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Bristlenose Pleco

6K views 20 replies 8 participants last post by  adiumroot 
#1 ·
Bristlenose questions:

About a few weeks back I purchased a little albino bristlenose. He's as cute as can be and about 1 1/2" long. I selected a bristle for the sole reason that they don't destroy plants & that they stay relatively small as far as plecos go.

This morning I noticed that one of my swords has leaves with rows of little holes going all the way up, all the way down. This is the first damage I've seen in on any of my plants so I'm pretty sure only the pleco can be at "fault".

So, I'm thinking, did I not get a bristlenose? At 1 1/2" does a bristlenose already have bristles? This little guy has none and I was told that it takes awhile for them to grow. Maybe it's a common pleco that was sold to me which would explain him munching on the plants? He's got plenty of driftwood to munch on and he also eats the spinach I feed the ottos. I don't think it's the ottos eating the plants...

Anyone??
 
#3 ·
Pics...the bane of my existment. I've been trying to take photos but my camera is sheeet. I'll be correcting that soon! I'll try to borrow one so I can get a shot. There are no snails in the tank.
 
#4 ·
I have an ABN in a 50gal tank with angelfish, otos, corydoras, rummynose & pristella tetras. Haven't seen anyone of them eat the plants.

ABNs in particular are not known to eat plants although they may nibble on them every once in a while.

What other fish are in your tank?
 
#5 ·
I've got dennisoni, clown & yoyo loaches, ottos, bolivian rams & one pictus & the one ABN. The tank has been set up for months and up until now have not had any plant damage. If I post a pic you'll able to tell if it is indeed an ABN? He's so darn tiny, part of why I can never find him. I will get a pic though....
 
#8 ·
This is the best I could do with the camera I had. It was sold to me as an albino bristlenose. Is there any way to confirm this? The little guy eats spinach like it's leaving the planet tomorrow. (How do I attach pictures so they aren't so darn big??)


Organism Aquarium Terrestrial plant Aquatic plant Freshwater aquarium


Nature Organism Freshwater aquarium Fish Aquarium
 
#15 ·
I'm doubtful in regards to a snail as there are clowns & yoyos in this tank. Last night I happened to be up at 4am and I took a flashlight and carefully observed the tank and there was no activity on any of the plants at all, except for the ottos doing their job. It's a mystery.... :roll:
 
#18 ·
Hey there,

I was reading up on Bristlenose Plecs because I am going to get one and I came across this paragraph:


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.

http://aqualandpetsplus.com/Catfish,%20Plecoctomus,%20Bristlenose.htm

Possible I guess.
 
#20 ·
Ha! So that explains it. It's the swords that look chewed. I can give him veggies but when I do that's all she seems to focus on. I think I'll forgo the Amazon swords and focus on the other plants. She leaves the Melon swords alone so I'm grateful for that!
 
#21 ·
I'm bumping up an old topic but I've noticed that my BNs did chew holes in my amazon swords. It's sure to be them since their only companion in the 15g is a betta. I'd be freaked out if a betta chewed holes into the plants. hehe

I agree with suicide monkey. If they have adequate food, they won't touch the plants. I put in veggies and they munch on them instead. Algae-covered rocks are also their favorite place to "suck out".
 
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