During the private fish expedition “SiluCha 2018”, this Ancistrus, which is ideal for aquariums, was discovered in the drainage of the Rio Iténez. The collectors managed to bring back a few specimens and breed them. In the meantime, this beautifully marked species has even reached the trade, and because there are currently no professional ornamental fish trappers in Bolivia, it is all captive bred. This is a very good example of intraspecific variability, as each individual has its own unmistakable pattern, like a human fingerprint. However, the characteristic honeycomb pattern is always recognizable.
Ancistrus sp. L519 is a comparatively small species that hardly grows larger than 10 cm (total length, including caudal fin). As it can get quite cold in its area of distribution, it is also well adapted to (at least temporarily) low temperatures of around 20°C. For breeding, however, it may be 26°C and slightly higher. This means that Ancistrus sp. L519 is also ideal for unheated aquaria, provided they are kept in heated living rooms. However, this species is hardly suitable for permanently high-temperature discus aquaria. Apart from that, everything that applies to other bushmouth catfish also applies: they are excellent algae eaters, fairly peaceful (they fight a little among themselves for the very best spot, but that’s about it) and robust. The fish are typical cave breeders with a father family.
For our customers: the animals have code 26480-L 519x-1 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply the wholesale trade.
Text & photos: Frank Schäfer
