Bristlenose catfish - Ancistrus cirrhosus

Contributed by: Pete W»1»

On: August 25, 2006, 7:55 pm

After having algae problems, as well as finding fish compatable with my Ciclids, I bought 2 small Bristlenose (3cm) and within 72 hours, 90% of the algae was gone and the Ciclids were tolerating them. In my opinion, a great little fish!!

Contributed by: Ackerz»13»

On: January 13, 2007, 8:19 pm

This was my first Catfish and after it died after about year and 1/2, I realised that it was keeping a lot of algae at bay so I bought two more and they carried on the job.

Heres some genral facts I hope you find interesting.

Origin
- South America

Maximum Size
- Four to five inches but usually smaller.

Breeding Size
- Two inches

Housing
- Needs crannies, caves, crevices.

Temperature
- 70°F to 80°F works.

Attitude
- Peaceful but males will argue over territories.

Foods
- Vegan but flexible. Basically algae eater. I find that grapes cut in half go down a treat remove skin after they have eaten the flesh. (note by admin: You should feed them with fish food, not only with algae)

Water
- Not picky

Breeding Style
- Breeds in caves

Number of Young
- 50 to 100

Contributed by: KSmith»1»

On: March 5, 2007, 11:20 pm

This bristlenose is awsome looking. Where could I get one?

[ksmith68850 AT hotmail DOT com]

Contributed by: admin»665»

On: March 6, 2007, 1:08 am

Fish on the picture is an adult specimen, about 4 years old. Small bristlenose catfish are usually available worldwide for about $1. I haven’t seen any shop without this species:).

Contributed by: admin»665»

On: April 25, 2007, 3:11 am

Tom's questions was moved to forums. It can be found here.

Please, consider forums for ordinary questions instead of profiles pages.

Contributed by: Karrie»1»

On: November 30, 2008, 11:19 am

I currently have 3 small white clouds, several snails, and a cory cat. I have lots of live plants, so I like to keep the light on for longer periods during the day as they don’t get much natural light. Therefore, I have lots of algae growing. Would the bristlenose catfish be a suitable fish for my tank, even though I have a cory cat already? I’m interested in something that will eat mostly algae.

Contributed by: admin»665»

On: December 3, 2008, 8:11 pm

@Karrie: Bristlenose catfish eat algae when they’re juveniles the most. When they’re adults, they eat less algae. Also bear in mind that to clean a 100 L aquarium you’ll need maybe 15 specimens.

I’d buy Apple snails along with 4-5 of these catfish (if they feel OK, they’ll breed and you’ll have an army of algae eaters :) ). BTW, Ramshorn snails do eat algae too.