[Dave-H]

hi all -

I love the bristlenose plecos - they are so cool to look at and it would be great to have another algae eater in the tank. But I wonder:

- are there any that will stay small? What is the smallest variety?

- are they ok to live alone? I think the answer to this one is yet

- would they be ok in a tank that is usually pretty warm, i.e. 80ish in summer?

I see differing opinions on whether they screwup the plants or not, but my plants are pretty sturdy so I'm not too worried.

thanks, Dave

 

[Nestle_]

yes albino's stay under 5" my largest is now well over a year old and has stopped growing at around 4"

yes they are ok alone, and in smaller tanks they do much better alone, as that sharing caves is not their cup of tea, and can even harass each other to death.
yes they do fine in warm water as long as its still high in o2, I have kept my biggest in water that has never been under 74* and has now been in 84* water for a few weeks and he's simply more active the ever.

 

[Dave-H]

sounds good to me. My tank is low tech, lots of bubbles so no o2 issue. I also put ken's veg/algae sticks in a lot to help the shrimp out, so probably the plec could eat that if he cleaned up everything.

Next step, where to find/get one of these little guys!

 

[Nestle_]

you must be careful and watch adult plecos, even the so called full time algae/veggie eaters will eat small/baby shrimp.

 

[Dave-H]

That's ok with me - everyone in the tank munches on baby neocardinas and it seems to be making them all happier (except the neo's)

 

[Betta132]

If they get hungry, they'll sometimes nibble on plants. I had this one baby bristlenose who nibbled on swordplants a lot, so he got rehomed.

 

[Dave-H]

Yea I get different reports on whether a bristle nose will munch on plants.. As long as it's not too bad, I think I will be ok.

 

[OVT]

Check your PetSmart, about $4.50/ea for albinos.
They do need driftwood.
They will "sandpaper' swords and Hygro corymbosa, otherwise, they are plant safe. They can be a "bull in a china shop" tanking through ground cover on their way to a wafer.
Blanched greens like squash and lettuce are always appreciated.

v3

 

[Dave-H]

thanks for that info...
I actually saw them at petsmart not to long ago, but they didn't look very good health wise.

Are there any species that have the best change of staying very small? It seems like small is best for my circumstance.

 

[OVT]

I think that Albino BN is your best bet, females stay around 3-4". Anything else and you are looking at $50++ per.

 

[wheatiesl337]

ancistrus claro are about half the size of the bnp's, but I have only found rumors of them state-side. See a few people on the catfish forums who claim to have them in Europe.

 

[wicca27]

ive had browns and blue eye bristlnose. mine never got more than 5 inches. i have never had a prob with them munching plants. i did have some drift wood and bamboo in the tank though so that might be why . and they love fresh veggies.

 

[Virto]

I wish you were closer - I've still got a mess of juvies ready to re-home.

I tend to feed them whatever leftovers lie around after making dinner. They love bell peppers, but they tend to cloud the water - so those are a water change day treat.

Canned green beans make an excellent staple food, especially for younger fish that prefer softer vegetation. Supplement with fresh vegetables that aren't too woody-stemmed (no raw asparagus). They're pretty much always on the prowl for food and will clean glass reasonably effectively, but they won't touch hair algae or staghorn or anything growing thick on plants or substrate.

On average, 3-4" is the max of what you'll see. If you have a lot of delicate plants, you may want to avoid most plecos, because they will crash into them and uproot things.

 

[Shremph]

I've purchased many Albino BN Plecos from Petsmart. They do look unhealthy in store but they are hardy and all them perk up within a few days in my tanks. I have yet to lose one.

Unlike the Otocinclus; They are at a 75% survival rate in my tanks from Petsmart and I usually wait till the day before Petsmart's weekly fish delivery to pick fish up. Only the strong healthy ones survive the week at Petsmart

 

[mattjm20]

I have a bright yellow ancistrus (bristlenose) with blue eyes that is awesome. Allegedly will remain under 4 inches and has not yet harmed my plants that I can see to date, including more delicate things like rotala. He is the line BN in a 90g tank and cleans the glass / driftwood almost perpetually

 

[lauraleellbp]

I think Rubbernose stay a bit smaller than most BNPs? And are still pretty good algae eaters http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/myFish.php?do=view&p=21

My albino LF BN female maxed at about 6". Only issues I had with BNPs was with my big swordplants, they'd damage the leaves chewing the algae off them, and they can also tend to uproot carpets if they pick out a "favorite" hangout and decide your carefully cultivated and maincured carpeting plants are in their way. :/