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I am going to be getting a BN eventually and was wondering what kinds of algae that they eat. I have heard they eat brown algae (which I have heard isn't really algae, it's diatoms) but I don't know if they eat other kinds or not.

They would prefer bi-weekly supplementation of vegetable matter. Otherwise, standard fish fare is probably alright.

I'll give it sliced veggies once or twice a week, shrimp pellets, algae wafers, and flake food it can take off the bottom if it wants. I wasn't planning on having him live off of algae, I was just curious as to what types of algae they eat.

They really don't touch much algae other than brown, and yes it is diatoms not really algae.

L030 IME are good at removing carpet style algae, and rubber noses are good at spot algae removal. Other than that most plecs don't touch other algaes besides diatoms.

Present: L183, L114, L330, LDA33, L059, L340, L136, L399, Clown, Whip Tail

Past: L001, L239, L200, L134, L030, L110, L204, L260, LDA08, L226, Ancistrs sp3 albino as well as calico, L187 (sp2), Common Hypostomus punctatus

My bristlenose does good work keeping my tank clear of green algae on glass and surfaces, but I dont know about diatoms.
A healthy well cared for tank most likely wont have big explosions of diatoms. If youre having diatoms, I suggest more frequent water changes and lessen feeding a bit, and that should clear it up.


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I'm happy to say that I'm not having trouble with algae or diatoms, I was just wondering if BN ate much algae.

Yes, they do. My BN ate both green algae and diatoms. And he was very efficient. But the problem is, there are many similar fish being labelled as BN in the LFS. I'm not sure what L number is mine.

vegetable matter bi-weekly lol
It wouldnt be hard to do a bit of research before posting inaccurate advice.
Bristlenoses need feeding everyday, they need fresh veg probably three times a week and algae wafers that arent too high in protein, they also need wood.

Too much protein causes bloat and constipation, many plecs die from eating the wrong diet given by owners.

Im sure the guys on here are very knowledgeable about most things but if you want accurate advice about bristlenoses then visit a specialist forum like

plecofanatics or planetcatfish.

There is also more than one type of Bristlenose- if you do get to planetcatfish look up ancistrus and you will see how many there are and maybe find out which one you have

Plecofan,
I think they meant that they feed regular fish foods daily and feed extra vegetable matter biweekly.


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It does not matter what species of ancistrus this fellow owns. All are generalized shallow water limnivores save the rannunculus complex species that could conceivably be placed in a separate genus. Thus, all species are more or less inclined to feed on phyto-awfuchs (in addition to what algal growth it can find in the tank), a stable vegetable flake and two meals of hearty fibrous vegetable matter is fine. Don't believe me? Well, I've bred L183, a. aff. puctatus, a. "domesticus" (sp. 3 or whatever). Also ancistrus species are not one of the few loricariids that can even process hemicellulose, so no, they don't need wood. Just an fyi.

well according to planetcatfish it is thought that bristlenoses need wood for the lignin it contains. Id rather go with the experts thanks


quote from Planetcatfish

It is thought that elements in bogwood, particularly lignin, may form an essential part of Bristlenose diet. Certainly they have the immensely long guts common to vegetarians, and although they fall avidly on the occasional meal of live food or prawns, the bulk of their diet must be composed of vegetable matter. If a high protein diet is fed constantly, then they will become e to stomach disorders. Vegetable roughage keeps the gut in working order, and bogwood is a valuable addition to this.

http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/species.php?species_id=49

The dietary requirement of wood is open for debate, and has been debated time and time again. I've kept them with and without wood for some time and have not at this time been able to tell any benefit or harm form both living situations.

If you truly know the pleco sites as you say, you would know Cuppa is more than qualified to give sound advice about pleco husbandry.

Present: L183, L114, L330, LDA33, L059, L340, L136, L399, Clown, Whip Tail

Past: L001, L239, L200, L134, L030, L110, L204, L260, LDA08, L226, Ancistrs sp3 albino as well as calico, L187 (sp2), Common Hypostomus punctatus

You should do a planetcatfish forum search. The profiles aren't regularly updated really, but there's a great thread in which HH (expert amongst experts--a full fledged ichthyologist) discusses how few organisms subsist off of lignin digestion--instead, as previously stated, hemicellulose is the sugar of choice.

Bogwood provides roughage. There is no doubt about that. Ancistrus will slough off and injest lots and lots of wood, if provided. However, there's is no nutritional value in it and you'd be better off providing blanched kale or whatever such that your fish derives necessary vitamins, i-cpounds, etc. while still aiding digestion.

lol ok.

So does that mean that any info on Planetcatfish about species should be taken with a pinch of salt?

Or would it be best to check the pc forum instead?

It's not that the information should be taken with a grain of salt. But as with anything else you just have to know that the information contained may not be 100% accurate. Heck even fishbase.org has inaccurate information on it.

Often more times than not good ol experience will be your best source of information.

Present: L183, L114, L330, LDA33, L059, L340, L136, L399, Clown, Whip Tail

Past: L001, L239, L200, L134, L030, L110, L204, L260, LDA08, L226, Ancistrs sp3 albino as well as calico, L187 (sp2), Common Hypostomus punctatus

"lol ok. So does that mean that any info on Planetcatfish about species should be taken with a pinch of salt?"

Mr. Dignal does a lot of work on the site, but obviously does not have enough time to meticulously dig over every submission, hence you get things like misidentified fish, size and locality issues, etc--even he freely admits this. Whereas on the forum, things are always up to date and posters are posting at their own leisure--the same thing cannot be said about the sp. 3 profile, which hasn't been updated, text wise, in a long, long time.

If you aren't a PC/plecofanatic (I don't recognize the screen name from either) regular, I suggest you do a little more reading yourself before you take a definitive stance on the matter (PC-hard data and good intel; PF-good community).

The fact of the matter is that you misinterpreted what I said in the first place and thus you were the one who was initially mistaken. So you can "lol ok" me all day, but unless you've got something of substance to back up that smug faux-indifference, it only reveals how little you actually know about the subject at hand.


SUMMARY: In any case, in the end, more vegetables cannot possibly serve to harm he ancistrus pallet. Similarly, wood is not broken down by these fish as they lack the necessary microflora in the gut found in say, panaque, and to a lesser extent, cochliodon complexes. It will aid in digestion, but it serves no nutritional purpose. The end.

Hey, I have been following this debate, and just wanted to mention my observations on my bn pleco. When it comes to feeding time, I have noticed that if I feed heavy meaty foods, like bloodworms, shrimp pellets, or flake food, the bristlenose tends to much some wood after.

If fed veggies or vegetable based foods, I rarely see him munch on wood afterwards.
I have always assumed that this meant he ate wood after meatier foods to promote digestion - fibre.
Thats just my observations, and I am by no means a pleco expert at all, just 3 years of keeping a lovely little male bn.


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