Order Siluriformes
Family Loricariidae
Subfamily Ancistrinae
Genus Ancistrus.
— Bristlenose Catfish — Ancistrus cirrhosus [Cuvier & Valenciennes 1836]. Synonym: Hypostomus cirrhosus. (Eng. Bristlenose Catfish, Jumbie Teta, Piebald Bristlenose, Veiltail Bristlenose). Argentina, Amazon basin and Paraná River. 10-12 cm. Body elongated in length and flattened from top to bottom. Head is wide. Mouth in the form of a sucker, equipped with horn-like scrapers that allow scraping food from a solid surface. The body (except the belly) is covered with rows of wide bony plates.
Body of variable coloration — dark olive-brown, dark gray, beige, brown, almost black-brown, with numerous small white or yellow spots of various sizes, lower part from light gray-green to light brown. Belly yellowish with numerous light speckles.
Pectoral, ventral and dorsal fins are wide, dorsal is cut obliquely so that an obtuse angle is formed at the top. Dorsal fin is large, sail-shaped, with dark dots, a large black spot at the base. At the base of the dorsal fin, there is a large oval black spot. Anal fin is transparent, other semi-transparent fins have 3-4 rows of dark spots. Males are slimmer, dorsal fin is higher, and caudal fin is wider than in females. Males have branched skin growths on the head and along its edges. In females, growths are either located only along the edges of the head and are weakly developed, or absent altogether.
Bottom-dwelling and peaceful fish, however, sometimes intraspecific aggression can be observed, mainly due to lack of food, in small containers during spawning, and also in the presence of two adult males in the aquarium. Peaceful towards other fish species. A group of fish with a predominance of females can be kept. These are nocturnal fish; they become active at dusk and during the day when atmospheric pressure drops.
In bright light, it tries to hide in plant thickets or among driftwood. The aquarium should have plant thickets, caves, driftwood, large stones lying on the bottom of the aquarium. Natural driftwood is a must, which the catfish constantly scrape to obtain ballast and cellulose necessary for digestion.
Fed with plant-based (up to 70%) and live food, as well as substitutes. Catfish not only collect food particles that have fallen to the bottom, but also help fight certain types of algae in the aquarium. With age, they scrape Aufwuchs worse, especially with excessive feeding on live food. They love clean, oxygen-rich water. Aeration, filtration and water changes are mandatory.
Food should be varied with a predominance of plant ingredients. Reach sexual maturity at 7-12 months. Spawning is possible both in a spawning tank and in a general aquarium. For spawning, long, narrow plastic or bamboo tubes are needed, the entrance should be only slightly larger than the fish. Males energetically protect the cave and care for the eggs. Live 4-6 years. T 20-26°C; dH up to 20°; pH 6.0-7.8.
— Gold Marble Bristlenose Catfish — Ancistrus claro [Knaack 1999]. (Eng. Gold Marble Bristlenose Catfish, The Chameleon Bristlenose Catfish). (LDA 008). Brazil, Rio Claro, Rio Paraguay. In the aquarium 5-7 cm. In appearance, it is a miniature version of the common bristlenose with slightly different coloration. It is distinguished by a dark body covered with small dark spots and convolutions.
Actual coloration varies from golden brown, golden yellow-orange to black depending on ambient conditions and substrate, mostly brown in the aquarium. In a tank with a dark base and plenty of shade, its colors will be most expressive. The male develops characteristic growths of the genus on his head and snout.
The female has a darker coloration, which consists of a dotted pattern and has small skin growths on the head compared to the male. Both sexes have stripes on the caudal, dorsal and pectoral fins and on the white ventral area.
Unlike other Ancistrus, it is active throughout the day. Peaceful even towards other loricariids. They are useful because they forage for leftover live and plant food at the bottom and graze on algae growths. Current is desirable. Driftwood, large stones, large-leaved plants, fine gravel or sand substrate.
Fish are fed with granulated food, tablets for catfish or large pieces of vegetables. Live food is given from time to time. Frequent water changes are desirable for young catfish. Breeding is uncomplicated, spawning in a cave, typical of the genus. The male tends to the eggs and larvae. T 24-28°C; pH 6.0-7.6; dH 2-10°.
— Common Bristlenose Catfish — Ancistrus dolichopterus [Kner, 1854]. (Eng. Bristlenosed Catfish, Bushymouth Catfish, Starlight Bristlenose Catfish). (L 183). Inhabits mountain rivers of South America in the tributaries of the Amazon, in the Andes, in Peru, as well as the upper Orinoco in Venezuela. 8-12 cm. In aquarium literature it is often called Ancistrus dolichopterus, although what currently swims in amateur aquariums is the result of crossing several closely related species of Ancistrus. Body shape is teardrop-flattened, head is wide.
The body is covered with rows of wide bony plates. At the base of the head there are hidden spines, with the help of which the catfish not only intimidates rivals or drives the female away from the eggs, but also firmly fixes itself in cracks or crevices in a strong current. The mouth of the fish is in the form of a sucker with elongated lips, equipped with horn-like scrapers allowing to scrape growths from the walls of the aquarium, driftwood, plant leaves.
Main coloration ranges from light gray-yellowish to dark brown and black, less often grayish with light spots and specks scattered all over the body. The lower, ventral side is lighter than the dorsal. On the dorsal and caudal fins, rows of dark spots stand out clearly, and on the ventral and pectoral fins, more blurred spots of grayish-blue or olive color. The coloration is very changeable and often Ancistrus “pale” according to mood.
The first rays of the dorsal and pectoral fins are turned into sharp spines. The male differs from the female by the presence of 1.5-2 cm bushy skin outgrowths arranged in pairs on the head, which in females are either located only along the edges of the head and are weakly developed, or absent. In addition, males are slimmer than females.
There are brown, albino, pink and black forms. — Ancistrus sp. “Orange” – Orange Ancistrus. Part of the caudal peduncle, the ends of the caudal and dorsal fins are indeed yellowish-orange. In adults, the gray color begins to prevail, and the light orange turns into a dingy orange. — Ancistrus “Albino Gold” – rich yellow-golden body color looks very beautiful and lively, the coloration lacks the “unhealthy paleness” typical of true albinos. Especially impressive is the red spot on the backs of males. Females are colored somewhat paler. Color inheritance in the offspring of these fish is stable, without any deviations. Does not like water salinity and a sharp increase in pH.
Peaceful, active at dusk. Moving along the glass and plants in jerky movements, they constantly search for algae-covered stones, driftwood, broad leaves of aquatic plants and other decorative objects, to which they immediately attach with their mouths and begin to scrape their favorite treat. Catfish eat not only algae growths, but also excess food.
If algae growths are insufficient, they can nibble on aquarium plants, delicate young leaves suffer especially, in which holes are successfully chewed, and sometimes they are eaten whole. To avoid this, it is recommended to feed Ancistrus with various plant foods. Vegetation and mandatory driftwood are needed, from which they scrape rotting plaque to obtain ballast and cellulose necessary for digestion.
With age, they scrape growths worse, especially with excessive feeding on live food. Males usually occupy the most attractive, from their point of view, cave or crevice between stones and try to stay near it, driving away potential competitors. Ancistrus are undemanding to keeping conditions, the chemical composition of the water is not very important. Despite the fact that in natural conditions Ancistrus live in soft slightly acidic water, in aquariums they easily adapt to life in hard and even very hard water.
Aeration, filtration and water changes are mandatory. Mature at 8-12 months. Distinguished by care for offspring by the male, who guards and ventilates the eggs. Spawning occurs in a shelter. It often happens that fish spawn in a general aquarium. Live 5-6 years. pH 7.0; dH 4-18°; T 22-26°C.
Ancistrus hoplogenys, Ancistrus temminckii.
Description of the genus Ancistrus, Ancistrus bolivianus. 
