Edit Hypancistrus inspector
You can suggest changes to this profile. A moderator will review each change.
Name
Scientific name
Hypancistrus inspector
Described by
Authority Armbruster, Year 2002
Family
Loricariidae
Common names
L102, Snowball Pleco
Photograph credits
All 2 credited
Summary
The snowball pleco (L102), Hypancistrus inspector, is a suckermouth catfish from the upper rio Negro in Brazil and the Casiquiare in Venezu…
Size and aquarium
Maximum size
160mm, standard length
Aquarium size
Minimum length 120 cm, Minimum depth 45 cm
Water
Water conditions
Temperature 22–30°C, pH 5–7.5
Hardness
1–15dGH
Conductivity
Not recorded
Behaviour
Temperament
Peaceful
Social needs
Not recorded
Community suitability
Not for a community
Where it lives
Countries, regions, rivers and lakes
Brazil, Venezuela, Amazon, Casiquiare, Negro
Writing
Etymology
Hypancistrus: from the Greek ὑπό (hypó), meaning 'below, beneath, under', and the generic name Ancistrus, in reference to the reduced dentition compared with t…
Distribution
This species is native to the upper rio Negro basin in Amazonas state, Brazil and parts of the Casiquiare drainage, which links the Negro with the Río Orinoco,…
Habitat
Normally collected from rocky rapids.
Aquarium size
An aquarium with base dimensions of 120 ∗ 45 cm or equivalent should be the smallest considered.
Maintenance
Best maintained in an aquarium designed to simulate a flowing stream with a substrate of variably-sized rocks, sand, fine gravel, and some water-worn boulders.…
Water conditions
Not written yet
Diet
Wild specimens are probably omnivorous but with a preference for aquatic invertebrates and other small animals. In the aquarium it should be offered a varied d…
Behaviour and compatibility
A peaceful species which can be maintained in a well-chosen community, but should not be maintained alongside other Hypancistrus spp. in order to prevent hybri…
Sexual dimorphism
Adult males possess more odontodes on the leading pectoral-fin rays and interopercular region than females, plus they often show an overall reddish tone on the…
Reproduction
Has been bred in aquaria. It is a cave-spawner with the male responsible for brood care.
Notes
H. inspector can be told apart from other described species in the genus by the following combination of characters: colour pattern comprising brown to black b…
References
References
6 on this profile