Hypancistrus zebra Pleco(L046)

Hypancistrus zebra Pleco(L046)



Origin: Lower course of the Rio Xingu. They are now banned from export.

Size: 8 to 9cm and they will take up to 2 to 3 years to reach full maturity.

Tank size: From around 2ft to 3ft in length. Any smaller and you may run into problems of keeping the bio balance. Any larger is a bit of a waste as these fish do not range very far from their hideouts which should include caves, slate, rocks and driftwood.

Water temp: 26C to 30C with around 28C being the norm. They can withstand 32C for short periods in a hot summer and I had one little one who happily lived in 25C for a time.

PH: quite a large range of 5 to 7 but some have even been bred in 7.2 or slightly higher.

Food: They are listed as an omnivore but they will not eat algae, nor are they terribly fussed on a lot of vegetables. They primarily like foods like bloodworms and brineshrimp but be very careful of feeding little ones bloodworms as they can choke on them.

Breeding is not difficult, once you have hit on whatever triggers them to spawn. They lay only around 10 to 15 whitish-yellow eggs some 4mm long. Newly hatched fry have a very large egg sac to absorb and they are virtually defenseless at this stage so any which are accidentally kicked out of the cave will need to be kept in a fry saver. Fry will eat baby brine shrimp and cyclops once the egg sac has been absorbed.

Filtration required must very good as zebras will not tolerate very high nitrates and they also prefer a good current.
They also require very highly oxygenated water which is tricky in such high temperatures as oxygen depletes rapidly in high temps.

Plants and other tank mates: There are few plants or tank mates who can tolerate and co-exist with L046 in such high temperatures. If you wish a community tank with plants, your zebras will have to put up with cooler 26C water and may never breed.
Added to this is zebras are poor at competing for food and may starve with more greedy tank-mates with them.

A few tankmates which may be suitable would be a scant few Corydora species suited to higher temperatures, and Endlers guppies.
In a lower temperature of 26C I have kept Halfbeaks, Ottocinclus and Whiptails with zebras with no problem and a full array of plants

Thanks Brengun...

It's also worth mentioning here that this species of Pleco is almost on the verge of becoming extinct! There is only 6 official breeders of these in the UK and getting hold of one of these is so hard! Even on Ebay there is a waiting list a mile long! These are my favourite plecos and I will own a pair one day

anybody feel free to put some facts together on the zebra..as we are missing them..

This as got to be the nicest looking Pleco in the world I will have these one day

Pleco Paul wrote:

It's also worth mentioning here that this species of Pleco is almost on the verge of becoming extinct! There is only 6 official breeders of these in the UK and getting hold of one of these is so hard! Even on Ebay there is a waiting list a mile long! These are my favourite plecos and I will own a pair one day

theres more breeders than you think i know of at least 20-30 of them

Dane

Dane wrote:

Pleco Paul wrote:

It's also worth mentioning here that this species of Pleco is almost on the verge of becoming extinct! There is only 6 official breeders of these in the UK and getting hold of one of these is so hard! Even on Ebay there is a waiting list a mile long! These are my favourite plecos and I will own a pair one day

theres more breeders than you think i know of at least 20-30 of them

Dane

its hard trying to find some for a cheap price, my local shop sell's them at £125 each

i payed less than half that for mine :geek:





Dane

Dane wrote:

i payed less than half that for mine :geek:





Dane

how much do you reckon you could maybe get me one for mate??? :roll:

Curby wrote:

Dane wrote:

i payed less than half that for mine :geek:





Dane

how much do you reckon you could maybe get me one for mate??? :roll:

have a word with Windy on Plecofanatics he spawns them and sells them cheap as well

defo speak to windy mate he has loads of different plecs and is a top guy and like dane said he is very cheap indeed, his tanks are pristine too

"L Number mad wrote:

defo speak to windy mate he has loads of different plecs and is a top guy and like dane said he is very cheap indeed, his tanks are pristine too

i will do mate......

Unbelievable, no specs on the zebs at all?

I will have bash.

Origin: Lower course of the Rio Xingu. They are now banned from export.

Size: 8 to 9cm and they will take up to 2 to 3 years to reach full maturity.

Tank size: From around 2ft to 3ft in length. Any smaller and you may run into problems of keeping the bio balance. Any larger is a bit of a waste as these fish do not range very far from their hideouts which should include caves, slate, rocks and driftwood.

Water temp: 26C to 30C with around 28C being the norm. They can withstand 32C for short periods in a hot summer and I had one little one who happily lived in 25C for a time.

PH: quite a large range of 5 to 7 but some have even been bred in 7.2 or slightly higher.

Food: They are listed as an omnivore but they will not eat algae, nor are they terribly fussed on a lot of vegetables. They primarily like foods like bloodworms and brineshrimp but be very careful of feeding little ones bloodworms as they can choke on them.

Breeding is not difficult, once you have hit on whatever triggers them to spawn. They lay only around 10 to 15 whitish-yellow eggs some 4mm long. Newly hatched fry have a very large egg sac to absorb and they are virtually defenseless at this stage so any which are accidentally kicked out of the cave will need to be kept in a fry saver. Fry will eat baby brine shrimp and cyclops once the egg sac has been absorbed.

Filtration required must very good as zebras will not tolerate very high nitrates and they also prefer a good current.
They also require very highly oxygenated water which is tricky in such high temperatures as oxygen depletes rapidly in high temps.

Plants and other tank mates: There are few plants or tank mates who can tolerate and co-exist with L046 in such high temperatures. If you wish a community tank with plants, your zebras will have to put up with cooler 26C water and may never breed.
Added to this is zebras are poor at competing for food and may starve with more greedy tank-mates with them.

A few tankmates which may be suitable would be a scant few Corydora species suited to higher temperatures, and Endlers guppies.
In a lower temperature of 26C I have kept Halfbeaks, Ottocinclus and Whiptails with zebras with no problem and a full array of plants.

Wow, i was looking at 109 Zebra Imperial today i was Drooling all over my friends fishroom,(he is an importer he has a Sload of diff species of plecos) well anyways this guys are Unique (when i look at them the word Purity was pictured lol)

i which i can afford me at least 4

L046

Scientific Name: Hypancistrus zebra

Common Names: L046, L098, L173 - Zebra pleco

Size: 8 – 9cm (Up to 4 inches)

Distribution: Brazil: Pará, Rio Xingu (Altamira-Bela Monte)

Tank: Minimum 40Lts

Temperature: 25.0°C – 29.0°C

pH: 6.0 – 7.5 (Soft to Medium)

Diet:
The Zebra pleco is omnivorous with a partial carnivorous tendency.
They will accept a reasonably wide and assorted range of foods including:
•Insect larvae
•Shrimp pellets
(I feed all of my species the following foods from Prestige Aquatics ‘Carnivore’ pellets, ‘Spirulina / Algae wafers’ and ‘Veggie Bites’ combined with fresh veggies for their added health).

Sexing:
The mature Zebra males will develop hairy bristles on both the body and the pectoral fins; these are what are known as odontodes.
The ‘rostral’ region in males is visibly concave when viewed from above, and the females (especially when well conditioned) are at their widest in the mid-flank region.
The leading pectoral fin on the males is generally straighter and thicker than those of the females.
These sexual indicators can be debatable and so the best sexing method is to inspect the papillal vents. The females bear flat, triangular shaped genitalia in comparison to that of the males which is a pointed, nubbly papilla.

Breeding:
The L046 is a cave spawner. Water change strategies have proven to be somewhat effective. Simulating a rainy season by lowering the TDS and temperature helps (it is believed this could be due in part to the cooler water temps).
However in the wild this species is known to spawn in temperatures in excess of 80°F.
Heavy feeding supplemented with clean water and a ‘snug’ cave may well provide the best conditions.

Further Details
The L046 has a distinctive black and white that should not be confused with any other species.
This species prefers good water movement and oxygenation levels.
The Zebra pleco ranks amongst the most desirable of all the L# Catfishes available to the Australian aquarium trade. Accordingly they demand high prices in today’s market.
The L046 requires a hiding space for each fish in the colony.[/color]

Credits
- Image:www.bristlenoseworld.com