L-144

Hebily

Hebily

My Tank \/
Mar 15, 2009
1,448
2
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Racine, Wi
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As I understand it, all plecos have an 'L number' as a convention to specify the pleco to which you are referring, when the 'common name' is not so common, and rather ambiguous. I have recently noticed that it appears that all BN (bristle nose, or bushy nose) plecos are reffered to as L-144. Is this correct, that all BN's are L-144 regardless of coloration or finniage(sp?)? (i.e albino, albino/blue eyes, white/black eyes, brown, starlight, and standard or long fin of each) I just want to clarify this issue, because I hope my BN's breed, and I wish to specify with ease and certainty which BN's they are, when I sell the fry. If I have to say, "Albino, Pink eyed, Standard finned BN" I will... Just want to make sure the L numbers don't get that specific. Thank you.
 
i believe that bristlenoses are under several different L numbers. but you can check planetcatfish.com to verify that
 
Most ancistrus species are called bushy or bristle noses if they get bristles. There are variations of L144 because they are selectively bred for color or finnage but they are all the same species, the most available type since they can be tank bred pretty easily.

Think of L numbers as location, where they were collected in the wild. (Really it's L for lorcaradid (sp) I believe) There are some plecs from different locations that MAY be the same species or just very similar to another species or even a regional variation that doesn't necessarily look the same. The L numbers can keep genetic lines "clean", no accidental hybrids of what may be a rare species.
 
Planet Catfish shows something in the neighborhood of 125-130 ancistrus which you can see here http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/genus.php?genus_id=4

Mature males and sometimes females have soft tentacles (bushy fleshy growths) on the snout - this is unique within the genus Ancistrus.
Click to expand...

Most of the bn seen in tanks today are no longer pure eild strains but rather are man made from years of tank breeding. All of them originated with wild strains of course. However, the tank made fish do not have L numbers assigned. These, I believe, are assigned by the german magazine DATZ.
 
I have seen where common bristlenose were labeled L144a, not L144....there's a strain difference. To say all bristlenose are L144 is like saying all tetras are just tetras regardless of difference in location found, size difference, body shape, body coloring, living requirements, etc. But we give each tetra a name. We do the same for many species of ancistrus. While all bristlenose are ancistrus, they are not all L144. Common bristlenose either piebald, albino or brown is categorized as Ancistrus cf. cirrhosus formerly ancistrus species 3. This includes both long fin and short fin varieties.

If you take a look at the link TwoTank gave you you will see many different colors and names and some have very, very specific living requirements quite different than the common ancistrus cirrhosus. Some are black water species only. Some are 3", some are almost 8". A variety of patterns as well. So, in my opnion, you need to know what kind of bristlenose you have in order to advertise it properly.

The number L144 is for an xanthoristic bristlenose referred to only to the Black Eyed Yellow bristlenose also known as the Blue Eyed albino ancristrus which I am raising. They are yellow with dark eyes and not albinos like the common albinos with red eyes. And their markings are not the same. There is also a longfin and a short fin variety and they cost more than double the price of commons for the short fin variety, and the long fins are 4 to 5 times more expensive than the common long fin albino. http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/species.php?species_id=905

New strains of ancistrus are still being discovered and imported from South America and have no connection whatsoever with the common bristlenose raised by many hobbyists in the US today. I have already spawned and raised one of the newer species from peru, sp. Pucallpa (still not given an L number yet) http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/species.php?species=ancistrus+sp`pucallpa`&species_id=2128. This particular species of ancistrus came from warmer waters than most other ancistrus and thus turned out to be a better bristlenose for the discus keepers tanks than common albinos. Seems the higher temps shorten the life span of the common albinos. Lots of reading and research to do.
 
Now I know - and knowing is half the... wait a minute, I don't want to get in trouble for copyright infringement here. Anyway, Thanks for all the info. After looking at pics in every life stage, and from every angle, I am certain. They are the albino ancistrus cf. cirrhosus, and do not have an L-number.
 
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