Orinoco and are fairly common here in Bogota. Retail is around US $6.00 each for large adults here.
The ten gallon tank is filtered by a Tetra sponge filter rated for 40 gallons and water changes are 70 percent every week. They do not seem to seek out strong currents. Tank decor is a medium sized piece of driftwood in the middle, a small pile of four rocks in one corner and a bamboo spawning tube (vertical) in the other corner. Interestingly neither fish has ever entered the tube. I plan to make a horizontal slate cave and see if the male likes it better.
They eat some driftwood and like cucumber and zucchini. They also like frozen blackworms and freeze dried blood worms as well as Tetra Bits dry food. In truth, the seem to eat about everything. Water is 80F, Ph 6.8, 3 dGH, and no measurable KH (this is just pure Bogota tap water). They are also amazingly peaceful and they never seem to scuffle.
-Shane

two in a ten gal? How big do they get I'm assuming theyre a dwarf species.

Mine appear to be fully grown at about 3 inches total length each.
-Shane

Thanks Shane, didnt know they get so small! Here, I'll be paying for like SGD$60 each!!!!!! Anyhow, is there any factors that determine how "blue" they gets?

I think tablets and wafers containing Spirulina algae improves the colour of blue and green plecos. The higher the percentage of Spirulina, the better.

bought one just now for $45.
abt 5-6cm.
very cute and blue.

Thanks Chrysichthys for that, will try it out and see the outcome!

What types of tankmates will the L239 tolerate? Are they easily stressed out by other aggressive plecos?

it seems fine sharing the tank with a few other plecos (sunshine, LDA33, 3 becons, adonis, flash, etc...) and some cories and white clouds.
its doesn't hide much also, likes to sunbath on the driftwood.

i bought mine 2 weeks ago and i have never seen it feed before.
should i be worry abt its diet???

Anyone in the UK got any of these? I think I've actually found something to put on my wish list.
Pete

They're not easy cats for sure, I lost 2 of them!

i bought mine in portland , oregon USA for $50. He's about 3" (7.5cm) and very blue. It was labeled at the store as an L027a "Spotted Blue Royal", despite the fact that he has no spots. Thanks to Serius (sp?), i think i've discovered he is actually an L239? possibly? I'll post some pics when i borrow a camera.

How big this species really grows? I`ve seen information ranging from 7,5 cm to 30cm!

Mika wrote:How big this species really grows? I`ve seen information ranging from 7,5 cm to 30cm!

Hi Mika,

indeed there is severel different information on the max size of this species. Mine are 9 to 10 cm long and sexing is quite easy. So I believe, they are 2/3 to almost fully grown.

Mike from L-welse.com told me, he suggested, this species would reach 10 to 15cm, but he has never seen individuals larger than 12cm.

I'm not quite sure, if the species identification is allways correct when giving such large species size. On should keep im mind, that in older aqualog the L232 is shown as L239.

We will see what hapens, hope i can answer this question a year ago.

joern wrote:

Mika wrote:How big this species really grows? I`ve seen information ranging from 7,5 cm to 30cm!

I had contact to these L239-keepers: http://mitglied.lycos.de/panaque/hobbies1.html click "Fischfotos" they gave a size of 15cm in their tank .

I have a big problem. My L239s seem to fade in last 2 weeks.

They are very blue when they came back from Colombia in the first week. But now they seem to fade.

I keep them with pH 6.8 and temp 24 degree centi.

What is the matter? Please help me.

They normally fade in colour a little time to time, keep the water quality high and rise the temp to 27-28 C degrees and they are also sensitive to low oxygen levels so keep them in a tank with good circulation.

Janne

Thanks. Janne

I use 2 pump (1000L/H) for the tank with about 400 Liter water. I think the water is very good unless the temp is a little low (25 degree centi).

Does the temperature impact their bodycolor?

It's the mood that make them change colour or fade and one parameter is the temp, you say your tank is 400 L...I keep one pair in a tank that are 95x40x36 cm around 130 L with a cirkulation of 1800 L/h and they love it in an other tank with the same mesourments but only 1000 L/h with my other pair they are less active but comfortable so you could increase the current twice without any problem...you have to think a little so you have some calm places also in the tank.

Janne