What fish is this

[Whatfish]

What pleco is this ?
And what are There care needs

 

[TomRadford12354]

Hello,
Im certainly not an expert on fish nor do I claim to be .
But I believe the fish in question could be a a Ancistrus . Im not really sure about the exact one as I don't know enough about the types . It seems to be small making it a bristle nose .But like I said I am not a expert nor a seasoned veteran .

Regarding care I believe they like a lot of fibre in there diet so a piece of bog wood is good for them to chew on.Algae wafers or even Cucumber and similar vegetables ( Heat it in a bowl of water in the microwave )Is something they love to be fed . They can be quite sensitive to Ammonia spikes but as long as water changes are kept on top off should be fine. I would recommend a cave or something to provide darkness during the day .Feeding a little at night can work for stubborn characters.They have a large PH and Temperature range making them pretty hardy . Also they are great for breeding

Before you listen to my babble I would wait for some of the much more experienced members to validate (or contradict ) my advice . But if you have what I think then they are great fun to keep and watch .

Tom

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

@Bub I'm rubbish at plecos, they all look like plecos to me unless super unusual
But you seem to know plecos! Hope you don't mind the tagging

 

[PheonixKingZ]

@Bub I'm rubbish at plecos, they all look like plecos to me unless super unusual
But you seem to know plecos! Hope you don't mind the tagging

Same here... @Byron may know?

 

[Bub]

Looks like a pale Colombian zebra pleco, Hypancistrus debilittera, to me. There are a few species that look similar to this though. These have more of a preference for a meaty diet than many other plecos, though they are still omnivores.

edit* and I don't mind being tagged

 

[TomRadford12354]

Looks like a pale Colombian zebra pleco, Hypancistrus debilittera, to me. There are a few species that look similar to this though. These have more of a preference for a meaty diet than many other plecos, though they are still omnivores.

Looking at some pictures on the internet you seem to be right .
Exactly why I said not to listen to my advice
So would they eat bloodworms and things like that ?

 

[Bub]

Looking at some pictures on the internet you seem to be right .
Exactly why I said not to listen to my advice
So would they eat bloodworms and things like that ?

Yes, bloodworms, brine shrimp and other such live/frozen foods would do them good. As well as sinking carnivore pellets, which should satisfy their need for protein. Though as they are omnivores they will need some plant based foods as well, algae wafers and vegetables and the like. They are a nice sized pleco, quite small. The biggest I've seen was a little less than 4 inches.

 

[TomRadford12354]

Yes, bloodworms, brine shrimp and other such live/frozen foods would do them good. As well as sinking carnivore pellets, which should satisfy their need for protein. Though as they are omnivores they will need some plant based foods as well, algae wafers and vegetables and the like. They are a nice sized pleco, quite small. The biggest I've seen was a little less than 4 inches.

Good to know so I guess this makes them a little less of a community fish or not ?

 

[Bub]

They can actually do quite well in communities. I've seen them do well with Corydoras for one, as they are both meat favouring omnivores, so they have similar diets.

 

[CassCats]

If you can get the brand Northfin, try out their carnivore pellets. I actually use those for my cories and loaches haha... but they'd be fantastic for a more meat-loving pleco too

 

[Whatfish]

Yes, bloodworms, brine shrimp and other such live/frozen foods would do them good. As well as sinking carnivore pellets, which should satisfy their need for protein. Though as they are omnivores they will need some plant based foods as well, algae wafers and vegetables and the like. They are a nice sized pleco, quite small. The biggest I've seen was a little less than 4 inches.

When I bought them the guy at the fish shop did say what they was but I forgot and he also said they would grow to be over a foot long in size

 

[FishBearer9845]

Is this in the UK? Pretty sure I saw these at Maidenhead Aquatics and are called Knife Fish?
Fascinating creature!

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Is this in the UK? Pretty sure I saw these at Maidenhead Aquatics and are called Knife Fish?
Fascinating creature!

Ahh, lol, I can see why you're confused, no worries! It's the pleco in the first post were the species was unknown. The black ghost knife is an image in @TomRadford12354 's signature

Knife fish are definitely fascinating fish, you're right! I'm not into keeping any giant or predatory fish myself, but I do like watching the youtube channel Ohio Fish Rescue sometimes, they take in all sorts of giant monster fish, including a fair amount of knife fish. Apparently a lot of people get them without realising just how huge they get! If you check out this video, you can see some big ones I don't know whether these are even full sized or not, I'm sure I've seen bigger ones in their 8,000 gallon tank. But it's easy to lose perspective when they're surrounded by other giant fish, just bear in mind that this tank is 4,400 gallons...that's a massive tank!

 

[FishBearer9845]

Ooops sorry

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Ooops sorry

Easy done! The ghost knife kept drawing my attention too, it's a beautiful fish! @TomRadford12354 is it your fish in your siggy?