Introduction
The Bristle-nose Plecostomus (Ancistrus temmincki), which belongs to the Family Loricariidae, lives in fast flowing tributaries of the Amazon River (mainly in Peru, Bolivia, and Brazil). Loricariidae are the largest family of freshwater catfish with approximately 700 species. The Loricariidae catfish all have bony plates covering their bodies and a suckermouth. The main feature that separates Ancistrus temmincki from most other Loricariidae is the antler-like “bristles” on the head and face. The male, which may reach 5 inches in length, has many more head and face bristles that the female. The female (approximately 3-1/2 inches in length) usually has only a few short bristles above her “upper lip” and a pudgy belly. The bristle-nose plecostomus is mainly herbivorous. In the home aquarium the bristle-noses will eat lettuce leaves, spinach leaves, “skinned” baby peas, zucchini slices, cucumber slices, and freeze-dried algae wafers. They will also eat flakes and frozen foods (e.g., brine shrimp, daphnia, and blood worms) that sink to the bottom of the tank.
The reason I titled this article “The Secretive Life of the Bristle-nose Plecostomus” is due to their shy nature. Being nocturnal, the bristle-noses usually hide during the daytime or when the aquarium light and/or room light is on. Under rocks, driftwood, or the sponge filter are favorite hiding places. When the lights go out, the bristle-nose comes out of their lair in search of food. The territorial male will usually rule the bottom of the tank by chasing the other bottom dwellers (e.g., Corydoras catfish) when he is out prowling at night. It seems the female is attracted to a male that has his own “home”. She will hang around outside his bachelor pad until invited inside for a romantic evening. But more on that later.
Tank & Equipment
- Spawning Tank Size: 10 gallon (20” x 10” x 12”) with a tank divider (i.e., the breeding pair were placed in one side of the divided tank - 10” x 10” x 12” width)
pH = 7.0, Ammonia = 0 ppm, Nitrites = 0 ppm, Nitrates = 5 ppm, General Hardness = 10 dGH, Carbonate Hardness = 4 dKH, Temperature = 78 - 80oF.
- Spawning Tank Accessories:
One Sponge Filter plus Air Pump and Tubing
One 50W Heater (to maintain the water temperature between 78 - 80oF) plus a thermometer
Java Ferns and Java Moss attached to a piece of driftwood
Full Hood Tank Cover with 2- 15W fluorescent light bulbs
Approximately 1/2 inch of gravel covering bottom of tank
An overturned hollow ceramic tank ornament for the “bachelor pad”
NOTE: The other half of the divided 10 gallon tank was set-up for spawning a pair of Yellow Convict Cichlids.
Spawning
June 20, 2008 – The male and female Bristle-nose Plecostomus were placed in the right side of the divided 10 gallon tank with all the accessories identified above. The male immediately claimed the ceramic ornament as his hide-away. The female hid under the left side of the ornament. Assortments of freeze-dried algae wafers and frozen foods, plus live black worms were dropped in the tank (outside the entrance to the ornament) to condition the pair for spawning. They were fed once a day (usually around dusk, since they were never very active during the day).
Over the next 11 days, I never saw the female inside the ornament during the day, and I never saw the male leave his hideout. I could see him moving around inside and sometimes he would come to the front, but he never came out. The food was always gone in the morning. Occasionally, I would observe the pair (after “lights out”) with a low-power flashlight, but the male was always the only one inside the ornament.
July 2, 2008 – Around 11:30 PM, I went into the totally dark fish room with the flashlight to observe the bristle-noses. At first I could not see the female anywhere inside the tank, but then I realized there were two distinct “tails” moving around deep inside the ornament. I could not see any other part of either bristle-nose, but I was optimistic since the female was actually inside the bachelor pad. Even though I visited the dark fish room with my flashlight on a number of late nights over the next 10 days, the female was always outside the ornament and the male was deep inside the ornament.
July 15, 2008 – I visited the dark fish room around 11:00 PM with my flashlight and got a very pleasant surprise. Not only was the female inside the entrance, but there were numerous miniature plecostomus hanging on the sides inside the ornament. I couldn’t believe my eyes. The fry were approximately 3/8 inches long. I dropped in a couple more algae wafers and turned off the flashlight. I didn’t want to disturb the new family.
Raising the Fry
July 16, 2008 – I checked on the bristle-noses family the next morning before going to work. Papa was inside the ornament, as usual, and Mama was hiding under the ornament, as usual. The main difference was the approximately 10 “not so little” ones “hanging on” at various locations outside the ornament. There were another 5 or 6 fry inside the ornament near Papa. I dropped in a couple algae wafers since the ones from the night before had been eaten. There is no danger of the parents eating the fry, so I left the happy family intact.
Over the next week I tried feeding the bristle-nose fry lettuce leaves, spinach leaves, baby peas, zucchini slices, and cucumber slices in addition to the freeze-dried algae wafers. The only fresh vegetables they would eat were the zucchini slices. They never touched the spinach or peas, and only nibbled on the lettuce and cucumbers. To say the fry go crazy over the zucchini would be an understatement. Therefore, their main diet is a fresh zucchini slice every other day plus a few algae wafers every day. I estimated there are 25 to 30 fry.
August 10, 2008 - I occasionally see the Mama inside the entrance to the ornament, but mostly she hides underneath it during the day. Papa still remains inside his sanctuary during the day. Since the fry are not as “shy” as their parents, they are always out during the day exploring every nook and cranny in their half of the 10 gallon tank. About a half dozen found their way over to the Yellow Convict Cichlid side of the divided tank. Since I had removed the cichlid parents it was safe for the bristle-nose explorers to visit (and live with) their tiny cichlid neighbors.
August 16, 2008 – Since the female was seen “visiting” the male on July 2 and the incubation period for the bristle-nose eggs is 2-4 days, I’m guessing the fry hatched on July 5. The bristle-nose fry were always very dark brown with pinpoint-sized white dots all over their bodies (i.e., since the very first time I saw them on July 15). However, most of the fry now are approximately 1 to 1-3/4 inches long at 6 weeks old. Their favorite food is still fresh zucchini slices and algae wafers. I also give them bottom-feeder pellets, but this is a distance third choice at feeding time. I removed the tank divider since most of the Yellow Convict Cichlid fry have managed to squeeze over to the bristle-noses side of the tank.
August 28, 2008 – At almost 8 weeks old, the bristle-nose fry are approximately 1-1/4 to 1-3/4 inches long. There are two others that are ~2 inches long and three that remain at ~1 inch. I continue to feed them fresh zucchini slices and algae wafers.
Summary
Even though the adult Bristle-nose Plecostomus are usually hiding during the day, the fry are always out exploring their environment. The fry are very comical to watch as they move about the tank, usually hanging by their suckermouths from the glass, sponge filter, plants or to whatever they can attach. Sometimes they seem to be playing “tag”, but it’s probably really “practicing” to become territorial adults. Each male will hopefully find a nice bachelor pad when he gets older and stake his claim to a territory. If the males are really luck, maybe “attractive” females will camp outside their doorways waiting for an invitation to come inside for a “secret” rendezvous. |
