Bristlenose Pleco

CHARACTERISTICS

The Ancistrus Pleco (Ancistrus sp.) is a small catfish (also called the Bushynose/Bristlenose pleco) that is defined by having a dark brown body, and white/yellow tail tip. The males will grow long "bristles" on its nose and face once reaching maturity. The females will grow short, stubbly bristles just along the snout. "Longfin" ancistrus have long, flowing fins, giving them an elegant and dragon-like appearance. This listing is for unsexed juvenile plecos, each one being around 2" in length. Pictured is an adult male ancistrus. These plecos are locally bred and grown!

These bottom-feeders are herbivores and are excellent algae eaters. We don't recommend buying plecos as a means to solve algae growth issues; their high bio-load will definitely cause more algae to grow.

These fish do best in temperatures from the low 70's to low 80's. The males tend to stay smaller than the females; the average size between sexes tends to be 4 inches in length. They should be fed a high-quality plant-based diet, and should have access to natural driftwood to "chew" on to maintain digestive health. The minimum tank size for these plecos is 20 gallons, as they are a smaller species. These fish will live for 10+ under the right conditions.

These fish are very docile. They can become territorial towards other plecos if there is not enough space, particularly the males. These fish can be kept with a wide variety of community and semi-aggressive fish species.