Bristlenose pleco
The bristlenose pleco, Ancistrus, is a South American suckermouth catfish named for the fleshy tentacles that grow across the snout of a mature male — the female has few or none.
It is flattened, armoured and largely nocturnal.
It reaches 12 to 15 centimetres and lives five to twelve years. Its great advantage is what it is not: the common pleco sold beside it grows to 45 centimetres or more and needs a very large tank, while a bristlenose stays small enough for an ordinary aquarium and does the same work. It genuinely does graze algae, which is unusual among fish sold on that promise.
- Origin
- South America, Amazon basin
- Adult size
- 12–15 cm — unlike the common pleco at 45 cm+
- Lifespan
- 5–12 years
- Minimum tank
- 100 litres
- Diet
- Algae and vegetables, plus wood to rasp
- Temperature
- 23–27°C
2 bristlenose pleco photos, newest first
Living with a bristlenose pleco
It needs driftwood. Bristlenose plecos rasp at wood and appear to require the fibre for digestion; kept without it they do poorly over time. A piece of bogwood is not decoration for this fish.
Algae alone will not feed one. Supplement with sinking algae wafers and blanched vegetables — courgette, cucumber, sweet potato — offered after lights out, since they feed at night.
Provide caves. Males take a cave, guard it and will defend it, and without one they are stressed and more aggressive towards each other.
They produce a lot of waste for their size, so filtration and water changes need to keep up.
One male per tank unless it is large, with a cave each. Females and juveniles coexist easily.
General guidance, not veterinary advice. Individual fishs vary, and anything about a specific animal is a question for a vet who has seen it.
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