ZebraPleco.com • The complete Hypancistrus zebra resource

ok, admittedly i dont have a pic. was at a fish shop out of town today and noticed a very nice plec that was striped black and white and looked exactly like a zebra - the owner said it came in as a zebra too.

from looking at pics, it seems to be a zebra. what surprised me is that they are only asking £30 for this one.

so really i want to check whether there are other species which look very much the same or whether zebras are pretty distinctive.

IF its likely to be a zebra im definately interested in buying it. that beng the case i wanted to ccheck what the basics for keeping one are. im aware they like high filtration and water movement. also that they are omnivorous.

how do they cope in alkali water? or do they really prefer soft water?

any help much appreciated

lee

why would he sell a Zebra for £30 that he couldn't possibly get into the shop for under $60? Unless he ripped somebody off

There are hundreds of plecs that are black (dark), and white (light) striped

Get a pic and we'll tell you

Agreed with McEve about the different plecs with similar colouration but IMO/E you can certainly tell the difference between a L046 and something like a L316, 318 or 129 all of which are brought in with zebra in their name. In this country unless it's an L046 or an L333 or L066 they tend to be more yellowy in colour than the bright white I'd expect to see on an L046.

Personally if I was you I would have snapped the fish up if it resembled anything like the L046 as they are stunning! I've bought false zebra plecs in the past for much more than £30 believe me! Just cos I love the markings!

unlikely, sounds like it's too good to be true at that price... Especially in the UK.

People are more likely to charge big $$$ for the real thing and it would be sold straight away if it was the real deal.

Post a picture like McEve said and am sure you'll get an ID instantly as these fish are quite distinctive compared to "false zebras".

A pic is a good idea.

There are some L199's in the UK, the only fish I can find that may be mistaken for L46.

Dave