Some L-numbers are kept for other reasons than their willingness to breed, and among those is the beautiful L137. It’s a relatively large species (growing up to 30 cm), but if given enough space it will show itself as a very interesting inhabitant fit for several types of set ups. It’s a great algae eater and it’s active even during daylight hours, so they bring a lot of joy to their owner.
Facts:
Name: Hypostomus soniae (Carvalho & Weber, 2005)
Trade names: Blue Eye Cochliodon, L137
Origin: Rio Tapajos, Brazil.
Maximum size: 30 cm / 5”
Called Cochliodon by some, Hypostomus soniae is a peaceful, calm Pleco suitable for slightly larger aquariums. They need wood to chew on (important for their digestion), and if you keep broad leaved plants with them these will most likely be chewed on too! Vegetables and food tablets with a high level of green matters should be offered as staple foods, with some crustaceans and insect larvae added. Obviously, pieces of wood should make out most of the furnishing, along with suitable caves made of rock. So far, no breeding reports of H.soniae in captivity are known.
H.soniae can easily be told apart from other Hypostomus (and most other Plecos) by their blue eyes. A noteworthy exception is H.sp. L360 (and possibly also L517, which might be another morph of L360), which occurs in the same riversystem (Rio Tapajos), but further upriver (Rio Jamanxim). I’m personally considering them to probably belong to the same species, but different varieties. L360 has a more yellow colour in the fins, and a darker body. L137 is more orange / red all over.
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