Bristlenose Pleco/Catfish

[Countrylovin4evr]

My mom just got sold (forced is more like it) a 'bristle nose pleco or catfish' for her 10 gal tank. The gal threw it in a bag so mom brought it home. But they say this is a good algae eater for a 10 gal . I understood all catfish all schooling. ANd that this pleco grows to 6in. One store says they have dwarf ones but mom doesn't know what she got. Are these ok for a 10 gal? With peppered catfish and glofish and otos? This tank battles bad algea no matter what she does/where she moves it

[spritestyle]

From what I've research - BN pleco will reach a max of 5-6 inches, and are really good at algae control (they are true algae eaters, unlike some like the Siamese algae eaters, who stops eating algae after they are grown). You would not need to feed it if you have lots of algae, but if you don't have enough of it then you will need to supplement with an algae wafer or veggies like zucchini, yellow summer squash, cucumbers...etc. I have a 20 gallon tank with only 1 BN. A 10 gallon is a bit small for them when they're fully grown, but I think it should be ok for now.

[MuckyFish]

I recommend you post a picture, what you may sold as Ben Pleco is often common Pleco.

You have Otos, cories, some glow fish? Sounds like you could be over stocked when the Bn Pleco gets to full size.

Dwarf Plecos usually refers to species under 6".

[mantis]

Some LFS will allow an 'exchange' process, where they tank larger fish and then swap out a smaller one. I would start asking around if there is any place you could do this if he isn't a dwarf or becomes too big.

[garman225]

I just got a bristlenose pleco and he's (she's?--can't tell) amazing! Went right to work on the algae. I had 3 different types (brown, diatoms, and hair algae), but it seems to love them all. he even goes across the bottom and picks up leftover food--not that there's ever much left (Barbs are hungry fish! They would get so fat if I fed them as much as they seem to want.).
Anyway, I would say keep him for now, too. Tank's a little small, but it sounds like there is enough food to keep him happy.

[imma24]

My mom just got sold (forced is more like it) a 'bristle nose pleco or catfish' for her 10 gal tank. The gal threw it in a bag so mom brought it home. But they say this is a good algae eater for a 10 gal . I understood all catfish all schooling. ANd that this pleco grows to 6in. One store says they have dwarf ones but mom doesn't know what she got. Are these ok for a 10 gal? With peppered catfish and glofish and otos? This tank battles bad algea no matter what she does/where she moves it

1. So what's the total # of fish in there now and how many each of the others?
2. How long has the tank been running?

I believe the BN is overstocking the tank just due to its potential size - and a fish should not be purchased to keep a tank clean.

It's possible the tank has algae because the lights are kept on too long and the current fish are being fed too much or too often.

[Countrylovin4evr]

it is my mom's tank and has a filter with larger capacity. She has 4 peppered cories that take care of wastes and the 4 glofish. They were moved to this tank after they attacked others and seem to get a long pretty well at the moment. It has been established for over a yr and is well planted tank. This particular one has had trouble with algae since she bought it. She has moved it around to keep out of sun more, limits lights and feeding and still it just is over ridden. and the 5 oto's are trying to keep up with the algae but it's terrible! She does have a 20 gal and a 5 gal (betta) that do not have same issues as this 10. So obviously when this BN grows too big he can go to the 20 or even to my 30. My concern was that he'd grow too big too fast and we dont really know what it is. I looked them up and he's lighter in color then what was shown. He's (it) currently the size of a small cory and is at least doing his job an getting rid of algae fast. She does know about how to care for algae eaters as we've had CAE and pleco's before. Just not this one.
And we are not certain if it was they said it is. Petco said they were getting in dwarf ones, but mom went to petsmart and they had it bagged before she could think and get info. She was in a hurry and got pushed. They sold another BN to a guy buying a bunch of goldfish too... likely for a small tank so I'm not happy with Petsmart right now.

Thanks for the replies. And petco is only one here that takes rescues, so if he gets too big and can't be moved somewhere else I guess he'll have to go there.
Not sure I can get a pic of him, maybe when I go out. He is creamy/brown with spots

[vanillarum]

It will be fine in the 10 gal. They are mainly bottom dwellers, and don't usually get much bigger than 4 or 5". I kept a pair of adults in a 10 gal for over a year and they were fine. I would supplement the algae with some protein once in a while. Also try spirulina pellets as well as algae wafers and fresh zucchini is a much loved treat for them. They also like a place to get out of the limelight so to speak, so I might add a cave or make a hiding place for it. They are usually quite outgoing, so it won't hide all the time. Good luck.

[squidboy]

Also, if you have a pair that might be m/f, they like a cave to hide in. It is in that dark sanctuary that they end up breeding. I got little baby fry crawling all over my tanks...

[dmagerl]

It all depends on the individual fish too. The females are smaller than the males and usually top out at 4 inches. I have 2 males. One is a shrimp and is about 4+ inches long, the other is a brute and is 6+ inches. Both are fully grown.

They do need protein in their diet and I've seen mine regularly eating flakes off the bottom, and when bloodworms are served they go nuts sweeping the substrate trying to get their share.