Species profile

Bristlenose pleco

Ancistrus cirrhosus

ai-generated confidence: medium

AI-generated aquarium-care values from common hobby consensus; traded bristlenose identities vary, so expert review is recommended.

Care table

Water typefreshwater
Care leveleasy
Minimum tank30 US gal / 114 L
Minimum group size1
Adult size13 cm
Temperature22-27 C
pH6-7.8
Hardness2-15 dGH
Salinity0-0 ppt
Temperamentpeaceful bottom grazer
Aggression notesGenerally peaceful, but adult males can be territorial around caves. Produces more waste than small community fish.
Dietherbivore-leaning omnivore
Swim zonebottom
Activity levelmoderate
Bioloadhigh
Reef safeNot applicable or not reviewed
Plant safeYes
Invert safeYes
Compatibility tagsfreshwater, bottom-dweller, algae-grazer, peaceful-community, cave-territorial, high-bioload
Avoid with tagsaggressive-bottom-fish, small-overstocked-tank

Tank mate compatibility

Generated same-water-type pair checks for Bristlenose pleco.

Sources and attribution

Source links are verification references for taxonomy and identifiers. Aquarium-care values are AI-generated from common hobby consensus and need expert review before launch-quality advice.