bristle nose pleco question

[RooRoo]

I've been reading conflicting information and getting the same from lfs. Can bristle nose plecos be kept individually, or should they be kept in pairs?

 

[bruinsbro1997]

They can be kept either or, pair or not.

 

[toddnbecka]

Depends on the tank size; how many BN fry can your tank support if a pair spawns?

 

[RooRoo]

It's a 40 gal with 14 small community fish.

 

[Bubble_B0y]

I personally like to keep ONLY 1 bristlenose per tank.

they do an amazing job cleaning the glass and tank.
1 bristlenose can literally clear an algae infested 40 gallon tank.

They also poop alot (probably due to their diet). So I prefer to keep them alone, to keep waste to a minimum.

 

[toddnbecka]

I have a 30L that houses my spawning pair or super red BN and a 40 breeder that holds 5-6 adult brown BN, only 2 are males. Plenty of fry growing out in both tanks. The 30 also holds my endler's livebearers, many dozens of those, most are small/fry though. I feed them NLS Grow pellets, spirulina flake, and canned green beans once weekly.
All my breeding/growout tanks have large amounts of Najas or hornwort as well as duckweed to help maintain water quality.