Rineloricaria sp.
(L010a) |
very popular and common fish in the hobby
and our factsheet of the month for May 2018 is the aforementioned
L010a which boasts a very interesting life story.
|
Rineloricaria
sp. (L010a) |
Said to be a cross between Leliella
sp."red" (which was thought to be a form of Leliella
heteroptera) and Hemiloricaria
lanceolata which gave us this red form. There is
a train of thought that takes us back to the 1970s in the
old East Germany (in Leipzig) where they say that the first
juveniles appeared. Whatever the mystery this species has
proved very popular and has been bred in the hobby on numerous
occasions.
It's L-number is also controversial,
as L010 was given out to a different species of whiptail,
which is now Loricaria
birindellii and later L010a was given to Rineloricaria
sp.”Red”
Whether this is a Leliella
or a Rineloricaria species doesn't really matter
as it has been a very popular addition to the catfish hobby.
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|
| |
Rineloricaria
sp. (L010a)
- the strange feeding habits (MP4file) |
Above in the movie you can see the strange
feeding habits, they like to catch any morsel of food that passes
by. L010a used to be very pricey when first put on sale but the
asking prices now are very affordable.
This species is very variable in the red
colouration. More information on this species can be found in
the Catfish Atlas Volume 1 as referenced.
Characteristic whiptail shape.
Body red/brown, with matching fins.
| Aquarium
Care |
| As with all Rineloricaria
provide long leaved plants or bamboo stalks for them to hang
on to. A sand substrate is preferable
with plants and rockwork with
small pipes for spawning activities. I have found that this
species, apart from resting among vegetation, tend to hang
about on the substrate more than other members of this genera.
|
| Compatibility |
They are easy to keep and breed and do
well in a community tank as long as there is species that are
not too aggressive kept alongside them.
Provide caves or pipework where the females
will lay their eggs. The male takes over the guarding of the eggs
and they hatch, depending on water temperature, between 10 and
12 days, and will hang with a large yolk sac on to the aquarium
glass. They will use up their yolk sac in about three days and
then the male can then be removed. Feeding can be with Artemia
nauplii and other crustacea, such as frozen Cyclops
in their later stages. The frequent feeding with crustacea will
enhance the red colouration of the fish. If you are thinking of
spawning them, a separate tank kited out with PVC pipes (not too
large) for the placement of eggs would be a better option than
a community tank, although growing on a few in the main tank from
youngsters would suffice as they can be difficult to sex out when
young and only when they get sexually mature can you tell the
sexes apart. Articles on the breeding of Rineloricaria
spp. can be found in the breeding article section of ScotCat and
can be viewed here and
here
| Sexual
Differences |
Difficult when young
but sexually mature males take on small bristles to the
cheeks and head area. The female is devoid of this and is
also more rotund in the body.
|
| Diet |
Omnivore. Vegetable food such as cucumber
and other various foods such as tablet, flake and frozen.
| Glossary
of Terms |
Omnivore: Pertaining
to both vegetable and flesh diet.
|
| Etymology |
Rineloricaria:
Rhine = file; loricara = harness.
|
| References |
Loricariidae.info.
https://www.loricariidae.info/leliella-sp-l010a
Evers, H.-G. & I.Seidel:
Mergus, Baensch Catfish Atlas Volume 1, 1st English edn., 2005.
Pp.944.
© Allan
James @
 |
