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 type | freshwater |
|---|---|
| Care level | easy |
| Minimum tank | 30 US gal / 114 L |
| Minimum group size | 1 |
| Adult size | 13 cm |
| Temperature | 22-27 C |
| pH | 6-7.8 |
| Hardness | 2-15 dGH |
| Salinity | 0-0 ppt |
| Temperament | peaceful bottom grazer |
| Aggression notes | Generally peaceful, but adult males can be territorial around caves. Produces more waste than small community fish. |
| Diet | herbivore-leaning omnivore |
| Swim zone | bottom |
| Activity level | moderate |
| Bioload | high |
| Reef safe | Not applicable or not reviewed |
| Plant safe | Yes |
| Invert safe | Yes |
| Compatibility tags | freshwater, bottom-dweller, algae-grazer, peaceful-community, cave-territorial, high-bioload |
| Avoid with tags | aggressive-bottom-fish, small-overstocked-tank |
Tank mate compatibility
Generated same-water-type pair checks for Bristlenose pleco.
- Can Bristlenose pleco and Angelfish live together? compatible
- Can Bristlenose pleco and Betta live together? compatible
- Can Bristlenose pleco and Bronze cory live together? compatible
- Can Bristlenose pleco and Cardinal tetra live together? caution
- Can Bristlenose pleco and Cherry shrimp live together? caution
- Can Bristlenose pleco and Chili rasbora live together? caution
- Can Bristlenose pleco and Ember tetra live together? caution
- Can Bristlenose pleco and Harlequin rasbora live together? caution
- Can Bristlenose pleco and Guppy live together? compatible
- Can Bristlenose pleco and Honey gourami live together? compatible
- Can Bristlenose pleco and Molly live together? compatible
- Can Bristlenose pleco and Kuhli loach live together? compatible
- Can Bristlenose pleco and Neon tetra live together? caution
- Can Bristlenose pleco and Otocinclus live together? caution
- Can Bristlenose pleco and Pearl gourami live together? compatible
- Can Bristlenose pleco and Peppered cory live together? compatible
- Can Bristlenose pleco and Platy live together? compatible
- Can Bristlenose pleco and Pygmy cory live together? caution
- Can Bristlenose pleco and Swordtail live together? compatible
- Can Bristlenose pleco and Tiger barb live together? compatible
- Can Bristlenose pleco and Zebra danio live together? caution
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.
- Wikidata search - Taxonomy/identifier verification lead only.
- GBIF species search - Taxonomy verification lead only.