Bristlenose or bushy nose pleco

The bristlenose, or bushy nose pleco, is the most common pleco I keep in my tanks. I think I have six at the moment - brown, albino and marble. I've kept them for years as they're great tank cleaners, don't get too big and don't produce as much waste as common plecos and other larger verities.

My Story

I keep several plecos and will profile others in future posts, but it seems to make sense to start with the bristlenose. They're not necessarily the most flashy or eye catching, although the albinos can be, I think.  They are hardy and reliable though.

Like most fish hobbyists, I started out with common plecos, thinking they were neater to look at as algae eaters and other common scavengers. When small, they're also good at keeping the glass and other objects clean. They do grow big though and produce a lot of waste.

I started buying my bristlenose plecos from local breeders, getting them while still small (about an inch) and watching them grow out. I have three now that are near max size at about 4-5 inches. I keep others that grow larger.

Here is my large albino pleco hiding under a pot. You can see the tentacles or bristles on the nose.

In the Tank

I've kept these guys with just about every type of fish from large to small and they've been great. That said I don't recommend them with larger, exceptionally aggressive cichlids. They will hide more and you will almost never see them.

Eventually, I would like to focus on breeding these plecos.