Gold Marble Ancistrus Care Guide
Ancistrus claro is a small bristlenose from rocky streams of the upper Paraguay drainage in Brazil, peaceful and diurnally active.
Overview
Ancistrus claro, known in the hobby as LDA 008, is a small armoured catfish of the family Loricariidae. FishBase gives a maximum size of about 6.6 cm standard length, making it one of the smaller bristlenose species. It is a bottom-dwelling, facultative air-breathing fish.
Taxonomy
- Family: Loricariidae
- Genus: Ancistrus
- Scientific name: Ancistrus claro
- Order: Siluriformes
Habitat
Seriously Fish records the type locality as the rios Claro and Coxipo in the upper rio Cuiaba drainage of Mato Grosso, Brazil, while FishBase places it in the Cuiaba River basin within the upper Paraguay drainage. It inhabits flowing streams with substrates of boulders and bedrock.
Tank requirements
- Minimum tank volume: 100 L
- Temperature: 24-28 °C (75-82 °F)
- pH: 6.0-7.5
- GH: 2-12 °dGH
- Lifespan: 8-12 years
- Decor: driftwood, caves and rocky refuges with good flow
Diet
An omnivore. Seriously Fish reports that captive specimens do well on sinking dried foods, frozen Daphnia, mosquito larvae, bloodworm and prawn, supplemented with fresh fruit and parboiled potato.
Compatibility
Seriously Fish describes it as a peaceful, diurnally active species that can be kept in a well-chosen community. It is somewhat territorial toward conspecifics, though several may coexist in a well-structured tank; small characins and Corydoras are suitable companions, while territorial plecos should be avoided.
Breeding
Like other Ancistrus it is a cave-spawner with male brood care, and juveniles may appear naturally in mature setups (Seriously Fish). Males develop odontodes on the pectoral fins and opercles plus head tentacles, which females lack.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List: Least Concern, assessed 2018 (per FishBase).