Bristlenose Pleco
Ancistrus spp.
Photo: Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons
The pleco that actually fits in a home aquarium. A 29 is comfortable. Caves matter. Common plecos do not stay this size.
The pleco that actually fits in a home tank — and eats algae.
In the tank
- Rasp green algae and biofilm off glass, wood, and hardscape.
- They rasp driftwood, which they need in the diet.
- Stay around 4–5 inches. Common plecos do not.
- Water
- freshwater
- Temperament
- Peaceful
- Swims
- Bottom
- Adult size
- 5 in
- Minimum tank
- 25 gal
- Group
- Can be kept singly
- Temperature
- 73–81°F
- pH
- 6.5–7.5
- Diet
- Algae wafers, blanched zucchini, and wood they can rasp. They are not a vacuum you can forget to feed.
- Beginner
- Yes, if the tank is cycled
How to keep them
- Still feed wafers and blanched zucchini. Algae alone is not a meal.
- A cave. A 29 is comfortable.
- They produce waste. The algae they eat comes back as ammonia.
Tankmates
Most community fish. Fine with shrimp if the bristlenose is well fed.
Avoid
A 10-gallon, and the assumption they are a vacuum you can forget.
Check tankmates · Stocking calculator
Same group
Corydoras Catfish
Corydoras spp.
The correct bottom crew for a community.
Sift sand so leftover food and mulm do not sit and rot.
Common Pleco
Hypostomus plecostomus
Sold as an algae eater. Becomes an 18-inch waste factory.
Juveniles do eat algae.
Kuhli Loach
Pangio kuhlii
Nocturnal sand noodles. They work leftover food after lights-out.
Pick food that hit the sand overnight.
Otocinclus
Otocinclus spp.
Tiny algae grazer for a mature planted tank.
Best small fish for soft green algae on leaves and glass.
Clown Loach
Chromobotia macracanthus
Snail-eater that outgrows the tank it was sold for.
Will hunt pest bladder snails.
Rainbow Shark
Epalzeorhynchos frenatum
One shark per tank. Owns the lower third.
Picks some algae and leftover food on the bottom.