L-003 & L-204 ??

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INXS
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L-003 & L-204 ??

Post by INXS »

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I bought it as an L-003 - is it?
And is the one behind an L-204 (clown pleco) ? I'm assuming it is. If that is the case I have a question about sexing, breeding , feeding and max size of them? (Well that was the question) :lol:
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Barbie
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Post by Barbie »

Dunno about the L003, but L204 are actually flash plecos, which your second pleco is not. They are more black with white pin stripes and a panaque shaped head. Under 4 inches they tend to have a lyretail.

Sorry I'm not more help.

Barbie
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Caol_ila
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Post by Caol_ila »

Hi!

imo definately not a L3
Compare to this pic http://www.l-welse.com/forum/index.php? ... DE=03&ID=3
Yours looks a bit like common Ancistrus.
cheers
Christian
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Post by INXS »

Barbie, the clowns are not in the best of shape ( a little ragged) but I picked them up since I already have one which I guessed was a female - very plump. As you mention , once they settle down and heal up a bit they seem to attain a bit of a lyre tail and the dark color darkens while the bands light up to a yellow/white. These guys seem to have sortof plump heads and bodies which are quite short . I was looking at them and trying to guess about sexing them by the body armour/odontoidal growth from the pelvic fin and back about midway up from the belly towards the back. The more I looked the crazier I became :roll: . I don't know if I would call them panaque looking but I know what you mean. Is the L-204 very similar to any other species or are they distinct enough where all those characteristics would determine it to be an L- 204? Also any idea about sexing (still) I didn't see any difference on the belly color or odontoidal growth on the pelvic fin tips.

Caol_ila,
I don't think it is an ancistrus, the head shape is different and flatter and the tail is quite shark shaped which doesn't seem usual for ancistrus nor is there any sign of any kind of bristles. When I picked it up it was a lot greener with more yellowish markings but as it has spent the day at home the color has darkened. When I got it I was hoping that it may have been an L-200 but no such luck - the more I look at it and compare it to the L-003 the more I think it looks like it. However I would like to be certain and if it isn't the L-003 I am wondering what it would be?
Thanks
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DeepFriedIctalurus
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Post by DeepFriedIctalurus »

Ahhhhhhh...this just breaks my heart. I had that very same fish up until a couple days ago when it died on me inexplicably after having it only a couple of months...in apparent good health I assumed.

Yours looks to be around the same size mine was (about 4") so it's a young fish, which makes the ID that much more difficult. I spent some time researching it after it came home with me and the best match I could come up with was L017/067 Pseudancistrus sp. (note the unique head shape).

Can anyone back that up with a fair bit of certainty? I imagine a closeup shot of the mouth may help more.. The store I bought it from gave it the oh-so-original title of "flathead ple co" Gotta love common names!


Tyler
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Caol_ila
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Post by Caol_ila »

hi!

maybe Lasiancistrus? To be a L3 it needs to have a connection of dorsal and adipose fin, cauz thats a trait of Baryancistrus. From what i can tell yours has quite a big distance between the two fins.
edit: check the L92 in the elog...
cheers
Christian
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Post by pleco_breeder »

Hello,

The fish in the background is definitely a common clown pleco. You can look it up under any number of L numbers since they tend to be rather variable in their color pattern. L204, as Barbie stated is a bulkier fish. The sex of either can be identified by either vent checking or odontodes along the back half of the males body when they are in good condition.

As for the first fish, I also had this species several years ago. It was imported as L17, but that can be a little confusing until you realize that they lose the fin edging once they get past the juvenile stage of life. I am still not sure of the identification, but can say with some certainty that it is at the minimum related to Hopliancistrus.

Larry Vires
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Post by pleco_breeder »

Hello again,

I have just been informed that my information on the genus is no longer correct. I'm really beginning to hate taxonomy. The correct genus would be Pseudancistrus.

Larry Vires
Impossible only means that somebody hasn't done it correctly yet.
INXS
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Post by INXS »

Caol_ila,
I see what you mean about the proximity of the two dorsals - they are not as close on mine as on the L-003. L-017 seems to be more like it, I have a couple more pics and one shows the mouth quite well too. It is unfortunate that the Cat-e-log doesn't seem to conform with the Datz or some other sites species ID 100% . One good example is the L-232(Datz) L-239 Cat-e-log, I mention this just because I feel that there may be a difference on the L-003 also.
Image
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The pseudancistrus (?)
Image
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These poor pictures will be replaced once I get better ones but they show the bands on the clown and the facepaint, they also exhibit some extension on the tail fin which I'm sure will come back once the fish is in good health. It mentions somewhere that they can be terratorial and I have certainly observed this , I don't normally notice plecos being aggressive but I did notice it on these guys right away.

Pleco_breeder,
if by bulky you mean that they look a bit like tadpoles then yes they are. Bear in mind that these fish look like they have been through a bit so once they get a chance to recover and bulk up some I have full confidence that they will indeed be bulky. My one older clown/L-204 (?) looks pregnant and bloated - is that basically the normal way for them to look? When you mention that they may be one of many L numbers - does that mean they are mostly the same species ?
BTW - thanks for clearifying what to look for in sexing - especially the "when in good health" - seems like many of the fish on sale are not, so staring at them just makes you go insane :roll:
You are right about the light edging of the fins (on the pseudancistrus)- so I will assume that it is an L-017.

DeepFriedIctalurus,
common name for this one was: Lots of dots pleco :lol:

Thanks all
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Post by Caol_ila »

Hi!

I dont really know what you mean by comparing L232 with L239?
Are you sure you mean DATZ and not Aqualog?
To me the link i gave you and the elog show the same fish as L3. A fine spotted Baryancistrus sp.

Also the new pictures you provided definately show a Panaque maccus of some sort and not L204.
cheers
Christian
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Post by INXS »

Thanks Caol_ila,
yes you are right , I looked at the panaque maccus and it appears that it is what it is, thanks.
It may be aqualog I was thinking about - sorry. I just happened to see one at a store under the other number and felt confused.
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Post by Erwin »

Your fish looks a little bit more like an L17 as an LDA15. If you take it out of the water and it will stick up its interopercular odontodes (the spines close to the gill opening), and if its three of them, than the fish is LDA15 (Hopliancistrus tricornis), if it hardly doesn't stick up anything according to its size, its L17, an undescriped Pseudancistrus species. Larger specimens can stick up a kind of gill opening cover without spines on it.

Erwin
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