# Will Bristlenose Plecos eat algae and avoid plants?



## mistergreen (Dec 9, 2006)

They don't eat all algae but generally they leave the plants alone. If you have driftwood, they'll munch on that.


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## Monster Fish (Mar 15, 2011)

Smaller ones do a decent job of eating algae. However, they get lazier as they get bigger.


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## terrapedes (Jul 5, 2013)

Mine leave the plants alone. I just want to point out that it's important to have wood in a tank with plecos, it's a very important source of fiber in their diet.


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## Virto (Dec 6, 2012)

BN plecos do much better with wood in the tank - harder woods can be an issue, but cholla wood is great for the smaller ones.

BNs will eat algae while the graze, but it's not the bulk of their diet. They thrive on fresh veggies but do require some dietary protein, in the form of algae wafers or they'll chase down and eat any sinking food, either catfish pellets or flake food that sinks to the bottom.

BNs will generally leave plants alone, although some will eat already dead or dying leaves on plants. Also, they are pretty fast and can be spooked, which makes them a bit reckless - so young, tender plants might be damaged by a larger adult charging around the tank.

They're among my favorite fish. I've got about 30 growing out right now.


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## garfieldnfish (Sep 25, 2010)

Get a rubberlip pleco instead. No need to have real driftwood and they eat algae all their life. They stay smaller and won't bother plants at all. BN's do not eat plants but may uproot newly planted or delicated plants. They are safe with most plants like anubias, vals etc.


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## Ras (Nov 7, 2013)

mine only ate holes in dead leaves, and my java fern
left everything else alone though
they are kinda heavy and cumbersome so they dont do a very good job at cleaning fragile plants or single blades of grass but they are GREAT for rock tanks or tanks with strong broad leaf plants . extremely tough too but I think they get like 6inches
one of the smaller plecos but still pretty large full grown


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## iant (Feb 13, 2013)

The only plant my BN pleco eat is the bottom stem of my water sprite which completely destroys the whole stem. Fortunately, watersprite produces a stem twice a week


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## AquaAurora (Jul 10, 2013)

First of all what size tank do you have and whats your current livestock list? A 30 gallon aquarium is recommended to house just one bristlenose (some go smaller, but bigger is better). Plecos (even the small breeds) produce a lot of poop which means lots of nitrate. Generally its easier to clean the algae yourself and see if cutting back of feeding fish or shortening photo period keeps algae away than getting a pleco. You'll be cleaning up more after the pleco than you would just cleaning the algae directly.


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## Betta132 (Nov 29, 2012)

I had a bristlenose who started eating on my swordplants... Had to get rid of him. 
Yeah, plecos are messy things. Really messy things.


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## THE V (Nov 17, 2011)

Picked up 4 BN plecos for my tank a few years ago. If they are well fed, happy and really are nocturnal. I see them occasionally in the morning and in the evening when they pop out for a snack. 

They don't harm my swords, crypts, vals, and keep my rocks and driftwood in pretty good shape. They are a good pair with SAE in a larger tank who keeps the BBA under control. 

They have bred in the tank several times so I'm not quite sure how many I have any more. When it starts to get crowded I try to catch a few of the babies and take them to the LFS. This is always a challenge.


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## Orangespotted (Oct 14, 2013)

Wow, wasn't expecting this many responses. Also, after re-reading my post I realized it didn't communicate what I meant; the long story is (feel free to skip) my friend was excited about some blue-eye bristlenose plecos that a local store (you might have heard of it, Aqualand Pets Plus has a great website) just got in. Long story short, he wanted to get some for his tank, but they are REALLY pricy and he has a HUGE (I've never really seen anything like it) sword in there that I think he would regret if it was whittled away. I told him I didn't think I'd trust them in my tank, and he said that one of the store employees told him that when well-fed the bnp's would just eat algae. That seemed contrary to what I knew about plecos in general but didn't want to argue further since I wasn't sure.

I'll be sure to tell him to keep an eye on his plants, but the consensus here looks like he was right for the most part. Oh well, you win some you lose some.  Thanks guys.


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## toddnbecka (Sep 4, 2006)

Diatoms are common in new setups, but typically disappear after a few weeks or so and then are seldom seen again. If you want a BN for algae control they are quite effective for cleaning the glass IME, but I wouldn't get one just for diatoms.


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## kevmo911 (Sep 24, 2010)

It's surprising to me that nobody has mentioned oto's for dealing with diatom algae. They're prolific diatom eaters, and won't bother any other plants or animals.

For any other algae, oto's are likely useless, but IMO every tank should have a small colony of them.

I've never had any pleco - I've had clown, BN, and ABN plecos - eat any plants. I did have a clown die off once, I suspect because I'd removed the only wood from the tank a couple months previously.


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## Orangespotted (Oct 14, 2013)

My friend got two bristlenose plecos a few days ago by the way, he says they are a male/female pair. I asked him and he said they haven't hurt his sword or other plants yet, but he says he's watching them closely... I was there when he added them and funnily enough one of his angelfish taste tested one's whiskers. The pleco got away unharmed though.  They aren't really angels are they?

Yeah, I used to have some in my older tanks, but diatoms were usually quickly consumed by a population of ramshorn snails. However, in my current tank, a particular little fellow is very efficient at shucking them...


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## wicca27 (May 3, 2009)

my bn's have never eaten plants. i say if you like them give them a try. i know i have read others have had issues with them rasping on the leaves of swords but mine never did. you could also try oto's. alot of shrimp people use them for that as well as algae and they are plant safe.

and to sex them males will have a red/pink U or V shape on the head (can see if albino but not other colors) and will have bristles. females will not have the bristles or if they do just tiny around the mouth and maybe corners of mouth. none of my females ever had any nubs at all


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