Bristlenose catfish
advertisement
Bristlenose catfish - Probably the most "common" fish in aquatic shops. Usually dark, sometimes with a small moustache, there is nothing sharp in the aquarium at all. It often sucks the bottom of the tank. But these are just the first impressions.
When you take a more in depth look, you will see how superlative this fish is. Ancistrus is a fine and good-looking fish which complements many freshwater aquariums.
I have kept ancistrus fish for more than 4 years and they have become an integral part of my tanks and my hobby. At first I bought only 4 of them and I didn’t know how to differentiate males from females. Fortunately, my aquarium was suitable for them and they did well. As time went by, the males acquired a moustache, all of them grew larger, and they all got a very nice coloration. After 2 years of successful keeping this nice species of fish, I decided to buy a larger tank. They liked it, because I saw small tails after few months. They sucked on wood all days long, and they showed me how beautiful they are. Generally speaking, people say that breeding ancistrus fish is not an easy task, but the environment in my tank did what I expected. The number of ancistrus in this tank has increased since this moment.
What do people need to know if they decide to keep Bristlenose catfish successfully? You can find a lot of information about water hardness, temperature, etc. in books. You may hear the same in shops and aquarists would tell you it again and again. I’d like to tell you a shortened version of these facts only including the most important information.
What kind of aquarium is most suitable for Bristlenose catfish?
I prefer tanks with many hiding-places, so they will be able to breed in peaceful conditions and small newborns will survive even if there are also larger fish in the tank. When you keep scalare or gouramis, then you will do better if the tank is planted heavily. I have 2 tanks and it happened to me, that gouramis ate all the newborn ancistrus but one. This one is still in my aquarium. The fish tank can be low, it won’t effect their normal activities. Bristlenose likes oxygen and the young need it at the bottom of tank. You can’t expect them to swim to the surface, because larger fish may eat them easily. When ancistrus grows up to 2 cm, it shouldn’t be considered as a dinner by other fish.
What about the temperature of the aquarium?
Bristlenose will survive in 18°C water, but I don’t recommend you to keep them under 21°C. I just forgot to close the window one night during winter... I keep water temperature between 22-25°C. Of course, summer means higher values. They feel better when temperature is higher.
What does Bristlenose eat?
I don’t want to make any advertisement campaign, but I fed them with Sera tablets since I bought the first one (first 4). I use only the meat and vegetable varieties. It is full of vitamins and is a really good solution, and I am yet to have mass disease in my tanks (fortunately). More ancistrus, more tablets.
Water hardness, ph and what else?
I have never measured any ph or dh in my tanks. In my opinion, an aquarium has to be something natural, not something that looks like a lab. I just keep them, I’m trying to satisfy their needs and I want them to feel good. I haven’t changed any water in my tanks for more than 2 years and I just top up water that has evaporated off.
Of course, I recommend to keep aquarium, fish and plants healthy.
What should you know before buying Bristlenose catfish?
1. This fish lives usually 8+ years. Don’t buy any Bristlenose if you plan to keep your aquarium for only 1-2 years.
2. Bristlenose is very peaceful fish. But it still needs its area. Adult males sometimes fight other males when they meet each other. But they don’t fight to the death. Naturally, when Bristlenose fish breed, the tank would become full of fish. This is not a reason to sell them or to give them to other people. I recommend to sell/give them when they’re adult or when they grow up to 6 cm. Two reasons why: firstly, they will easily survive in the new tank; secondly, they will cost more when they are adult as they are larger and more beautiful.
3. Bristlenose likes tablets! Often the shop assistant sells this fish and says “It will eat all algae in your tanks.” This is not true for adult fish. Unlike adults, newborns like algae much more. Until they are 2-3 cm long, they will eat it all day long.
4. Bristlenose catfish needs wood! Once I had two Bristlenose catfish without wood and they didn’t do well. When I moved wood into that tank, they became more active immediately. It is place where they can hide and where small fish can eat algae.
Video
Download the video here: link (approximately 7.3 MB, mpeg format, MPEG-1 mpeg type, 640x480px)
Pictures
Here below follows the photogallery added on 11/30/2006. You are allowed to use any of the pictures below on your own web site. However, you should place a link to aqua-fish.net in such case. Click on any image to enlarge.
sponsored links
Bristlenose catfish
has been viewed times since June 30, 2009.
Let's buy a book about aquariums!
P Berger on: May 31, 2009, 4:36 pm wrote
I've had lots of success with breeding in a 2 foot tank with 2 females and 1 male. They've had 5 batches of fry, all were happily living together. Feeding on algae pellets, shrimp pellets and zucchini blanched for 2 minutes. Now I keep removing the larger fry and they just keep breeding. I have hundred of bristlenose catfish. Currently I have 4 2 foot tanks.
Tina on: July 17, 2009, 10:46 pm wrote
I just love our Bristlenose and want to buy another one, but am not sure what sex ours is. It has got bristles, but they are not curled very much and it does get a little cross when some of the other fish go near its food.
Answer: Sexing this species isn't always easy; Females usually have no bristles, and males do have them. However, non-dominant males may look like females too. Sometimes if a female is kept alone, such a fish may develop bristles too.
So... If you keep only 1 specimen, it's a lottery. As Bristlenose catfish don't need plenty of space, you could eventually buy 4-5 specimens to increase the chance of having at least one pair.
So... If you keep only 1 specimen, it's a lottery. As Bristlenose catfish don't need plenty of space, you could eventually buy 4-5 specimens to increase the chance of having at least one pair.
alex on: August 26, 2009, 1:40 pm wrote
The other day I looked at my canister and inside of it I was surprised to see one single baby bristle nose about 3mm long!!!
I saved it and put it into a breeder tank. It's coming along well still only a little baby!
I saved it and put it into a breeder tank. It's coming along well still only a little baby!
Bec on: October 19, 2009, 8:10 pm wrote
I had a breeding pair of Bristlenoses that bred successfully once. Sadly the female died after only having her for two years. After a while I decided to buy an adult female to try breeding again. This did not go well. When I put her into the community tank it all seemed to be going well, they were courting and he started rubbing the inside of the log he had used with the last female. Sadly it was only days before I woke to find my male almost completely skinned! I went straight out and bought a smaller 20L tank to keep my male in where he lived for a few months until his skin coloured back to normal from being red raw from his tail to about half way up his first side fin on both sides of his body. It was very touch and go for a while but the epson salt baths and time in the 'hospital' tank helped. I then swapped the two bristlenoses over putting the male back into the community tank and moving the female to the smaller tank. I then borrowed another male - a bigger one - from a friend as I was told by the LFS that my fat female would need to lay her eggs or she would get egg bound and I was not comfortable putting her back with my male - smaller than her - as he was not 100% yet. It turned out that after about 2 months in the smaller tank with the borrowed male nothing happened. 6+ months on I have now returned the borrowed male but still have the female in the small tank as I am reluctant to let her near my male again. He is better but at times is seen resting on the bottom of the tank upsidedown. On occasion I have gotten worried and actually turned him over with my fingers - which he seems to appreciate. A couple of hours later he is fine again and remains that way for a few weeks before he has another 'upside down spell'. (He tends to come out into the open clearing gravel to have these). Do you have a suggestion of what to do now? I would love to have all my fish in the one big tank and not have the little tank but also don't want to loose my male bristlenose, he was the first fish I bought. If I put them back together will she just kill him?
Answer: Sometimes a fish is weak and won't get better, so it's OK to keep it alone or in tank where it cannot get hurt by other fish. However, such a fish usually gets better after a while (shorter or longer) and then it can be kept along with others. It's up to you to monitor the situation and to decide if they're OK or not.
June Abbott on: January 6, 2010, 4:27 am wrote
About 12 months ago I purchased two brislenose catfish, They were only about 3cm long. Now the male is black with white spots and is about 4" long and his bristles (my hubby calls them antlers) are nearly 1" he is a magnificent fish. Twelve weeks ago he went missing and then all of a sudden I have now 17 babies, some have grown to 2 to 3cm in length, The ornaments and artificial plants have never been as clean. Some are brown with gold spots and others are black with white spots, all have the half crescent moon on their tails, But I don't know what sex they are yet as they are too small. My male has vanished again so it looks like I shall have more babies soon. They enjoy a small piece of cucumber now and then and sucking on a log I have put in my 4 foot tank. They are very busy little fish and a joy to watch.
Gayle on: April 13, 2010, 3:04 pm wrote
HI there,
After having successfully bred lots of bristlenose and with 8 great adult bristlenose in my big tank and lots of babies, regretfully I lost all of them in a space of 4 weeks. It was shortly after I had purchased some platies, danios, & silvertips. I have angels and lots of other small fish in my tank but haven't lost any of them. Only these bottom feeders. Can you help me with the cause. I took them into the local fish shop and they couldn't see anything untoward on the outside of the fish that had just died. Thanks.
After having successfully bred lots of bristlenose and with 8 great adult bristlenose in my big tank and lots of babies, regretfully I lost all of them in a space of 4 weeks. It was shortly after I had purchased some platies, danios, & silvertips. I have angels and lots of other small fish in my tank but haven't lost any of them. Only these bottom feeders. Can you help me with the cause. I took them into the local fish shop and they couldn't see anything untoward on the outside of the fish that had just died. Thanks.
ken on: May 17, 2010, 8:45 pm wrote
Bristlenose are a very easy fish to keep, the size of your tank does not matter overly as long as its a decent size. If you wish to breed them, obviously males have bristles , and commonly females do not, but if they are too young to sex, one easy way to find out if that a female will usually be a bit wider in the body then a male. This is the case about 75 -80% of the time. Back to breeding, have a nice dark ornament (deco-log, pvc pipe, or anything else with only one way in or out), and the best pH for breeding bristle nose is around a PH of 7.5.
Once the act has been done the male will disappear and protect the nest until the young are big enough, though if they escape while they are still only a few days old, just make sure there are plenty of small holes and hiding places in your tank so they don't get eaten by other fish or their parents.
Once the act has been done the male will disappear and protect the nest until the young are big enough, though if they escape while they are still only a few days old, just make sure there are plenty of small holes and hiding places in your tank so they don't get eaten by other fish or their parents.
dan on: July 10, 2010, 9:45 am wrote
Barbara Law on: August 12, 2010, 1:42 pm wrote
I have a smaller tank with one bristle nose in the tank - he is very happy and swims around happily. I only use this tank for fry from my guppies, mollies, swords etc. Is the bristle nose likely to eat the fry?
Thanks in advance.
Thanks in advance.
Answer: No. As long as they swim in top or middle levels, they're safe. Of course, sometimes these catfish can eat newborns, but it's usually the case when newborns aren't strong enough to survive, then they fall down and get eaten.
emma on: August 16, 2010, 7:53 pm wrote
We have just bought a catfish, he (I think) is great, but I am worried as the other fish we bought at the same time are all dying off. He has white on his tail, but I think he has always had that. We have treated for white spot, but any other ideas as we have grown quite attached? Shall we put some wood in?
Answer: Wood is a good addition, especially if you keep Bristlenose catfish. Having a white something on his tail can mean more things, not only the white spot disease. It can be fungus too.
In order to understand what's wrong, you need to perform water tests firstly. Of course, starting with temperature, then through pH, hardness, carbonate hardness, ammonia, nitrates and nitrites. If all of these parameters are acceptable for the species that you keep, most likely it will be a disease.
On the other hand, wrong acclimatisation can be a disease-trigger too. Stress caused by inappropriate lighting, oxygen levels or inadequate flow of water will help your fish to die sooner.
Also bear in mind that in the perfect world we should use quarantine fish tanks for newly bought specimens. If they're OK for about 2 weeks, then they can be added into the main tank.
In order to understand what's wrong, you need to perform water tests firstly. Of course, starting with temperature, then through pH, hardness, carbonate hardness, ammonia, nitrates and nitrites. If all of these parameters are acceptable for the species that you keep, most likely it will be a disease.
On the other hand, wrong acclimatisation can be a disease-trigger too. Stress caused by inappropriate lighting, oxygen levels or inadequate flow of water will help your fish to die sooner.
Also bear in mind that in the perfect world we should use quarantine fish tanks for newly bought specimens. If they're OK for about 2 weeks, then they can be added into the main tank.
Samantha on: August 29, 2010, 7:09 pm wrote
I bought a Bristlenose a month or so ago and he's about 4cm long now, brown and with bristles. He's in a tank with tetras and guppies and I always find him hiding behind the heater.
He rarely moves out from behind the heater, there is plenty of algae for him to eat within very easy reach, but he hasn't appeared to eat anything but the algae immediately around the heater suckers. Occasionally I see him eat fish flakes that fall near him - and to be safe I put algae wafers in the tank too.
Is there anything I can do to make him more active? Should I be worried that he isn't scrounging around my tank busily like I see the ones in LFS do?
He rarely moves out from behind the heater, there is plenty of algae for him to eat within very easy reach, but he hasn't appeared to eat anything but the algae immediately around the heater suckers. Occasionally I see him eat fish flakes that fall near him - and to be safe I put algae wafers in the tank too.
Is there anything I can do to make him more active? Should I be worried that he isn't scrounging around my tank busily like I see the ones in LFS do?
Answer: Buying more catfish (the same species) and also adding caves, rockworks will help. Isn't lighting too bright? These fish do tend to be quite active during night hours especially if they're having a break during daytime.
Let's buy a book about aquariums!
Share your experiences, use as many words as possible! Also, got questions? We'll answer them! All comments are held for approval and moderation. Bear in mind that we're receiving questions every hour and every day. In average over 100 questions each day! That's why we NEED your help. Become our sponsor (click here) and we'll be able to answer you fast. Even though we're doing our best to answer all questions, many of them have to wait over a month or a couple of months until they're published and answered. Donations will make a difference!
Don't use URLs in your comments (such comments won't pass our spam protection)! Subscribe to our RSS and be notified when your comment becomes visible. Also use forum.aqua-fish.net!
Don't use URLs in your comments (such comments won't pass our spam protection)! Subscribe to our RSS and be notified when your comment becomes visible. Also use forum.aqua-fish.net!
Check out the most popular articles on our site!
