Most aquarium fish lovers, of course, would like to see the maximum variety of aquatic flora and fauna in their home fish reserves.
In this regard, the Ancistrus catfish is able to introduce a special exoticism of the prehistoric underwater world into the aquarium environment familiar to many, due to the similarity of its appearance with some of its most ancient inhabitants.
Habitat
Under natural conditions, ancistrus are found mainly in South America, mainly in the mountain tributaries of the Amazon in the Peruvian part of the Andes, as well as in the upper reaches of the Orinoco River in Venezuela. Ancistrus was presumably brought to Russia in the 1970s.
In the wild, this fish lives in fast-flowing, shallow mountain streams. This is due to the absence of a swim bladder and the presence of a powerful oral sucker, which makes it easy to stay on the rocks even in strong currents, as well as a strong shell that protects against objects that the current can carry.
Diseases
Ancistrus catfish are not in poor health, but some diseases also affect them. A common cause of disease is failure to maintain cleanliness and hygiene of the aquarium, untimely change of water, and rotting of food particles stuck between stones. Therefore, the best prevention of diseases in the aquarium inhabitants is timely cleaning and replacement of water.
In order to promptly determine the deteriorating health of ancistrus, you need to monitor the condition of your pets every day. If you recognize the disease in advance, it can be easily cured.
Symptoms of a sick catfish:
- Unusual behavior, uncharacteristic actions. Sluggish and inhibited or overly active behavior in combination with other symptoms indicates some kind of disturbance in the body.
- Change in fish color. More often the yellow color fades and loses its brightness. But this also happens after the spawning process, so this symptom is inaccurate.
- Poor appetite or its complete absence. Healthy fish are always ready to feed and swim to the place of food. And the patient remains in the shelter and does not touch the food.
- The formation of unhealthy plaque on the skin and scales.
Fish with one or more symptoms are separated from the others. Most often, catfish are affected by fin rot, swim bladder disorder and bacterial diseases.
Body Shape
Ancistrus have a teardrop-flattened body shape with a wide head. The anterior rays of the pectoral and anal fins are greatly thickened and covered with small spines, and the body is covered with rows of wide bony plates.
At the base of the head there are hidden spines, which, when danger approaches, spread out in all directions. In wildlife, these spines are used not only during conflicts, but also for more convenient attachment to obstacles in strong currents.
Diseases of catfish
When buying fish, many people do not even suspect that their pets can get sick. Identifying the disease in catfish can be problematic, because the fish are nocturnal and rarely swim out for public viewing in daylight. Ancistrus may experience a number of health problems:
- White spots on the fish's body may appear due to stress. In this case, we are not talking about illness, but about stress staining. In a stressful situation, ancistrus become dull and partially lose pigmentation. This can happen when transplanting a catfish from a familiar container to another aquarium, as well as after transportation. The infectious disease in the form of white spots can be carried by other fish. Therefore, after acquiring new neighbors for the catfish, they must be kept in a quarantine tank for at least 2 weeks. If the color of the catfish has changed and spots have appeared, it is also isolated. Quarantine and treatment last for at least 14 days. For treatment, purchase the drug Antipar.
- Ichthyophthiriasis resembles a scattering of semolina on the body of a fish. The disease is caused by the ciliate ichthyophthirius. For treatment, potassium permanganate, copper sulfate, malachite greens and formaldehyde are used. These substances can lead to the death of algae and invertebrates inhabiting the aquarium.
- Velvet disease or oodiniosis may not manifest itself for a long time, but under unfavorable conditions (stress, changes in water parameters) it will begin to progress. Sick individuals are characterized by reduced activity. Their fins turn into fragments of sharp rays, on which there is no interray tissue. The fish's skin will begin to peel off, and the body will resemble velvet fabric. Without treatment with antibiotics, the disease cannot be controlled. For 100 liters of water you will need 1 bottle of Bicillin-5. On the second day, perform a partial water change (30%) and repeat the administration of the drug. After 48 hours, the treatment is repeated, a control administration of the drug is carried out a week later. The treatment is considered effective, but the algae die.
- With chilodonellosis, cloudy areas of a bluish tint appear on the sides and back of the fish. It is necessary to examine the caudal fin if it is tightly compressed but not disheveled - this is a sure sign of disease. Levomycetin is used for treatment. For 100 liters of water, 3 g of the drug is needed. The product is added 3 times, maintaining 48-hour intervals. Before adding the dissolved drug, the water in the aquarium is replaced by 1/3. Additionally, you can raise the temperature in the aquarium to +28-30°C and add 3 tbsp to the water. salt. But such an additive will contribute to the death of algae.
- Dropsy is hard to miss. The catfish's belly swells and it stops defecating. For treatment, it is necessary to remove the sick individual and add Levomycetin (75 ml/l) or Ciprofloxacin (50 ml/l) to the water. The water temperature must be at least +27°C. Treatment is carried out for several days in a row. Effectiveness is indicated by a shrinking belly and the appearance of bowel movements.
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Ancistrus starata is a good choice for a freshwater aquarium. The peaceful existence of the catfish with other fish will allow it to rationally fill all layers of the home pond.
Varieties
In nature, there is a wide variety of Ancistrus catfish, the size of which ranges from 20 to 195 mm. Some varieties of this fish live in aquariums.
Ordinary
Ancistrus vulgaris is also called blue ancistrus. This name is due to the fact that young animals often have a blue tint to their scales and a white edging on their fins. Adult catfish usually boast varying shades of scales , ranging from yellowish-gray to dark gray. White spots are randomly located all over the body.
Veiled
This species has highly developed fins, and when moving they flutter like a veil in the wind. For this feature, the catfish got its name. The body color of the fish is mainly dark olive, with randomly located light spots. The movements are very smooth and resemble flapping wings, for which the subspecies received a second name - Ancistrus dragonfly.
Star-shaped
The incredibly beautiful colors, reminiscent of the starry night sky, became the source of the name of this variety. The body of the fish is black or so dark in color with spots of pearly white or bluish color that it feels like a piece of starry night is crawling along the bottom. Juveniles boast bluish edging on their dorsal and caudal fins. The first rays of the front fins of star ancistrus have small spines.
Star
A dark brown, almost black fish with small white or blue specks and thickened pectoral fins covered with prickly spines, it is very similar to the star ancistrus. The main difference will be the wide white edging of the fins, which is present in the fish throughout its life. Star stickers also have bone spines hidden at the base of their heads. At the moment of danger, the fish spreads them out to drive away enemies.
Diamond
One of the rarest numbered catfish is the diamond ancistrus L-184. Externally, the fish resembles its star-shaped counterpart, differing from the latter in a more saturated black color with large bright white spots. The color does not change even in adulthood.
Red or Super Red
A little-known new variety bred by German breeders. Characterized by incredibly bright brick-red or orange scales. Unlike other relatives, Ancistrus Red prefers to live an active life during daylight hours. Compared to other species, the body size of the fish is small, not exceeding 60 mm.
Golden albino
Ancistrus albino or golden ancistrus is a fish that has lost the pigmentation of its scales. Because of this, the body color acquired a beautiful golden beige hue. The eyes are pinkish, which is a characteristic feature of albinos. Like albinos of other living creatures, the lifespan of such fish is shorter than that of other varieties.
Yellow
The yellow catfish is one of the most famous species of stickfish, along with the common ancistrus. Outwardly, he strongly resembles an albino, differing from him only in the color of his eyes and the more saturated yellow color of his body. The yellow catfish has ordinary eyes.
Leopard
The golden leopard ancistrus is also called the tortoiseshell or russet leopard. The fish got its name because of its beautiful leopard-print color. The fry have dark brown spots scattered across their orange-red body. With age, the body color of the fish changes to golden yellow with pronounced dark spots. The breed was bred artificially and belongs to the numbered species. The official name of the catfish species is LDA-016.
If the leopard ancistrus has brown and gray spots on its body, then this color option is called tricolor or brindle.
Compatibility
Adult males will definitely fight with each other for territory, which can result in the death of the weaker one; the fight especially intensifies during the breeding season.
It is best to keep one male per tank or a group of several males with many females in large tanks.
Females are much more accommodating and can live peacefully even in small aquariums.
Otherwise, this is a universal fish. They are kept with both large and small fish. This versatility is manifested in the fact that the catfish does not touch any fish, even fry. On the other hand, it is protected and secretive enough to survive in an aquarium with aggressive fish.
Differences from Pterygoplichthas
Beginners in the aquarium hobby often confuse Ancistrus catfish with another variety of chain-mailed catfish, the Pterygoplicht fish. Despite their external similarity, these fish belong to different genera and in order to distinguish them, you need to know some of the characteristics of the fish.
- The coloring of young animals and adults of Pterygoplichthus does not differ. Young ancistrus have a light edging on their fins, which disappears with age.
- There is a peculiar pattern on the body of pterygoplichts: the older the individual, the less noticeable it is. Ancistrus have many colors of scales.
- Adult pterygoplichts grow whiskers on the lower jaw. Ancistrus males boast many distinctive horns on the top of their heads.
- Pterygoplichts have less pronounced sexual dimorphism.
- Unlike Ancistrus, Pterygoplichthus is incapable of breeding in aquariums.
- Sticky catfish live 7–8 years in aquariums , pterygoplicht can live twice as long - about 15 years.
Ancistrus and plants
Catfish do not eat plants in the aquarium, but are very effective at cleaning it from fouling, including plant leaves and snags. They especially love driftwood, since for normal digestion they need to receive the substances contained in them.
I spent quite a long time watching how my catfish behaved in an aquarium with densely planted plants.
None of the plants were damaged, although I have almost no small-leaved plant species. In my opinion, the only situation in which ancistrus can spoil plants is hunger.
With normal feeding, low density and no stress, this is a safe and beneficial fish for plants.
Content
Absolutely unpretentious fish both in terms of keeping and breeding conditions. Although in natural conditions ancistrus live in soft, slightly acidic water, nevertheless in aquariums they easily adapt to life in hard and even very hard water. For example, they are often kept in aquariums with African cichlids, which require very hard and alkaline water to live. The fish are peaceful; being born vegetarians, they deal only with their internal relationships and completely ignore other aquarium inhabitants.
Of all types of food, they most prefer soft and delicate green algae, which often grow on the glass of an aquarium illuminated by light. Moving over glass and plants in spasmodic movements, they constantly look for stones, driftwood overgrown with algae, wide leaves of aquatic plants and other decorative objects, to which they immediately attach their mouths and begin to scrape off their favorite delicacy. However, it should be taken into account that ancistrus still prefer a certain type of algae and therefore are not universal cleaners.
Nevertheless, a couple of young ancistrus can clean even a five-hundred-liter aquarium to a mirror shine in one day. For the aquarium owner, this is doubly pleasant because ancistrus clean not only easily accessible glass, but also all sorts of difficult-to-clean stones, which otherwise would have to be removed from the aquarium and scrubbed off with a brush. They love various shelters, crevices, ceramic tubes, etc. The greatest activity usually occurs with the onset of evening or with a sharp drop in atmospheric pressure.
They love clean, oxygenated water and try to stay with the current in the aquarium. They are very fond of various driftwood, the fact is that the driftwood in the aquarium is gradually covered with a layer of organic mucus, all sorts of planktonic microorganisms, rotifers, bryozoans, and for ancistrus this is a real delicacy. Males usually occupy the most attractive cave, from their point of view, or a gap between stones and try to stay near it, driving away possible competitors.
The temperature in the aquarium is not significant; ancistrus successfully survive at both 17 and 30° C, although the optimal temperature will be 22-24°.
Ancistrus , with a lack of algae fouling, can damage aquarium plants, especially tender young leaves in which they successfully gnaw holes, and sometimes they are eaten entirely. To avoid this, it is recommended to feed ancistrus with various plant foods - the easiest way is with various branded foods with plant components, for example, tablets with spirulina algae. For these purposes, you can use boiled lettuce leaves (just dip them in boiling water for one minute) or cabbage, to which a weight is then tied and lowered to the bottom. Recently, feeding ancistrus with cucumber slices has become very popular among aquarists. In aquarium conditions, they quickly get used to eating animal food - bloodworms, tubifex, as well as any artificial food that sinks to the bottom, although it often happens that ancistrus, having attached itself to the top of the feeder with its belly, calmly eats the food in it, driving away other fish with their splayed spines.
Compatibility
This is one of the most loyal fish species in terms of neighborhood. It gets along well with all other representatives of freshwater fauna, which is due to their non-predatory origin and the absence of competition for food, since their diet differs from the general one. and guppies can only “fight” a little for a food tablet, but this never leads to serious consequences.
Breeding
Ancistrus are easy to breed; they often lay eggs themselves in a common aquarium, although the fry usually have little chance of surviving in such conditions.
Usually the eggs are deposited in some kind of crack or tube; often ancistruses make a nest even behind the filter, and if they can get inside, then there too. Refuting the popular belief that fish lack parental instincts, male ancistrus fish take very good care of the eggs and newborn fry. After the female lays a cluster of bright orange large eggs, the male immediately begins to diligently incubate them, regularly cleans them with his mouth, fans them with his fins and protects them from all possible enemies, including the female herself. For targeted breeding, a separate aquarium with a volume of at least 50 liters without soil and plants is usually used, into which a certain amount of ceramic or bamboo tubes, stones or driftwood of suitable size is placed. The readiness of the spawners is determined by the degree of fatness of the female; if even an unfed female begins to resemble a balloon, it means it’s time to put her in for spawning. Water is taken from the same aquarium in which the ancistrus were previously kept, to stimulate spawning, 1/3 of fresh, settled water is added to it, and the temperature is slightly reduced (by about 2 degrees). Sometimes spawning follows literally the very next day, but more often the male spends several days selecting the most attractive (from his point of view) crack or tube and carefully cleans it, preparing a place for the future nest. At this time, the producers can be fed directly in the spawning aquarium, preferably predominantly with plant foods. Just don’t forget to remove any leftover food later so that it doesn’t start to rot somewhere in the corner.
Spawning itself most likely occurs at night. In any case, I don’t know anyone who could observe the spawning of ancistrus and, moreover, film it. The female lays from 30 to 200 eggs, their number depends solely on her age and size, so if this is her first spawning, then you should not count on high productivity.
The eggs are glued to a surface prepared in advance by the male in a large cluster, after which the female is expelled, and the male begins his duties of protecting the offspring. It is better to remove the female as quickly as possible, since she greatly irritates the male, he constantly rushes at her, driving her away from the eggs, and in an insufficiently spacious aquarium can even kill her. The eggs develop within 4-7 days (this depends on the temperature; to speed up the development of the eggs, you can raise the temperature to 26-28 degrees after spawning), and all this time the male continuously guards them, not leaving even to eat.
In the case of spontaneous spawning of ancistrus in a common aquarium, you can transfer the eggs along with the male to a separate container; this is especially convenient if the spawning occurred in a tube. If the caviar is deposited directly on the glass somewhere behind a filter or stones (and this also happens), then you should carefully cut it off with a razor blade and transfer it to a separate vessel. And don’t be afraid of this; short-term exposure of caviar to the air does not harm it. True, in this case it is already useless to put the male there - usually, after experiencing stress, he stops caring for the eggs and may even eat them.
The hatched large larvae with large yolk sacs continue to hang in a cluster for several days, and then gradually begin to scatter throughout the aquarium. From this moment on, the male must be removed and the fry must be given their first food. You can use various dry food for fry as food; it is especially convenient to feed them with all kinds of tablets for catfish. The fry simply stick around them from all sides and gnaw diligently, and those that don’t make it through fussily scurry around, picking up spilled crumbs and trying to push their way closer to the food source.
With regular feeding (it is advisable to feed at least three times a day) and a daily 20% water change, the fry grow very quickly and by the age of six months they begin to catch up with their parents in size. They become adults at about 10 months of age, and from the same age they can begin to reproduce.
Diseases
If white spots are found on the scales, the individual should be immediately isolated and quarantined. To do this, you will need a small aquarium (about 20 liters) and a product called “Anti-steam”. It should be noted that it is not at all necessary to set up a temporary aquarium, so to speak, since the fish will stay in it for no more than two weeks.
Following the recommendations when calculating the dosage, you need to add a few drops of Anti-Steam to the aquarium water. The liquid will turn pale blue. After a few days, the spots should go away, but it is too early to return the fish to the general aquarium. After two weeks, the individual should be returned to its original habitat.
Ancistrus diseases, as a rule, are instantly transmitted from one individual to another. It is for this reason that the quarantine described above is required. It is worth noting that if you are not sure about the cause of the disease and its name, you should seek help from a qualified veterinarian, because only he can find out what kind of infection has entered the fish’s body. After which a certain course of treatment is prescribed.
Feeding
The favorite food for ancistrus is algal fouling, which very often appears on the walls of the aquarium or decorations when there is excess lighting. These fish are one of the most effective helpers in cleaning an aquarium. In addition, they happily eat leftover food for other fish. If there is a lack of food, ancistrus can switch to the tender parts of living plants, in which they can gnaw a hole or eat the whole thing. In aquariums with ancistrus, it is extremely useful to have natural driftwood; by gnawing on them, the fish obtain the cellulose necessary for comfortable digestion. Often, many aquarists feed their pets with vegetation from their table: scalded lettuce, cabbage or zucchini. Unfortunately, this method of feeding in some cases can lead to contamination of the aquarium, especially if leftover food is not removed. In addition, it should be remembered that the food must be nutritious and balanced.
The Tetra company offers aquarists several options for complete, balanced food for ancistrus and other ringed catfish, which are made in the form of sinking tablets. They immediately sink to the bottom, where they can be found by catfish, and prevent fish swimming in the water from quickly eating food.
Tetra Pleco Tablets are the main food for all types of herbivorous bottom fish. The bulk tablets quickly sink to the bottom and slowly soften, releasing the food. If necessary, the food can be placed in a suitable place. The tablets contain a large amount of spirulina algae, which helps catfish maintain health and gives additional vitality.
Tetra Pleco Veggie Wafers are dense wafers specially formulated to feed catfish. First of all, they are convenient for scraping using a suction cup. The food retains its shape for a long time, allowing catfish to feed. Does not muddy the water in the aquarium. In the center of the plate there is a concentrate of algae and zucchini for optimal digestion of herbivorous catfish.
Tetra Pleco Spirulina Wafers - a complete food for catfish "stuck" with algae concentrate and enriched with Omega-3 acids, which support the immune system of fish. A large amount of fiber promotes comfortable digestion. Doesn't muddy the waters.
You can feed catfish with tablets once a day before turning off the lights in the aquarium. If other fish attack the catfish tablets, you can place them directly in the ancistrus’ favorite hiding place. The number of feeding tablets must be calculated independently, depending on the number and size of ancistrus.
Beneficial features
These aquarium fish can help you save a lot on cleaning your aquariums. The fact is that this catfish cleans everything around itself, and two such fish can quickly clean the walls of even the largest aquarium. They clean even hard-to-reach places. They also usually eat food that other fish have not eaten. Most often, these fish graze at the bottom of the aquarium, while guppies and other fish swim near the surface.
Requirements
Ancistrus are not particularly picky about temperature conditions; they successfully survive at both 17° and 30°C, although the optimal temperature is 22°-24°. One of the important conditions for a comfortable life for ancistrus will be a sufficient amount of food. And if there is a lack of algae fouling, ancistrus can damage aquarium plants, especially tender young shoots - they can even be eaten whole. Therefore, it is recommended to feed ancistrus with various plant foods (for example, tablets with spirulina algae). Ancistrus will also happily eat scalded lettuce or cabbage leaves, which are lowered to the bottom with the help of a weight.
You should not allow the aquarium to become overpopulated with adult ancistrus. The optimal quantity is 3-4 individuals per 100-150 liters. At the same time, it is better to keep only one male per 100-liter aquarium, because in ordinary life these peaceful fish can fight to the death over females. If, however, there are several males, the owner of the aquarium should take care of increasing the number of shelters for males in the aquarium.
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Feeding
As already mentioned, Ancistrus loves to eat, and needs a lot of food.
The main diet is plant-based; spirulina-based foods, which are available in tablets, are well suited.
The tablets dissolve slowly in water and have an attractive odor.
You can also add vegetables, which will significantly expand their diet. Hungry ancistrus eat pieces of zucchini, mugs of cucumbers and lettuce leaves to the ground.
Broccoli and many other types of vegetables are also loved.
But don't forget to remove uneaten food residues, as they quickly spoil the water!
If you expect to get offspring from your Ancistrus, you should feed them frozen food. Their delicacies include bloodworms and correts, and they can ignore other types of live food.
Since the fish feed from the bottom, make sure that there is easy access to the food, otherwise they simply will not notice it.
The simplest solution to ensure normal life activity is to add driftwood to the aquarium.
Their gastrointestinal tract needs lignin to digest food. And almost all species of catfish get it by scraping wood from snags. A sufficient amount of driftwood will allow them to remain active and healthy.
Description
Ancistrus catfish is a flattened fish with a flat belly and a rounded back. The body shape resembles a drop: the large head tapers towards the tail. The eyes are slightly bulging, the muzzle is elongated. A distinctive feature is its suction cup-shaped mouth. It is designed in such a way that the aquarium catfish Ancistrus easily eats plaque from the walls and decor in the aquarium. Body color is usually dark olive or brown, can be light or completely black, with small contrasting or barely noticeable spots or, rarely, without them.
The dorsal fin is usually pronounced, consists of long, hard rays, and opens like a sail. It starts approximately from the middle of the fish’s body and ends closer to the tail. In a frightened or painful state, the fish folds it, but in a cheerful mood, on the contrary, it opens it to its full width.
Another feature of the fish’s body structure is the bony plates with which it is covered from head to tail. Only the abdomen is not protected by this cover. The cover appears with age (at about 10-12 weeks), so it is believed that if the baby Ancistrus has acquired armor, then no neighbors are afraid of him.
Breeding at home
You can determine the sex of ancistrus by its head and the presence of mustaches
How to distinguish a female from a male
Determining the sex of ancistrus is quite easy, but this can only be done after the fish have reached sexual maturity, which occurs in the second year of life. At this time, skin growths (whiskers) are formed in males on the upper jaw, reaching 2 centimeters in length, while in females they are absent. At the same time, the body of the female is larger, longer and slender, and their fins are longer and sharper than those of the males.
Reproduction of Ancistrus
The male ancistrus takes on the role of parent and cares for the eggs throughout the entire ripening period.
Ancistrus become sexually mature in the second year of development. After this, they can spawn up to five to six times a year. They can breed independently in a community aquarium.
If breeding is carried out purposefully, then the selected male and female need to be separated. For this you can use a small spawning aquarium (40 l). It must be equipped with driftwood, as well as shelters in which the eggs will be laid. A filtration and aeration system is also necessary. It is recommended to treat the water with methylene blue, which will help eliminate fungal flora.
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You can identify a pregnant female by her “puffiness.” After this, preparation for spawning begins, and then the process itself:
The male very actively searches for the place where laying will take place, and then thoroughly cleans it. Over the course of a week, the female lays 30–100 small yellow, orange or pink eggs at night. The eggs are attached in clusters to the walls of the prepared shelter. At the end of the clutch, the male performs fertilization and drives the female out of the home. After this, it must be sent to a general aquarium. The male takes care of the offspring of Ancistrus.
He supplies oxygen to the clutch, fanning it with his fins, and removes non-viable eggs. During the ripening of eggs, you should not attract the attention of the male; if he panics, he can destroy the clutch. In good conditions, the larvae emerge within five days and feed on the gallbladder's reserves. When they run out, the larvae turn into fry.
Fry
The fry appear approximately two weeks after laying. During this period, they are fed live dust, ciliates, artemia nauplii, rotifers, microworms, crushed spirulina tablets, carefully crushed egg yolks and cucumbers. In the first month of development, food should be six times a day; subsequently, the fry are fed three times a day. After one and a half months from the moment of appearance, they can be moved to a common aquarium.
Problems with reproduction
With proper care and arrangement of the aquarium, problems with the reproduction of ancistrus do not arise. But if spawning does not occur for a long time, then it is recommended:
- change most of the water in the aquarium;
- increase the temperature;
- increase the amount of protein feed in the diet;
- Install cuttings of PVC pipes in the aquarium, in which fish like to breed.
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The average lifespan of ancistrus is about 7 years. There are cases where, with proper maintenance and feeding, individual individuals live more than 10 years.
Ancistrus catfish is a rather interesting aquarium fish. Despite its specific appearance, it is very popular among aquarists for its unpretentious maintenance and ease of breeding. In addition, it always adds a touch of exoticism to the fauna of the aquarium.
Spreading
Like many other aquarium fish, these catfish originate from South America.
Its natural habitat is the reservoirs of the Amazon basin in Brazil, Peru, Guyana, and Suriname. Here fish live in rivers with fast currents.
Specific conditions shaped the appearance of the ancistrus: it needs a powerful sucker so that the current does not wash it away.
For the same reason, there is no swim bladder - there is no calm water column, as in lowland rivers and lakes, which means the organ was not needed.
Because of this feature, ancistrus are unable to hover in the middle of the aquarium - in order to rise to the surface or swim a distance, they have to work hard with their fins. That’s why they have a unique style of moving – along the day, in jerks.
