This Hypancistrus was collected in Rio Aripuanã, Brazil, in 1997. It was presented in DATZ 4 years later, in the form of a rather poor “in hand out of water” picture. The article stated that the biggest collected specimens were close to 20 cm, but there are no pictures confirming this. It was not seen again until late 2015. Rupert Collins then presented new photos of better quality, revealing a nicer fish than first thought. In early 2016, German importer Panta Rhei succeeded bringing some specimens of L297 to Europe, but the species was still not established in the hobby. Then, in 2023, Austrian importer Zierfisch Zentrum succeeded in bringing a good number of specimens to Europe again after a successful collecting trip to the Rio Aripuanã and Rio Roosevelt. This trip revealed how variable L297 can be; some specimens have small spots, some (mostly younger ones) have very large spots, and some even have no spots at all! According to Johann Forsthuber, who led the expedition, these traits vary according to location in the riversystem. However, they all share the very nice yellow tips to their fins. Some specimens found their way to Norway in early 2024, and breeding has succeeded.
Facts:
Name: Hypancistrus sp.
Trade names: L297
Origin: Rio Aripuanã, Brazil.
Maximum size: 20 cm / 8”
This beautiful species is among the rarest of the genus in the hobby. New exports / imports can’t be expected on a regular basis, due to the remoteness of their habitat. We need to rely on a captive breeding program to establish the species in the hobby. Accoring to Ingo Seidel, the species can be tricky to work with, although I haven’t been able to catch the details of this notification. In our experience, the males are quite aggressive, especially towards each other, which left us with a single breeding pair. This pair however, has produced a good number of offspring, as one would expect from a Hypancistrus species.
They need an aquarium set up consisting of lots of hiding places in the form of rocks, wood and of course specially made caves that suit their measurements. In these the males will eventually guard their offspring. They prefer water that is fairly warm (27-30 C), soft and slightly acidic. Most of all it should be well oxygenated and clean, so a good filtration system and frequent water changes are essential. Among themselves they are fairly peaceful, although males may quarrel for caves and females can sometimes be badly injured or even killed during the breeding-trapping in the male’s cave. Males develop longer odontodes on their pectoral fins and on their cheeks, and have broader heads. Hypancistrus are mostly carnivorous, so a selection of crustaceans, insect larvae and fish meat should be offered along with high quality dried foods that also contain some vegetable matter.
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