8 kinds · tap one for a closer look
Peaceful, mostly active at night.
401 species in our list are a good match.
Peaceful, mostly active at night. Needs driftwood and a cave.
Algae wafers, vegetables like zucchini, and driftwood.
Tap a food to see what it is.
Adult males have fleshy tentacles (bristles) on the head and well-developed spines on the pectoral fins and gill covers; females lack these or have only a few small bristles on the snout edge.
Common problems. Tap one to see the signs. This is a guide, not a diagnosis.
Cave spawner · Easy
Cave spawner; the male guards the eggs and young. Fry often appear in mature tanks without help.
Keep one male and two or three females. Males have bristles on the head.
A 20-30 gallon (75-110 L) tank with caves, tubes or PVC pipes, 24-28 C.
Warm clean water and a water change. Males guard a cave.
20-100 eggs; hatch in 4-8 days.
Male guards the eggs. Feed algae wafers, blanched veg and baby brine shrimp. Remove fry at 2-4 weeks if needed.
A small, hardy, easy catfish (about 12-14 cm) bred commercially worldwide in many line-bred forms such as albino, piebald, xanthic and long-finned ('butterfly' or 'veiltail'). Its exact species identity is unknown.
Ancistrus was named as a genus by Rudolf Kner in 1854. The common aquarium bristlenose is a captive-bred form whose exact species identity is unclear. Its small size and appetite for algae made it a top choice for community tanks.
First described by Rudolf Kner in 1854.
14 facts checked with sources
The common aquarium bristlenose has no confirmed species identity. The hobby label is 'Ancistrus cf. cirrhosus' (cf. = compare with, i.e. uncertain); genetic data does not support it being true A. cirrhosus, and some think it may be a hybrid. It is also often mislabelled as A. dolichopterus. 'Ancistrus sp.' is acceptable; do not present any species name as certain.
Seriously Fish: Ancistrus cf. cirrhosus (common bristlenose) · Scotcat: Ancistrus cf. cirrhosus (hobby reference)Legacy has no family; recorded as sourced.
Seriously Fish: Ancistrus cf. cirrhosus (common bristlenose)Seriously Fish gives 12.5 cm SL (standard length); Scotcat 14 cm (length type not stated). Legacy 13 is within this.
Seriously Fish: Ancistrus cf. cirrhosus (common bristlenose) · Scotcat: Ancistrus cf. cirrhosus (hobby reference)Seriously Fish (preferred) tops out at 26 °C; legacy 27 is slightly high.
Seriously Fish: Ancistrus cf. cirrhosus (common bristlenose) · Scotcat: Ancistrus cf. cirrhosus (hobby reference)Legacy range lies within Seriously Fish's 5.5-7.5.
Seriously Fish: Ancistrus cf. cirrhosus (common bristlenose) · Scotcat: Ancistrus cf. cirrhosus (hobby reference)Legacy has no hardness; Seriously Fish 1-15 dGH recorded.
Seriously Fish: Ancistrus cf. cirrhosus (common bristlenose)Seriously Fish: a 60 x 30 cm base (~54 L) suits one fish or a breeding pair; 60 x 30 x 30 cm = 54,000 cm³ = 54 L. Groups need more space. Legacy 100 L is generous; fine as a recommendation for several fish.
Seriously Fish: Ancistrus cf. cirrhosus (common bristlenose)Can be kept singly or as a pair; males are territorial toward their own kind, so a single male per tank is safest.
Seriously Fish: Ancistrus cf. cirrhosus (common bristlenose)Territorial toward its own kind and similar-shaped bottom fish.
Seriously Fish: Ancistrus cf. cirrhosus (common bristlenose)Seriously Fish difficulty rating 'Easy' (7 of 8 measures), hardy.
Seriously Fish: Ancistrus cf. cirrhosus (common bristlenose)Seriously Fish lists the habitat as 'Unknown'. Legacy has no range.
Seriously Fish: Ancistrus cf. cirrhosus (common bristlenose)Seriously Fish says females lack the bristles and odontodes; legacy 'few or no bristles' is close enough.
Seriously Fish: Ancistrus cf. cirrhosus (common bristlenose)'Stays small' is supported (12.5 cm SL). The algae-eating claim is not stated by Seriously Fish (which recommends a varied diet incl. vegetables and meaty foods), so it was not carried over; 'best pleco' is opinion.
Seriously Fish: Ancistrus cf. cirrhosus (common bristlenose)