Albino Bristlenose Pleco

Geographic Origin and Biotope: Variant created and selected in the aquarium hobby, not present in nature. The original strain of Ancistrus cf. cirrhosus comes from the rivers and streams of the Paranà river basin in South America.

Taxonomy and Morphology: Albino Bristlenose Pleco. Amelanic mutation of the common Ancistrus. Flat teardrop-shaped body, downward-facing sucker mouth. Grows up to 14 cm (5.5 inches). Often crossbred in breeding, so the exact classification (cf.) is uncertain.

Social Behavior: Peaceful, nocturnal and solitary. Tends to completely ignore other fish. Very busy: spends hours scraping wood and glass. Becomes aggressive and territorial only towards other Loricariids if space or food is scarce.

Coloration and Sexual Dimorphism: Devoid of pigment: appears in a uniform pale pink/yellow color, with typically red eyes. Adult males develop an impressive "bush" of highly branched fleshy tentacles on the snout. Females lack them or have very few short ones on the labial margin.

Aquarium Setup: Tank of at least 80 cm (32 inches). WOOD IS MANDATORY: essential for their digestion. Create numerous dark caves using smooth rocks or terracotta amphorae. They do not damage leathery plants, but could uproot delicate ones by digging the sand under the stones.

Diet and Feeding: Herbivore/Algae-eater. They tirelessly clean the tank of green algae (but ignore brush or filamentous algae). Must be fed daily (in the evening) with sinking spirulina tablets, blanched zucchini slices and spinach.

Water Quality: Armored fish and extremely resistant to thermal shocks. Perfect for standard tropical aquariums (22-28°C / 71-82°F, pH 6.0-7.5, GH 4-15). Produces a formidable amount of organic waste: the mechanical filter must be excellent and cleaned regularly.

Compatibility and Tankmates: The community algae-eater par excellence. Cohabits peacefully with Neons, Guppies, Angelfish, Discus and Corydoras. Avoid pairing with large aggressive cichlids that could attack it, or with other male Ancistrus in small tanks (they would fight for territory).

Aquarium Reproduction: Extremely easy. The male takes over a tube cave closed on one side and attracts the female there. They lay clusters of huge orange eggs. The male chases the female away and takes care of the clutch, fanning it tirelessly until hatching (7-10 days).

Risks and Diseases: People often buy them thinking they survive by eating the "dirt" of the aquarium: wasting from starvation is the number one cause of death. Never use fine nylon nets: their pectoral odontodes (spines) will inexorably get stuck, tearing off.