How do you recognize a good quality red Ancistrus (super red) and where does it come from?
I’m really curious. I have a few but they are not as nice as I have seen by you guys.

It's the intensity of the colour that makes a quality super red, poorer quality are a more orange colour and can show dark spotting/marks. I think I'm right in saying that the Super Red were developed in Germany.

The pictures you have seen will all have come from the German strain.

If you look HERE you will see a German bred fish that are partners Rare Aquatics are selling at the moment.

Is there somebody here that has good quality super reds?

carptamer has been breeding super reds. His last post about them is Here

super reds were indeed bred in germany where skilled and patient breeders took albinos with pink/red patches on their head and tails and bred them together until they had a line of red fish. As with all german bred fish they then exported them all over the world (except Australia) and people have been slowly inbreeding them and ruining the colours.

hey doug you say they use albinos tyo get the red BN how come they have black eyes and not red eyes if they are used from albinos ?

IMO spot on with the inbreeding going crazy and making orange ancistrus !!!

tnx Doug, how long does the red ancistrus exists?

I would assume the black eyes came from the L144 morph.

I have no long how long they have been around. I would imagine for about 15-20 years.

Doug may i ask where you got this information please and do you know for sure that it is 100% correct?

I have been studying the bristlenose for many years now. I have been in contact with other people who have done research on them too. As much as I would love to be able to say that the information is avaliable in peer reviewed scientific journals however these has been very little work done published in it. There is a little but nothing looking at this stuff. I have tried to find the original documents pertaining to their development in germany however there seems to be a bit of a language barrier.

I have heard this information about the super reds from several different people. If anyone knows where we can track done some original paperwork then that would be awesome!! I have tired but alas my german is not good

O.K thanks Doug Would be excellent to see some documentation. I wish i had the space and the money to be able to do this kind of breeding myself !

I saw some pink bristlenoses with black eyes in the shop where i got the super reds from,they were called something different (my memory fails me now,it's my age) but surely they must be from along the same line?

back after a while off... thanks for all your support over the months....

love reading info about super reds, by far one of my fave fish to keep now, if only I could get yvette to part with a few now lol...

hi oliver i have approx 14 super reds left youngsters these are german strain from good perantage but speaking of super reds all bristlenose world be wary of a chinese buyer from birmingham they are selling my fish within a week of buying for 2 times the price they paid for them so seems like out for a quick profit well it wil be the last time they fleece anyone as they have been outed now.they sell on ebay.