Hi Daniel/Eric

Thanks very much. What about these 2 plecos from another group in the US. Are they L387s?
,

Hi Eric,

I am yet to buy them. They are more yellow/gold instead of Orange. I wanted a positive ID before buying as i was not very sure.

Can someone positively ID the Plecos in these pics as L387.

Thanks very much

Given that you are new to plecos, my advice to you is to stay away from L46 given their price. Any of the other 3 should be fine but my preference is L134s or L333s as some 260s don't stay nice when they grow into adulthood. I know the L134 seller and its good stock and you cannot go wrong at that p...

Nice Zebs.

It appears that you have a trio of 1M +2F. The top picture is Female. The Zebra on top of 2nd pic appear to be more female based on head shape (sexing this fellow is tricky). The Zebra at the bottom of 2nd pic is Male.

Thanks Eric.

Thanks very much Eric for clearly detailing out the L397 foods for different stages.

Is it freeze dried Tubiflex worms that you feed the young?

Thanks very much Eric

What do you folks feed your L397s?

Stunning!

@bekateen

Thanks for your valuable input. I will keep them together in a 90G tank for a couple of months and observe the dynamics. Thereafter, I will establish 2 separate groups. For the moment I plan on enjoying the new additions. Any fry would be a welcome bonus

Cheers - Gehan

@Jobro

Thanks for your suggestions. Much appreciated

I just received my first lot of L397s and more WC are on the way next week. What is the optimum number of males and females to keep in a group? I have enough L397s to set up multiple groups.

Thanks - Gehan

@jools

Thanks for sharing the links.

This is a general comment and not aimed at any forum member whether you are a part of this thread or not ......... If we opt to buy WC L46 after being well aware of the WC L46 export ban in Brazil (no matter how honorable the intentions are about the conservation of L46 due to possible risks from Be...

@Jools

When did the positive list come into effect that made the collection, transportation and sale of WC L46 out of Brazil illegal?

Gehan

Here's an interesting read .... http://www.reef2rainforest.com/2016/11/04/a-smugglers-favorite-the-zebra-pleco-l46-receives-cites-listing/ Here's an extract from this credible article that sums up the legality of WC L46 ..... "It’s been over a decade since wild-caught H. zebra could be legally ...

@walter ......... Could it be possible that L46 are being captive bred in neighboring countries and then unscrupulous importers tag them as 'WC' and 'legit' to make a quick buck from unsuspecting buyers? The price of a L46 like anything else depends on what buyers are willing to pay. It's the mislea...

@panaque ..... I have exhausted the polite conversations as the importer insists that they were WC :( I have heard from a couple of pleco buddies in Europe that L46 and a few other rare plecos are bred in large tanks close to the river using river water. These plecos are subsequently sold by importe...

Here's the translation of the document ..... THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR THE ENVIRONMENT, in the use of the attributions confer on items I and II of the sole paragraph of art. 87 of the Constitution, and the provisions of Law 10,683, dated May 28, 2003, Decree No. 8,975, dated December 24, January 201...

@ Walter .... Thanks very much for your informative post. I purchased a group of Wild Caught L046 a few months ago from a from a very reputed pleco breeder/importer here in Toronto, Canada who assured me that it was legal to export Wild Caught L46 out of Brazil as long as the correct paperwork was a...

Here's a link to an authoritative article on Zebras. https://www.reef2rainforest.com/2016/11/04/a-smugglers-favorite-the-zebra-pleco-l46-receives-cites-listing I have reproduced below an extract from this article ...... "It's been over a decade since wild-caught H. Zebra could be legally obtain...

I purchased some WC a few month back from a very reputed importer here in Canada who assured me that the L46 were legit and not smuggled. I was also offered another lot of WC L46 from the same importer a couple of months later but did not purchase the second lot. This means that there was a legal wa...

@Lukan

Marte (user name - Lukan) - Can L46 WC still be imported legally despite the CITES 3 listing that came into effect on January 1, 2017?

Thanks!

Well noted that it is not a 306. What is it then?

@Fundulopanchax76

That fish looks like a L306 to my untrained eye. Certainly not a L397. I'll let the experts chime in on this.

Thanks for your response Jools.

How can you easily distinguish a L397 adult from L002, L169 and L306.
Are there any unique characteristics that only L397s have. What should one look for in a L397?

Thanks in advance for your help.

You should contact Oliver Lucanas who specializes in rare fish from SA. He lives in Canada.