bristlenose catfish, how big?

[kevhodge]

i purchased an ansestoria (forgive my spelling) (i now think it is a bristlenose catfish) about 8 months ago, told by the lfs that it is an ideal alge eating fish. it has not made a huge impresion on the alge, but it is now geting huge, it was a pretty fish at 1/2 inch at purchase, it is now 4 inches long and trying to dominate the bottom of the tank, just how big can they grow?

 

[WinterWind]

I'm assuming you're talking about a bristlenose pleco. They don't always eat algae, though they will if they have nothing else to eat. They would rather eat shrimp pellets or blood worms, but they will eat some algae, though not enough to make a real difference. If you really want an algae-eating machine, get an oto. Even though they are tiny, they eat algae in huge amounts!

Anyways, about the size, they are approximately 6 inches when full grown, though their size may vary fron 5-8 inches, because there are different species of bristlenose plecos in the aquarium market.

 

[firefly]

THe people I know who have bristle-noses say they are great algae eaters. I've not owned them myself, but would like some just for the cuteness factor. (btw, the scientific name is ancistrus..). They get about 6", though some a bit smaller and some a bit larger. They are by far better than a common pleco which gets to 18" or more!! However, if you are looking for small, and great at algae, I have to second the nomination for an oto. (otocinclus). These guys eat both brown and green algae, and only get to be 1.5" when full grown! They are the best algae eater out there. often, they have my tanks so clean right away that I have to start feeding them algae wafers. THey do like company, so get at least three...

Emily

 

[RTR]

My bristlenose cats have all been excellent algae eaters on larger flatish surfaces such as the tank glass, pieces of slate, etc. They are poor at foliage as they cannot hover to graze. Adult size of 4-6+ inches is normal; a few get a little larger.

 

[Holly9937]

Mine cleared a 50ish gallon tank of algae in about 3 days, but they definately need other food. I found mine to get food aggressive when he hasn't ate in a day or two, also, he is very particular about hiding spots, make sure you have more than enough to accomodate all of the fish you have who appreciate hiding spots

 

[RTR]

The refuge concept Holly sets is excellent - provide more than one per fish to allow some selection.

 

[MrAquarium]

Most common B plecos will get 4-5'',
someone said the common will reach 18''+ that is correct but not complete, they will in a 75g reach 2' easy, in the wild they can get as big as 5'.......