Remarks: Arguably one of the most elegant species of Ancistrus is the the L183 starlight bushynose pleco. When in good health and proper parameters, these fish turn jet black with white speckles making them look like the night sky. Juvenile fish also have a pearly white band on the edges of their dorsal and caudal fins that gets thinner as the fish ages. Being an Ancistrus species, mature males will develop a “beard” of tentacle-like growths on their snout while females at most will just have a few small bristles. The bigger the "beard" as some call it, the more dominant the male. The L183 starlight bushynose pleco is frequently misidentified as they bear a strong resemblance to a few other species. The best way to tell them apart is by looking at the dorsal fin as they are the only Ancistrus to have one hard and nine soft dorsal rays.

  In their natural habitat within the middle and lower Rio Negro in Brazil, they feed on a variety of things such as insect larvae and algae. Their omnivorous diet translates to the home aquarium where to thrive, they should be fed a high quality and diverse diet consisting of both meaty and vegetable-based foods. Like with all plecos, wood should be provided so that they have a consistent spot to graze. Also mimicking their natural habitat, the L183 starlight bushynose pleco requires soft, acidic, heavily oxygenated, and very clean water to thrive. The aquarium should be furnished with plenty of small caves for the pleco to hide in and the more hiding spots provided, the more secure they will be which encourages them to hide less. These caves will be used as spawning sites if pairs form and are in good condition.

  The bristles and tentacles on the faces of L183 starlight bushynose plecos are tempting for nippy and aggressive fish so this combined with bushynose plecos not having much armor compared to other species is why they should not be housed with nippy or aggressive fish. Being kept with more peaceful species will further encourage the pleco to roam the aquarium rather than hide all day. The L183 starlight bushynose pleco itself is very peaceful and usually will only pick fights with conspecifics if they do not have enough territory space. If all their needs are met, the L183 starlight bushynose pleco can make a great addition to the community aquarium as an elegant and unique take on the beloved Ancistrus type pleco.