Did you know fantastic help is an anagram of Planet Catfish? This forum is for those of you with pictures of your catfish who are looking for help identifying them. There are many here to help and a firm ID is the first step towards keeping your catfish in the best conditions.
Well it certinaly is not a L002 tiger plec as it was sold, strange though because i did actually get a Tiger plec at the same time and they are some what different..
Actually looking closer at the L134 that does have some very similar traites so I'm thinking you are right Barbie, either way i'm chuffed with the lil fella!
It's L168 Dekeyseria/Zonancistrus pulcher, they dont change the colour if they not are stressed but can be darker when they lay at a piece of wood for exampel. L52 dont have so sharp colours and change very often in mood and get more lighter and diffuse pattern.
It is L52. L168 would be a possibility, but is different than L52 in having a straighter pattern of lines. Both species, as well as most loricariidae, are quite variable in their pattern. L134 is a stockier fish and not as compressed, and is probably one of the most variable plecos known. It has a range from all spots, as in the so-called L134a, to a striped pattern, but the stripes do not usually run into one another. If you look at the side shots of L52, you will see the area of the back where the lines run together, which is the easiest identifying characteristic between it and L168.
Larry Vires
Impossible only means that somebody hasn't done it correctly yet.
According to the new AqualogL052 and L168 are one and the same. You can tell L134 apart from them by its mouth. Hope this helps and does not add to the confusion.
According to the new Datz special "All l-numbers":
L168 is Zonancistrus brachyurus from Rio Negro
L052 is a undescribed Zonancistrus sp. from upper Orinoco drainage.
According to the new Aqualoq "All L-numbers":
L168 is Zonancistrus pulcher from Rio Negro
L052 is a undescribed Zonancistrus sp. from Colombia and Venezuela
There's also pictures of an undescibed Zonancistrus sp. without a l-number from Rio Urubaxi.
(@Wood: in matter of fact the text says: "L168: Another Zonancistrus species, but not identical with L052.")