L181 Spotted Antenna Catfish - Ancistrus sp. - DNZ 4cm

Native to Brazilian black waters such as the Rio Negro, the Spotted Antenna Catfish, also known as L181, is a nicely marked catfish, Ancistrus sp. that will accompany its keeper for a long time with its possible age of almost 15 years. Occasionally it is confused with L183, but they differ from L181 mainly in that their white fin seams remain intact as they age. With their snow-white spots, which gave them their name, they form a  great contrast in the aquarium. With their nearly 20-25 centimeters final size they are quite easy to spot at the bottom and are a real enrichment in a so called blackwater aquarium or an amazon tank.

You will receive our L181 as German offspring in a size of about 4 cm.

Spotted Antenna Catfishes captivate by a deep black ground color, which can show bright and brown spots when stressed, furthermore conspicuous white spots and in the young age pretty snow-white fin seams, which however grow together and disappear with increasing age. When fully grown, Spotted Antenna Catfish are best distinguished. Although the genital papilla can be used for identification by trained aquarist eyes, the less trained eye is left with the conspicuous appearance: the males form a broad head area with gill cover odontodes that look like a "whisker", they also have eponymous outgrowths on the head that look like antennae. Females tend to be rounder in the middle of the body and develop these antennae weakly to not at all. Breeding in the aquarium is possible. For this purpose these cave spawners should be offered sufficient retreat possibilities in the form of caves and hiding places, in which the females lay their eggs. However, the male takes over the brood care until the young swim free, fanning oxygen with the tail fin and defending the clutch against other fish. The catfish can be brought into spawning mood well with large water changes and an additional current, which increases the oxygen content in the water. The young fish feed on their yolk sac during the first period and can be fed with green food afterwards.

Due to its size, L181 should rather be kept in aquariums with an edge length of 100 cm or more. As substrate a fine grained gravel, but preferably sand should be chosen. Plants with strong roots, like for example Vallisneria, are best suited to withstand the burrowing of the animals. Also with perching plants like Anubia, Java ferns or Bucephalandra can be used to create a beautiful aquarium. As they know it from their original habitat in the Amazon, the ground should have a good infrastructure and should be equipped with Bog pine roots, but also be equipped with foliage, as these offer the animals not only retreat and resting place, but also the possibility to breed and as a territory boundary. The soft wood and also brown Foliage they also need for their digestion, so it should be constantly available to scrape off. Their well-being can be promoted by a rather dimmed lighting, likewise however by auxiliary products, which add to the water Humic substances to the water and make it a little darker in color. A Flow pump will promote their well-being considerably. With a total hardness (GH) between 0-14 °dGH, as well as a pH value of 5 to 7 and temperatures of 26-30 °C the animals can be maintained very well.

Only the males, especially during spawning time are occasionally a bit more territorial within the species. Otherwise Spotted Antenna Catfish are peaceful bottom dwellers, which can be kept without problems with Corydoras or other peaceful fish, such as also Tetras or Danios can be socialized. Also suitable Dwarf shrimps for it. From crayfish, both dwarf crayfish, but also crayfish should rather be refrained from, since these populate the same habitat and may pinch the delicate fins of the pretty catfish, but could also seriously injure them.

This omnivore is uncomplicated and easy to feed in the aquarium. Thus, commercially available dry foods or also catfish chips, food tablets and also scalded vegetables are suitable, likewise Vegetable chips. From time to time their menu may include Frozen food as for example Artemia, Daphnia or Mosquito larvae may be spiced up.

Our food recommendation: The NatureHolic Catfish Feed is a professionally formulated complete food especially for all sucking catfish. The food tabs contain important dietary fibers such as chitin and plant fibers, which are essential for the survival of catfish for a well-functioning digestion. With strong proteins from insect larvae as well as carbohydrate-rich vegetables NatureHolic Catfish Feed provides all sucking catfish optimally with all important building materials for a fast and healthy growth. The extra hard chips can be scraped off by the catfish close to nature - here they really have to do something for their food! An occupation like in nature.

Our plant recommendation: Use for planting NatureHolic InVitros. These are free of snails, planaria and other unwanted co-inhabitants. Also free of algae spores, bacteria and fungi.

Expert Tip: We recommend for fish keeping the NatureHolic 3 Phase Liquid. The care set offers the best all-round protection for your animals. It ensures optimal conditions for successful breeding and keeping.