i just got albino bristlenose plecos from the pet shop there was only 1 there should i get more some time or is he okay by him self i have 1 Pictus Catfish 6 corys 3 gouramis 1 sword tail the tanks 5 foot long 2 foot wide so i have room and im geting a new tank soon any info about this pleco would be good cuz he looks cool but as i said i have never had one befor
Albino Bristlenose Plecos
- Thread starter Fizban
- Start date
dwarfgourami
Fish Connoisseur
Should be fine on his own. Males are mildly territorial, so you'd be best off with either a male/female pair, or one male. Mind you, 5 foot is a nice big tank, I expect there'd be room for more than one territory. They are not schooling fish, anyway.
cool any more info about them? are they okay with any other typs of plecos as well or do they get territorial to other plecos as well cuz i would like to put some other fish with him that will make him more active .....hes still very small and hard to find in the tank ..oh are any of the other fish going to go after him ?
RESGuy
Fishaholic
Origins: Originally these little rascals came from the Amazon River basin. Supposedly some 50 species cruise the channels and tributaries of this second longest river (some 260 miles shorter than the Nile as Adrian Philp so rudely informed me) in the world. But the albinos more likely came from an Asian fish farm. The ones we sell come from an Iowa breeder.
Appeal: Bristlenose plecos eat algae assiduously. The commoner plecos grow so large, they turn into destructive behemoths. Bristlenosers stay small -- way small – all under six inches. The albinos stay under four inches. And their albino color adds to their appeal.
Size: In a retail tank, you see them at maybe 1.5 inches -- sometimes up to three inches. Theoretically, bristlenosers grow to a massive five inches. Most albinos top out at just over three inches.
Cichlid Tank Mates: Feel free to mix these little guys with North, Central, and South American cichlids. Because of their set of frog stabbers that poke out their cheeks and their tendency to hide during the day, you can probably mix them with African cichlids also. Watch carefully. African cichlids love to eat the eyeballs out of the common plecos.
Foods: Bristlenosers love algae, of course. They also like blanched zucchini and other vegetables. One breeder recommends French-cut green beans. We found a close version of these on special at HyVee three for $1. Another insists that green peas with skins removed are better. Since these little devils can chew into wood, you probably don’t need to peel their peas. We like the frozen ones because 97% of them sink as soon as they thaw. The African cichlids eat the floaters. Most of our plecos ignored the peas. Joe Meade feeds hers spirulina tablets. Bristlenosers also eat sinking pellets, algae wafers, and frozen bloodworms. Go easy on the meaty foods. They do also graze on driftwood.
Plants: Planted tanks work great. These little guys rarely eat or tear up plants. They love exploring your aquascaping and looking for small bits of algae in the greenery. However, I would not trust any plecos with Amazon sword plants. Once your bristlenose runs out of algae he will start scraping the top layer off plant leaves.
Housing/Water: Avoid bright lights. Des Moines water works fine. Nosers seem to like frequent water changes.
Add Wood: Add bogwood or driftwood to their aquarium. It drops the pH, darkens their tank, and gives them something to chew with their raspy dental work. If you put several young bristlenose plecos in a tank you’ll notice them accumulating on and chewing up the wood.
Sexing: Won’t happen on the babies. Both sexes grow bristles. Males grow a larger and occasionally forked crop of bristles. Females grow smaller and fewer bristles. Males also grow a double row of bristles down the middle of their snouts.
Schedule: Nocturnal. Like the shoemaker’s assistants, adults do their main work at night. Young ones also work during the day. You can observe them in action at night with a dim flashlight. A bright flashlight sends them scurrying into hiding places.
Tank Mates: Bristlenose plecos mix very well with all small and medium fishes except their own kind or near relatives. Male bristlenosers like to argue over territories. If you have several, make sure you provide more than one hiding place. They get along fine in a typical community tank as long as they have a hiding place.
Breeding Tips: Evidently PVC tubes grow wild in the Amazon River because the little rascals adapt quite readily to short segments – not pretty but utilitarian. The pair in this tank often hide behind the wood. The watersprite plants growing on the surface help darken this tank.
Breeding Activity: The bristly male takes over the tube he prefers. The female moves in during a brief romantic interlude. After she deposits her orange eggs (on top of the tube’s roof), he takes over and cares for the eggs. Give the eggs five to six days to hatch. Give the larvae another five or six days to absorb their yolk sacs and emerge as small bristle-less versions of their parents.
Fry Care: Once they start free-swimming, feed them microworms and/or newly hatched brine shrimp. As they grow, they seem to like green beans, zucchini, and algae wafers just fine.
Okay thats all that I found about them hope that helps you
Appeal: Bristlenose plecos eat algae assiduously. The commoner plecos grow so large, they turn into destructive behemoths. Bristlenosers stay small -- way small – all under six inches. The albinos stay under four inches. And their albino color adds to their appeal.
Size: In a retail tank, you see them at maybe 1.5 inches -- sometimes up to three inches. Theoretically, bristlenosers grow to a massive five inches. Most albinos top out at just over three inches.
Cichlid Tank Mates: Feel free to mix these little guys with North, Central, and South American cichlids. Because of their set of frog stabbers that poke out their cheeks and their tendency to hide during the day, you can probably mix them with African cichlids also. Watch carefully. African cichlids love to eat the eyeballs out of the common plecos.
Foods: Bristlenosers love algae, of course. They also like blanched zucchini and other vegetables. One breeder recommends French-cut green beans. We found a close version of these on special at HyVee three for $1. Another insists that green peas with skins removed are better. Since these little devils can chew into wood, you probably don’t need to peel their peas. We like the frozen ones because 97% of them sink as soon as they thaw. The African cichlids eat the floaters. Most of our plecos ignored the peas. Joe Meade feeds hers spirulina tablets. Bristlenosers also eat sinking pellets, algae wafers, and frozen bloodworms. Go easy on the meaty foods. They do also graze on driftwood.
Plants: Planted tanks work great. These little guys rarely eat or tear up plants. They love exploring your aquascaping and looking for small bits of algae in the greenery. However, I would not trust any plecos with Amazon sword plants. Once your bristlenose runs out of algae he will start scraping the top layer off plant leaves.
Housing/Water: Avoid bright lights. Des Moines water works fine. Nosers seem to like frequent water changes.
Add Wood: Add bogwood or driftwood to their aquarium. It drops the pH, darkens their tank, and gives them something to chew with their raspy dental work. If you put several young bristlenose plecos in a tank you’ll notice them accumulating on and chewing up the wood.
Sexing: Won’t happen on the babies. Both sexes grow bristles. Males grow a larger and occasionally forked crop of bristles. Females grow smaller and fewer bristles. Males also grow a double row of bristles down the middle of their snouts.
Schedule: Nocturnal. Like the shoemaker’s assistants, adults do their main work at night. Young ones also work during the day. You can observe them in action at night with a dim flashlight. A bright flashlight sends them scurrying into hiding places.
Tank Mates: Bristlenose plecos mix very well with all small and medium fishes except their own kind or near relatives. Male bristlenosers like to argue over territories. If you have several, make sure you provide more than one hiding place. They get along fine in a typical community tank as long as they have a hiding place.
Breeding Tips: Evidently PVC tubes grow wild in the Amazon River because the little rascals adapt quite readily to short segments – not pretty but utilitarian. The pair in this tank often hide behind the wood. The watersprite plants growing on the surface help darken this tank.
Breeding Activity: The bristly male takes over the tube he prefers. The female moves in during a brief romantic interlude. After she deposits her orange eggs (on top of the tube’s roof), he takes over and cares for the eggs. Give the eggs five to six days to hatch. Give the larvae another five or six days to absorb their yolk sacs and emerge as small bristle-less versions of their parents.
Fry Care: Once they start free-swimming, feed them microworms and/or newly hatched brine shrimp. As they grow, they seem to like green beans, zucchini, and algae wafers just fine.
Okay thats all that I found about them hope that helps you
wow thanks for the info i think i got the right one then cuz i dont want big plecos for my tank only have one i would like a few more but dont want fighting or breeding any idears i have one albino but was thing of geting more but not shore now....and is there a problem them and cory fish will they fight???.........oh i think i saw some of that info on a web site or anuther post hehe i rember the Evidently PVC tubes grow wild in the Amazon River because the little rascals adapt quite readily to short segments that was funnny
RESGuy
Fishaholic
Yeah according to my source the are very territorial towards there own species.
See:
Tank Mates: Bristlenose plecos mix very well with all small and medium fishes except their own kind or near relatives. Male bristlenosers like to argue over territories. If you have several, make sure you provide more than one hiding place. They get along fine in a typical community tank as long as they have a hiding place.
See:
Tank Mates: Bristlenose plecos mix very well with all small and medium fishes except their own kind or near relatives. Male bristlenosers like to argue over territories. If you have several, make sure you provide more than one hiding place. They get along fine in a typical community tank as long as they have a hiding place.
hmm guess i will keep it at one or maby 2 cuz i have a big tank and there ruther small plecos ......i think mine is not very old yet so im going to see how thing go for a bit thanks for the info i gather you probly have a typ of pleco???if so what typ is it and whats it like ?
RESGuy
Fishaholic
Your welcome Fizban Yes I have a Common Pleco and he basically hides behind a large piece of petrified wood I have in one corner of my 55 gallon tank during the day. But during the night he goes all over the place eating all the algae And I also have sliced up pieces of Zuchinni which he loves. I put them on a small mountain climbing clip and sink them. i put about 3 slices and have to change them every 2 days because thats how long it takes him to eat them. He is fairly small for a Common Pleco measuring only about 2". They can get upto 2 feet though!
Yes I have a Common Pleco and he basically hides behind a large piece of petrified wood I have in one corner of my 55 gallon tank during the day. But during the night he goes all over the place eating all the algae And I also have sliced up pieces of Zuchinni which he loves. I put them on a small mountain climbing clip and sink them. i put about 3 slices and have to change them every 2 days because thats how long it takes him to eat them. He is fairly small for a Common Pleco measuring only about 2". They can get upto 2 feet though!coool talking about wood i was going to get some for my one can u use any kind or are there only some typs that work with plecos (i live in west austraila) i need to get it some wood to eat i think that would look intresting i dont have live plants in my tank most of time cuz my other fish pull them out to eat the roots but he still seems to like cleaning them and like yours mine likes to hide alot i only have one cave and a skull in there for my fish at the moment but he still can hide so i cant find him for a good 10 mins i never realy went into the pet shop to get this pleco but as i was geting some other corys i saw him eating algae realy realy fast down a plant and had to get him.........do all plecos like sliced up pieces of Zuchinni ???cuz i would be worryed it may do some thing bad to the water 
?
?
RESGuy
Fishaholic
The type of wood you want to get is called Driftwood You can buy that anywhere. Yes pretty much all Plecos like Zuchinni, and don't worry it doesn't affect the water's quality at all. Your Pleco should eat it right up in about 2-3 days If he hasn't eaten it after like 5 days then you should remove it And also I heard they like cucumbers but I havn't actaully triied that out yet ...
You can buy that anywhere. Yes pretty much all Plecos like Zuchinni, and don't worry it doesn't affect the water's quality at all. Your Pleco should eat it right up in about 2-3 days If he hasn't eaten it after like 5 days then you should remove it And also I heard they like cucumbers but I havn't actaully triied that out yet ...AnneRiceBowl
Fish Fanatic
What a great topic! I came home with a juvie albino bristle nose today after a fish club meeting. I traded some plants for him, and the breeder said that if I wanted any more, give him an e-mail! Gotta love fish clubs!!!!!
Again, thank you for this info!!!!
Again, thank you for this info!!!!
right Driftwood i dont think there a place in this small town that sells it but i will check i think it maby cuz the towns right near the beach so every now and then some will wash up they must eat realy qick if they can eat that in a few days thanks for the info 
RESGuy
Fishaholic
Your welcome Anne and Fizban
http
/www.bigalsonline.com/edealinv/servl...m=1&compareVal=
http/www.aquariumdriftwood.com/
There are a couple of Driftwood links
http
/www.bigalsonline.com/edealinv/servl...m=1&compareVal=http
/www.aquariumdriftwood.com/There are a couple of Driftwood links
Teelie
Fish Aficionado
Useful thread.
I've got a pair on order myself. It's taken an ungodly 6+ months for the LFS to get them and if they weren't so reliable (normally) I'd have ordered them online months ago.
I've got a pair on order myself. It's taken an ungodly 6+ months for the LFS to get them and if they weren't so reliable (normally) I'd have ordered them online months ago.
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