Ancistrus dolichopterus

[HarleyK]

Howdy

These bristlenose plecos are fine algae eaters, at least green algae carpets. They are also prolific breeders. All 59 offspring in this photo came out of a 10 gal, and another group of fry are in a cave with the male guarding them. I had to separate the female, I'm running out of tank space...

Highly rewarding to watch them breed, watch the male parent.

HarleyK

 

[Milingu]

Sorry for spoiling the party, but that's not Ancistrus dolichopterus. Yours are just common bristlenose plecos.

 

[HarleyK]

Sorry for spoiling the party, but that's not Ancistrus dolichopterus. Yours are just common bristlenose plecos.

Thanks for clarifying, can you elaborate?
And no worries about spoiling the party, I’m truly happy about fry, that’s all.
The word “just” is not part of my fishkeeping vocabulary

 

[Milingu]

A. dolichopterus also referred to as L183 or starlight pleco is a black fish with tiny white dots and distinctive white seams on dorsal and caudal fin. These white seams often fade over time and are mostly prominent in juvenile specimens. A. dolichopterus growths up to 25 cm / 10" and needs warmer water 26-30°C while the common bristlenose pleco in most cases doesn't grow so large and is fine with a bit lower temperatures.

Unfortunately the common bristlenose pleco, which is a brownish fish with beige or yellow dots and smaller seams in the fins, whose origins are still unclear often gets misslabled as A. dolichopterus. That's why you find a lot of wrong pictures on Google when looking for A. dolichopterus. To increase the confusion A. dolichopterus is also often confused with L181, another black pleco with tiny white dots

Searching for L183 gives more correct pictures of A. dolichopterus.