Saltwater & Reef

new2betas · 08-09-2008, 07:12 AM

I have been wondering if I could add a small BN pleco to my 10g tank. It is moderately/heavily planted. I have one male betta and three peppered cories in there right now. I have noticed that there is some (not much) algae in the tank that I have to scrape and was wondering if adding a small pleco would help or if it would be way overstocked putting one in. I am on top of weekly maintenance with all of my tanks and the parameters are perfect right now.

Purrbox · 08-09-2008, 08:26 AM

A Bristlenose Pleco will get too large for a 10 gallon. Algae that becomes noticable/nuisance in a planted aquarium indicates and imbalance which needs to be solved. A small amount of algae that isn't particularly noticable, on the other hand, is perfectly normal.

new2betas · 08-09-2008, 08:43 AM

It's just a small amount, nothing too noticable. I thought the BN only got to about 2-2.5"....which ones are the ones that stay small?

Jchillin · 08-09-2008, 10:04 AM

A bristlenose isn't too big for a 10g. I currently have two in a 5g and 4 in a 75g. An adult BN usually tops out at 2".

new2betas · 08-09-2008, 10:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jchillin

A bristlenose isn't too big for a 10g. I currently have two in a 5g and 4 in a 75g. An adult BN usually tops out at 2".

Thanks JChillin...I thought I had read somewhere that they only got to about 2"...I will look today when I am getting some starter fish for my 29g....

new2betas · 08-09-2008, 10:19 AM

Yeah....I had seen this clown pleco before but decided it was too big and that is when I found the bn pleco more appealing. He/she is pretty though.

p3purr · 08-09-2008, 12:51 PM

BN can get to be just over 4.5 inches as adults and wouldn't be happy in a 10 and it may stunt there growth. Otocinclus would be a better choice to get some of it off the tanks. As purrbox said, a little algae is normal, I'd still keep a close eye on it since it can get out of control very quickly.

PlanetCatfish is a very good site for catfish and pleco's. This is their information on Bristlenose.

Alaris · 08-09-2008, 01:43 PM

Also plecos will only eat algae when they are young. They become less interested in algae when they get older/bigger.

fearlessfisch · 08-09-2008, 02:11 PM

I would not put a bristlenose in a ten-gallon. They may be able to survive, but it really is not enough space for them to thrive. I would not consider it fair to the pleco.

SpeedEuphoria · 08-09-2008, 03:31 PM

Yeah Oto is bes for a 10G 1 or 2 of them.

Dottie make sure your nitrates dont drop down to 0 as thats when I started getting algae.

bs6749 · 08-09-2008, 03:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jchillin

A bristlenose isn't too big for a 10g. I currently have two in a 5g and 4 in a 75g. An adult BN usually tops out at 2".

BN plecos usually grow to 3.5-4+ inches with males being the larger sex.

I've kept a 3.5" BN pleco, 5 quarter size discus, and 7 brilliant rasboras in a 10 gallon tank for 3 weeks while I was switching tanks and QT'ing some new discus. I wouldn't recommend a BN pleco for that tank long term but if you can find a couple of BN plecos that are ~3/4-1" you could keep two in the same tank for probably up to a year as they grow fairly slowly. At that point you could move them to your 29 but I just wouldn't recommend them for a 10 gallon long-term. Stick with 5-6 ottos IMO.

And high nitrates allow algae to grow, not the absence of nitrates.

Purrbox · 08-09-2008, 07:43 PM

I'd never heard of any variety of Bristlenose Pleco maxing out at only 2", always closer to the 4-5" range. This is why I wouldn't recommend them for a 10 gallon. If you were able to obtain a smaller variety that maxed out around 2", then I wouldn't see a problem with it.

In a planted aquarium, nutrient imbalances cause algae. Having an absense of Nitrate will cause algae rather quickly as the plants can't make use of the remaining nutrients and the algae gets the upper hand. The goals are a bit different than in a non planted aquarium.

pirateshake · 08-10-2008, 03:11 AM

I think 1 BN pleco would be fine. I have no personal exp with them but my friend has 4 in his tank for about a year now and there only 2 1/2 inchs very active eat algae and are fun to watch. His is a 36 Bowfront. So you should be okay with one

Satsumas · 08-10-2008, 05:15 AM

I wouldnt consider it fair to keep a BN pleco in a 10gallon.
I had one in my 20gallon and knew that she could do with a 30 to really thrive.

I had a female BN and i think they are slightly smaller than males but even so, there biolad is large for a small pleco. That also needs to be taken into consideration.

Jchillin · 08-10-2008, 08:50 AM

Here is an adult BN, it's only 2". If anyone has one that is larger, please let me see it.

p3purr · 08-10-2008, 10:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jchillin

Here is an adult BN, it's only 2". If anyone has one that is larger, please let me see it.

Do a web search and you'll find lots of reputable sites that state adult BN get 4-5 inches.
For example:

Quote:

Originally Posted by p3purr

PlanetCatfish is a very good site for catfish and pleco's. This is their information on Bristlenose.

Fish kept in tanks that are overcrowded or in too small a tank don't always grow to their full potential.

bs6749 · 08-10-2008, 10:44 AM

Image of Old Tank Setup - Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Not the best pic but if you look closely at the amazon sword on the left of the tank you can see my male BN pleco. The tank is a 55 gallon tank for reference. He's at least 3" long in that pic and I had him for about 6 months at that point. He was purchased at a little over 2" long. That is also the rock formation on the right that he knocked down ontop of himself.

Jchillin · 08-10-2008, 10:06 PM

I know what the "book" says, I even wrote one: Bristlenose profile

The one pictured is from my 75g, so no chance of stunted growth and I'd never recommend a fish only to have it suffer. On average, most BN in captivity will max out at 2 to 3 inches, longevity is about two years.

Bottom line, if using the 1" per gallon "rule", a BN will be fine in a 10g so long as the tank is not overstocked and we all know that a 10g is pretty limited in that regard.