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Johnny Jensen's Photographic Library (2) René Ruíz Díaz (2)

Aquarium Care: Easy species to keep for novice aquarists. Can be kept in an unheated aquarium due to its collection location in Paraguay. The Ancistrus genera make good community fish where they do not grow too big for the aquarium. Some species have different requirements in the aquarium so best to read up on the species you have whereas if they need higher oxygen requirements or not, or if they prefer cooler waters if they originate from the southern parts of South America against the species from further up north. Diet: Vegetable foods such as cucumber and courgette and also tablet and meaty foods. Rearing the fry is easy using tablet foods and greens. Reproduction: The female lays her eggs in caves or crevices... that the male has chosen and cleaned.... as a cluster. The male usually then guards the eggs after ejecting the female. The fry then cling to the sides of the cave and when they use up their yolk sac, which is around the four to seven day period, they will be ready to feed on infusuria, vegetable matter, brine shrimp naupli or micro worms. In a community tank a few will survive if enough hiding places are afforded to them. Etomology: The specific name pirareta: After the river of the same name, a tributary to the Rio Manduvira, Rio Paraguay basin.

LDA053

None

Loricariidae

South America: Paraguay, Upper Tebicuary-mi River basin in lower Paraguay River drainage. Type locality: Salto Pirareta, sud de Piribebuy, affluent du Rio Tebicuary-mi (Cordillera, Paraguay), 25º30'S/56º55'W.

16.0cm. (6¼ins)

20-29°c (67-85°f.)

6.0-7.5.

Ancistrus pirareta Muller, 1989 Observed in Paraguay by René Ruíz Díaz. iNaturalist 2021.
Ferraris, C.J. Jr., 2007. Checklist of catfishes, recent and fossil (Osteichthyes: Siluriformes), and catalogue of siluriform primary types. Zootaxa 1418:1-628.
Seidel, Ingo; Back to Nature guide to L-catfishes 208 p.