Hypancistrus sp. L236

This very popular pleco is found in a lot of tanks of pleco enthusiasts, liked for its bright white coloration. What a true L236 really is, is not possible to say. This has different reasons.

One of it is, that it's not 100% sure where the first L236 really was caught. Available information, about it being from the Rio Iriri, proved to be a hoax.

The second difficulty is, that there is a lot of so called worm line - Hypancistrus in the Rio Xingu / Rio Iriri area. Almost all Hypancistrus spp. there, show a high variability in coloration and pattern, which makes two individuals of the same batch look like two totally different species and the other way around.

As one of the few line-bred plecos, also L236 was bred and selected over generations. The most famous breeding line is from Robert Budrovcan, where the offspring are labeled as RB.

Over the years the term L236 started to explain more and more a Hypancistrus with more white than black in the body coloration. Other L-Numbers like L400 for example, can produce identical offspring, and therefore are also sometimes sold as L236. Hybridization is possible and also occurred several times. Animals with more white in the coloration are mostly labeled as SW (for super white), more yellowish specimens as SY (for super yellow) and specimens with broader stripes and a therefore darker appearance are labeled as basic.

All those factors lead to the fact, that Hypancistrus sp. L236 is rather a label for a coloration form than for a specific pleco/subspecies/local form from a specific catching location, than anything else.

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Distribution and habitat

Hypancistrus sp. L236 lives in the Rio Xingu. It was long thought, this fish is endemic to Rio Iriri, a side arm of the Rio Xingu. This information turned out to be a hoax, since this fish couldn't be found later in that area but in a channel below the Volta Grande of the Rio Xingu.

Its habitat consists mostly of dark, rocky substrate with a strong water current. Highly oxygenated and warm water can be found in its biotope. There, temperatures of over 30 °C can be reached.

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Diet

This plecos diet consists mainly of insect (larvae), worms and crustaceans.

In captivity this fish will take almost every commercial food. Nonetheless it should be taken care, that its food is rich in proteins. I feed them mostly with Futterdose Krill soft granulate or EBO Artemia soft granulate, Dr. Bassleer Biofish Food Garlic and Futterdose Snail soft granulate.

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Aquarium

Tanks upwards from 80 cm length can be used for sheltering a group of H. sp. L236. The substrate can range from fine sand to rougher gravel. A construction of stone slates with built in little rocks and pleco caves, is a good way, to give these fish the possibility to hide and breed. There should always be more caves available, then the number of plecos in the tank. This avoids fights for breeding- and hiding spots. They don't like bright light and are in general shy fish that are rarely seen outside, during the day.

It is important to give the fish their needed water conditions. 28 - 30 °C warm water, a strong current, a lot of oxygen via a air stone and weekly waterchanges are mandatory. This species prefers slightly acidic water with an electrical conductivity under 200 micro siemens.

Since Hypancistrus sp. L236 is a really peaceful species, community tank set-ups can work well, if the needed parameters are given. To dominant fish, that are faster at the food, than the L236s, shouldn't be kept together with them.

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Sex difference

Sexing Hypancistrus spp. follows mostly the same rules as it is also with L236 and is in general not to difficult with a good look on the specimens or good pictures available.

 

A look from the side reveals a more robust and bulky body of the male. The female shows a pointier silhouette.

 

Where as the male has a quite short rather round head, the female shows a more pointy snout.

 

Odontodes on the snout itself are with both sexes not visible.

 

Other than that, the odontodes on the gills are longer and more numerous with the male.

 

The same goes for the odontodes on the pectoral fins. Females show less of them. Also the hard ray of the pectoral fin itself is thicker with males.

 

If there is odontodes visible on the tails, males tend to show them more, where as females tend to be rather smooth.

 

The top view of these foto's can be a bit confusing on the first view. This is because the male is rather good in shape, where as the female doesn't seem to be gravid at the moment and shows therefore almost no curves. With closer inspection we can at least still see that the male is broadest around the shoulders. Gravid females show the thickest part in the belly region. Also visible in this view are the small odontodes on the tail of the male.

 

The head of the male is broader and round. The gill flaps stand out more prominent. The female shows a pointy head.

 

From underneath it is also again easy to tell the sex. The males papilla is rather large but still shows the more narrow male shape. Females show the papilla more roundish and with closer inspection also a few yellow spots are visible. Probably because of selection to white coloration the females seem to show less pigments in those spots than other plecos.

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Reproduction and breeding

The breeding of this species quite usual now in the hobby and also not so difficult to achieve. Also this Hypancistrus is a cave breeder, where the male takes care of the brood.

To get Hypancistrus sp. to spawn, first a good ratio of adult  males to females is necessary. It is always good to have slightly more males than females in the tank. That way females can chose with which male they want to spawn. The tank shouldn't be to crowded. An ideal group consists of 6 - 8 specimens in a 100 - 200 liter aquarium. The tank should be set up with a lot of hiding spaces, in form of stone slate - constructions. In between the gaps and on the floor, pleco caves should be added. I made best results with round caves of the length of 13 - 15 cm and a diameter of around 4 - 4,5 cm.

The water parameters should now measure 30 °C, and a e.c. of 100 - 150 micro siemens. Best is, to change the water regularly with osmosis water. To get the highly oxygenated water to where it's needed, it's best to place a streaming pump facing to the entrances of the caves.

The plecos should now be fed really good and rich in proteins. This can be achieved by frosted food or processed food. We made best experiences with Futterdose Krill soft granulate and EBO Artemia soft granulate granules. Soon the females will build up eggs and the males get spiky and will sit in their caves fanning with their fins.

Once a female is interested in a potential mating partner, it sits mostly for several days next to the cave, that male is occupying. Is everything right, the pair starts to tunnel in the cave. This mostly takes not longer than two days.

After one or two days, only the male sits in the cave. Mostly a bit elevated since it sits with its mouth on a egg batch. This species lays up to 10 - 30 eggs. These eggs will now be protected and cleaned by the father, till the larvae hatch. That's mostly after around 6 - 7 days, depending on temperature.