Bristlenose help *still unidentified*

[Dragonrat]

A while back, I got a couple of what I thought were young Ancistrus cf. cirrhosus, but I'm no longer convinced. They very rarely come out, and never at the same time, and these are the best shots I've managed to get. Thoughts?

[JamesFish]

Erm I could be wrong but this looks like a chubby pleco to me. I've seen it marked as chubby ancsitrus in shops but its not a CF looks to bulky.

[Jools]

Erm I could be wrong but this looks like a chubby pleco to me. I've seen it marked as chubby ancsitrus in shops but its not a CF looks to bulky.

I don't think it's

Parancistrus aurantiacus

because of the small head tentacles we see in the bottom picture. I don't know what species of

Ancistrus

it is.

Jools

[JamesFish]

Also the big give away I think is the tail no pattern like a CF but it is possible to still be a BN of some description. - Never refreshed the page to see jools post doh now i look silly again.

[Dragonrat]

There's no colour variation in either of them. They both have 'bristles', but very few; one just around the top 'lip', and the other top lip and up the centre of his head. They're at least 30 months old now.

[nvcichlids]

There's no colour variation in either of them. They both have 'bristles', but very few; one just around the top 'lip', and the other top lip and up the centre of his head. They're at least 30 months old now.

That would indicate both sexes.

[Dragonrat]

That's my hope. I don't see any point in trying breeding until I know what they are, though.

[Dragonrat]

I got a couple more shots - don't know if they're any more use, but worth a try.

[magdalo]

With the vast number of Ancistrus species, it would be difficult to determine based on the angle of those shots. Best to catch it, measure it, and take close up photos from the top.

[CoryfanAad]

Isn't it extremely bloated ??

[Dragonrat]

No, I think it#s just distortion in the reflection. They are very wide across the head, though.

[magdalo]

Kinda bloated based on those pics but not to the extreme (yet). Perhaps been eating more carnivorous diet.

[Dragonrat]

They're in a community tank which gets frozen bloodworm and gamma shrimp once or twice a week, for the Syno, Banjo and Clown loaches in there. They also get courgette and algae wafers, plus the tank is full of wood, but they share with a Panaquolus Changae and a Panaque Nigrolineatus.

[Dragonrat]

We had a big clean/change around earlier, so I took some (hopefully) more useful photos. This is the bigger of the two.

[Dragonrat]

Still the bigger one:

[Dragonrat]

And the much smaller (female, I assume from lack of bristles)

[Dragonrat]

Anyone?

[Jools]

I guess people are confused by the fact the first set of pictures show a solid colour fish and the second set show a fish with spotting. The second fish look the good old fashioned common bristlenose.

Jools

[Dragonrat]

It's the same (two) fish. The original photos were of the larger one only. I assume that they coloured down from the stress of being moved.

[Coldhands]

Had ones like these before. Regular BNs IMO. I agree they can be prone to bloating.