HOW IS THE ANCISTRUS FISH, THE BEST ALGAE EATER:
Scientific Name: Ancistrus sp.
Common Name: Ancistrus
Order: Siluriformes
Family: Loricariidae
Subfamily: Hypostominae
Biotope: Amazonian
Origin: Amazon Basin and other rivers of South America
Life Expectancy: About 10 years.
The Ancistrus dolichopterus, is also known by other names, such as Speckled Ancistrus, Snowflake Ancistrus or Bearded Snout Catfish.
It is a fish of the Loricariidae family, very calm fish that can share space with many different species of fish, even with those larger than them.
Traditionally, Loricariids and Ancistrus Dolichopterus are usually included for aquarium maintenance, because they are very effective at keeping algae at bay.
That does not mean that we do not have to carry out any type of maintenance or cleaning in the aquarium.
There are dozens of different species of Ancistrus, but the most common is Ancistrus triradiatus, both in its natural form and in its albino or long-finned variety.
The differentiation between the sexes is not complicated, although you have to wait until they reach sexual maturity to observe it.
It is then that the ramifications are distinguished on the upper part of the male's snout, like a small group of horns, evident if any specimen is compared with a female, where they will be absent.
Their life expectancy is around 10 years in captivity.
Females do not have tentacles on their heads but, if they do, they will be found on the edge of the snout and will be much smaller than in the case of males.
FOR THE BEST CARE OF THE ANCISTRUS YOU NEED TO KNOW HOW THEY LIVE IN FREEDOM:
This fish is from the Amazon basin and different rivers in South America. It likes to inhabit current areas with a lot of oxygenation.
These areas are also characterized by a large amount of decomposing organic matter and a strong presence of tannins. Although some species prefer clearer waters, it is not usually the most common.
THE DIFFERENT VARIETIES OF ANCISTRUS FISH:
We are faced with a fish with a large number of varieties.
As in many other species, the different types arise from adaptation to different habitats or biotopes in which food or predators differ.
In this way, having to adapt to different environments, new species are established.
And, of course, the existing genetic selection by the hand of man.
The most common species that we will find for sale are:
- Network (L016).
- Super Red: It is a variety of Ancistrus with an orange coloration, tending to red.
The male has appendages on the head, which give the sensation of being horns, while the females only have thin tentacles.
They are rarely seen for sale, and the ones we do see are captive bred for sale.
- of veil:
- L144.
- L183 Starlight: They have a completely black body, dotted with white spots, reminiscent of a starry sky, hence the nickname "Starlight".
The dorsal and caudal fins have a snowy white rim.
- Hoplogenys.
- Triradiatus.
- Gold L144, Ancistrus albino or Ancistrus dorado: The shape of the body is identical to any other Ancistrus, the difference is in its coloration, yellowish, tending to pink. Irregular dots or lines can be seen on its body, which depending on the lighting can vary in tone.
The background color can vary depending on the mood of the fish. His eyes are usually red.
This specimen can be found under the name of Ancistrus gold or Ancistrus albino.
Many of the Ancistrus species have a veil variant, such as the Ancistrus gold veil. The difference is that its caudal, dorsal, ventral and anal fins are much longer, giving the sensation of a "veil".
Wash
- Albino.
- Lemon albino.
THE BEST AQUARIUM CARE FOR THE ANCISTRUS FISH:
The ideal aquarium for this species should be at least 80 liters for one specimen.
In a smaller volume they do not fully develop their size and behavior.
In addition, taking into account that they are quite territorial, the aquarium must have well defined different areas, especially if they are going to coexist with more species of loricariids.
In the event that a pair of ancistrus or later is kept, the aquarium should be larger so that they can determine their territories and there are no fights between the males.
In addition, as has been mentioned in the section on its geographical distribution, the aquarium must have abundant and efficient filtration, which guarantees an aquarium with currents and properly oxygenated.
The presence of wood is mandatory for the reasons explained later in the feeding section.
The substrate must be fine and we will avoid all kinds of gravel that can cut the fish with their edges.
Finally, the filtration of the aquarium must be abundant to withstand the heavy load of organic waste produced by ancistrus fish.
The ideal would be to have an oversized filtration, so in an aquarium where you keep loricariids and species that provide a large organic load, you should have a good external aquarium filter.
The Ancistrus triradiatus comes from South America, from basins such as the Orinoco River or the Valencia Lake, among others, hence it likes a pH between neutral and slightly acidic (6-7), and soft water (up to 10ºdH) .
The ideal temperature for this fish is between 24 and 28 ºC, since it comes from warm waters. It is a primarily herbivorous fish, which will tirelessly remove any algae growth in the aquarium.
It is good to know that the Ancistrus comes from moving water, so some current in the aquarium will always be to its liking, and if we direct it to the surface we will help gaseous exchange, which is essential for these great oxygen consumers.
We must also provide hiding places that mimic their natural habitat through rocks, trunks and abundant vegetation.
About 30 liters per adult fish is a good proportion, although you also have to take into account that they are somewhat territorial, so it is good to have enough space.
Ancistrus triradiatus Water It needs very oxygenated water and absolutely not brackish.
Hardness Between 3 to 12 ºGh.
Moderately to slightly soft water.
It develops activity on the bottom most of the time, except when it feeds on the algae that grow on the glass of the aquarium.
pH Between 5.8 and 7.4. Water with slight or neutral acidity.
Temperature From 24 to 29º C in conditions at sea level.
This value decreases 1ºC every thousand meters of altitude.
The ancistrus is a freshwater fish commonly known as the protagonist of the bottom fish.
Due to its similar morphological characteristics with the plecostomus, it is a species that has caused many headaches in many fans due to the misunderstanding between the two species.
It is one of those fish that when you see it for the first time it does not usually attract your attention but as you get to know its rarity and the great variety of species, it becomes the king of the bottoms of our aquariums.
At Glu Glu Pet we love the bottoms of aquariums with corydoras due to their great activity, but a pair of ancistrus or similar can never be missing.
It is undoubtedly one of the best options to bring life to the dullest areas of our aquariums and due to its resistance we include it in the article of recommended fish for beginners.
Regarding the physiognomy of the ancistrus, it should be noted that its entire body, except for its belly, is covered by bony plates, becoming another peculiarity of this species.
It has a suction cup that allows it to adhere to different elements, suck its food and extract cellulose from the wood.
In terms of size, they are fish that can reach 15 centimeters in males and around 10 in females.
At Glu Glu Pet we do not recommend it for planted aquariums since they are quite rough with the plants, breaking the stems, uprooting or eating any that are weakened.
In definite accounts, it is a fish that will "destroy" everything wherever it passes, so rule out upholstery or large forests that prevent the current that this species requires.
However, broad-leaved plants such as echinodorus, large anubias, cryptocoryne… will guarantee the shady areas that ancistrus likes so much.
Although it is considered a "strong" fish, the quality of the water it requires must be taken into account.
In this way, we will be meeting the needs of our fish and we will be able to guarantee it a decent life, the one it deserves.
In this way, the ideal parameters are the following:
AP: 6-7
Gh: 2-10
Kh: 2-6
Temperature: Around 25-26 ºC.
YOU ALWAYS HAVE TO KNOW YOUR BEHAVIOR AND COMPATIBILITY FOR YOUR BEST CARE:
It is a peaceful fish, appreciated for its taste for algae and its moderate size (10 cm).
It is a calm fish and quite strong once established, which makes it a good companion for any species that shares its preferences in the parameters of the water and that is not aggressive or overly active.
It is not aggressive, it is territorial, and despite this, it is fully compatible with the rest of the species, as long as they share the same parameters.
As previously mentioned, it should be taken into account whether or not it is going to live with more loricariids, whether they are ancistrus or another species, since there will be disputes over territories if the latter are not conscientiously created during the assembly of the aquarium.
Special care must be taken when keeping males of the same species, so it is recommended that in the case of wanting to have several ancistrus, the combination is a male together with several females.
If you have doubts about something, at Glu Glu Pet we help you solve them, you just have to leave us a comment and we will be happy to help you.
THE BEST NUTRITION OF THE ANCISTRUS FISH:
In addition to algae, it will gladly accept almost any commercial food for ground fish, pleco stick for example, since it is actually an omnivore and a small percentage of its diet in the wild is of animal origin, however we should not limit its feeding to these products, but complement it from time to time with some fresh food such as lettuce, spinach, chard, and other vegetables, especially if the amount of edible algae in the aquarium is scarce or non-existent.
It is vitally important to also provide it with a natural trunk, root or branch.
These must be, previously boiled and washed with water, they are perfect and safe where you can nibble to extract cellulose and other substances necessary for the proper functioning of your digestive system.
As for food, we find a very simple fish to cover all its nutritional needs.
Although we can feed it with commercial bottom pills without any problem, we recommend a varied and simple diet of fruits and vegetables that will make our fish grow much healthier and with a splendid color.
In our case, we also feed the fry with vegetables and fruit, as well as frozen and live food as the main source of protein.
To date we have not found a vegetable that this fish does not like, but based on our experience we recommend the following.
Vegetables to feed ancistrus:
- Cucumber.
- Zucchini.
- Pumpkin.
- Tomatoes.
- Pepper.
- Fruits like papaya, mango, etc…
Note that the fresher our vegetables are, the better. As a protein intake, we can add background pills to the diet, although ideally they can eat larvae, brine shrimp, as well as all kinds of live and frozen foods.
The feeding of our ancistrus is complicated, especially when it comes to foods that the rest of the aquarium inhabitants like, we recommend feeding at night, since they are usually quite active and can eat quietly while the rest sleep.
The presence of one or more logs in our aquariums is also mandatory, since they require the extraction of cellulose to carry out the digestion correctly.
THE REPRODUCTION OF THE ANCISTRUS FISH IN CAPTIVITY:
An aquarium of about 80-90 liters is fine for a couple, or a trio of 2 females and a male, but we will have problems if there is more than one male in the tank. If we take care of them properly and we have both sexes from Glu Glu Pet we recommend that the ideal is only a couple, it is very likely that they will spawn in the aquarium.
If we are lucky enough to form a couple and lay their eggs in the aquarium, we will see that the male is the one who takes care of the spawning, continuously aerating the eggs to keep them oxygenated and clean.
The fry will be safe in the aquarium as long as there are no other companions that can prey on them, however to ensure that they are not eaten and to avoid an overpopulation of Ancistrus in the aquarium, we can remove the eggs before they hatch by siphoning them, in a way that they never come out of the water, and introduce them in a clean, dark and well-aerated breeding aquarium.
Once they come out of the egg they will have a reserve of food in their yolk sac that will last them about 8 days, later they can be fed with powdered food or any properly crushed dried food.
By respecting their needs, we will have beautiful and peaceful tenants, who will also appreciate our care, keeping, in return, the algae in the aquarium under control.
It is a fish in which the male is in charge of caring for his offspring from the time the female lays her eggs until the young consume their yolk sac and begin to live their lives.
The best thing we can do if we want to get numerous clutches is to take our pair of ancistrus to an aquarium dedicated solely to breeding, although this fish can also be successful in community aquariums, between 80-120 liters with a lot of wood and perhaps some jar or coconut cave in which they carry out the laying.
If we have large aquariums, 300 liters and up, we can keep two males with one or more females.
In this way, each male will keep a part of the aquarium and the female will lay eggs with both males, thus having several clutches at the same time.
In the event that we choose this option, the territories must be very well defined to avoid fights between our males.
A correct diet will be one of the keys when it comes to reproducing our ancistrus, since the parents can go up to 15 days without eating.
It will be very important to provide protein and quality food.
HOW ARE THE LAYERS OF THE ANCISTRUS FISH?
In the first place, the male chooses an area that, as a general rule, is usually a cave or nooks and crannies in wooden trunks.
Next, once the spawning area has been delimited, the male will carry out a courtship by unfolding his fins and leading the female to the cave or spawning site, where the female will lay her eggs on one of the walls of said cave. .
Ancistrus eggs are larger than those of most species and orange in color.
As soon as the female lays her eggs, the male will fertilize them on the spot.
From then on, the female will completely disregard the clutch and it will be the male who will take care of her until the fry are completely independent.
Until the eggs hatch, the male is in charge of continuously aerating and defending the clutch.
During this period the male will not even eat, since his only goal is to get the clutch off the ground.
It is essential to conscientiously feed our reproductive pair or trio, since it will be the only way for the parents to have the strength and resistance to raise the fry.
It may be the case that the father is a first-timer and disregards the laying.
We will have to be very aware of whether this happens to be the ones to carry it forward.
A farrowing pen near the filter outlet will suffice so that it is well oxygenated, or an external farrowing pen with an aerator.
After approximately 5 days, depending on the temperature of our aquarium, the eggs will hatch.
Until after 8 or 10 days they will not begin to swim freely, that is, they will not leave the cave on their own and, since they have a large yolk sac, it will not be necessary to feed.
After a month they will be totally independent and will swim freely around the aquarium.
In the following image you can see fingerlings with 2-3 weeks of one of the last clutches we have had of ancistrus limon.
