Bristlenose Catfish

Bristlenose Catfish

Ancistrus sp.

The Bristlenose Catfish is by far the most common and popular member of the Loricariidae family, the family that makes up all bristlenoses, plecos, and other L-number catfish. This fish has become such a staple catfish in the hobby for good reason, being a peaceful, easy to care for, cool looking, algae-eating, easy to breed fish, that also reaches a good yet manageable size.

Locale: Occurs throughout South and Central America, through much of the Amazon Basin - occurs most often in faster-moving portions of the river.

Fun fact: The “bristles” that occur on the head of a Bristlenose Catfish, that give the species it’s name, only occur on mature males, and are an easy way to distinguish the two sexes from each other.

Care:

Care difficulty - Beginner

Temperament - Peaceful

Adult size - 10-13cm on average, however occasionally surpasses 15cm

Diet - Omnivorous; in the Aquaria it is best to feed a staple diet of Algae / Spirulina based foods, such as algae wafers, with higher protein foods used to supplement the diet such as sinking pellets or wafers.

Habitat - In the aquaria it is best to recreate a medium-high flow setting with plenty of stacked rock and driftwood, the catfish will naturally chew on the driftwood as a part of their natural diet, however they will also cling to the rock and wood to blend in for camouflage, and to hide under/behind.

Optimal Water Parameters:

Temperature: 21-27°c

pH: 5.8-7.2

GH: 2-10

KH: 1-4

Fish size, sex, exact colour and patterning may vary from photo.