Albino Bristlenose Longfin Pleco

So I got tired of lookin/waitin for breeders.... and saw a gorgeous baby male Albino bristlenose longfin, so i got him for too expensive.. lol... not too bad I guess 12.99 what does everybody think?

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Pretty sure its a male? Made sure the one I chose had some sign of bristles coming in to make sure.... there is a couple, cant really tell in the picture, but one of them is forking out at the end like a pitchfork.

looks great bro!! Breed em

never tried breedin plecs.... they get aggressive at all? cause there in a tank with discus, and the last thing i want is to stress the discus out..... should I get like a couple females for the guy to choose from?? At what age are they ready to breed? where are my exp. bristlenose keepers!

I have no experience with breeding plecos.. :/ but they are egg layers which are easier than mouth brooders (usually).

Where did you buy him/her? Do they have more?

Sand PM lilfishie for some tips she seams to have good luck think she has a few batches now

Cafman - they had a few left when i was there last... marysville, wa.... Jones pets.

great looking fish. i have never liked the albinos much, but i love those fins.

i couldnt get a great shot of the sail, that thing is amazing when it is up.... SO LONG! like a flag flyin on a pole... honestly, I never like plecos much, but this guy I really like.

i have a 6-8 inch spotted sailfin pleco. he goes up and grabs a floating pellet and slowly sinks back down to bottom. his sail fin will be up and he is nothing less then majestic looking... i love watching him.

sandnuka wrote:never tried breedin plecs.... they get aggressive at all? cause there in a tank with discus, and the last thing i want is to stress the discus out..... should I get like a couple females for the guy to choose from?? At what age are they ready to breed? where are my exp. bristlenose keepers!

You'll most likely see some fin damage (which heals up) as a pair sorts itself out . . . especially with those fins! I've always keep groups and let pairs form but if you feed well . . . a dominate male will be more territorial over food if it's scarse and if it's been the only pleco in a tank for awhile he's gunna treat anybody (even a hot mama) as an intruder . . . very minimal risk to other fish types. They'll defend an algea wafer but I've never seen one go into hot pursuit mode. If you're introducting a potential mate give her her own chunk of food (cucumber or wafer) so she doesn't have to compete . . . make sure it's at the opposite end from the other bit-o food, good separation and places to hide will be important . . . basically you're acclimating her to him, you'll need a small cave too.

In my exp. breeding pairs are not threatening like chiclids at all, the male defends the eggs and cave until the babies are free swimming(about 2 wks, possibly sooner in a warmer Discus tank) at which point they'll head out looking for algae. I've seen my male chase fish away from right near the cave typically by backing toward the threat fanning its tail vigorously, smart, protect yours eyes. The male will only occasionaly dart out for food, he is a very diligent parent.

Now they can do damage with those sharp pectoral fins so there are no guarrantees but I would be extremely suprised if there was any interaction between the Disc and BN's, they occupy different strata . . don't know what Bn's would do if they came across and egg clutch though . . . hmmm, sunnyside up or scrambled, they (mine) tend towards a strict veggy diet.

Once you get a pair going they'll start breeding like rabbits! I sold an unmated pair to Lilfishie and she had them spawn just a few weeks later. They never paired up in my tank (40g) possibly because I had a dominate spawning pair already. Mine have spawned once amonth.

Re breeding size . . . maybe around 2"???

I was actually concerned for the males health because he was constantly tending a spawn, she never gave him a vacation. . . or maybe he never gave himself one??

Oh, important note, make sure you have some wood in there for them to gnaw on, I've read the ruffage is very important for their diet, I see mine constantly working the wood over . .. down side being the "presto Log" factor, they poop alot.

clogstonian - Thank you so much! that is an awesome explanation to each one of my questions!! I feel like an expert after readin it! lol, I cant believe they breed at 2" ! thats amazing! Well, I have an existing female in there now, but no caves for them really, there is a decor pot in there, but definetly not a cave... got plenty of logs in there to try to keep PH down, so they can naw away...

I will grab a second female tomorrow just cause i really think these long fins are stunning.... hopefully few months down the road i will be able to share the wealth! Thanks everyone for comments and great responses.

I might be being a wee optimistic there on the 2" but it's close . . . . and 2" to the caudal peduncle, that caudal fin is way long.

keep an eye on the females belly, when you see the muffin top bulge and it's not just after feeding time, you'll know you're close. My male (well now he's Cafmans, I just sold them last night) positioned himself at the mouth of the cave(half in half out) and constantly fluttered his pectoral fins . . given the closed cave he was keeping the water in motion to help oxiginate the eggs.

can't wait to hear how it goes, good luck!

According the breeder in NJ where I purchased my two blue eyed long fins, they are ideal tank mates for discus.

Here is her link; [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
which I'm posting because of the photos. The first two pics of the parents remind me of an Japanese woodblock print - beautiful fish.

Just picked up another female today! I did notice they had itleast one male developing bristles already left.....

clogstonian - what should I use for caves? they like clay pots, I could kind barry one and make a couple wholes for them to get in and out.

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this is a clay vase my daughter made me which has worked great, below is something I made from a capers jar, silicon sealer and aqua gravel, never got any action but it's the basic size (minimum) that you want . . . clay pot should work great too, 1/2 buried is good


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They have some albino longfin bristlenose's at dennys pet world in kirkland right now. I don't remember how much but I am pretty sure it was under $15

12 Bucks isnt bad for a longfin.. especially at that size. I always drilled holes in a couple descent sized pieces of Malaysian drift wood... More natural for them looks nice and more comfortable for them.. and wood right there for them to rasp on..

well Im thinkin I have a few months until they start breeding... So i will put in something in the next couple weeks.... makin some big moves... have to get a few fish out of that tank if I plan on breedin those BN plecos.... Thanks everyone for the comments, suggestions, and tips! BIG HELP! love this sight!

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I have a group of 8 or so in a 33g long. no substrate, some wood a few random egg rocks and a cave on each end. They really don't pair and are more harem breeders, my boy in the pic is sitting on eggs every 2 weeks it seems. 2.5" SL is when mine started breeding. my dom male is roughly 3" SL and 6" TL. That pic is of him on the 5th batch of fry.
I feed NLS thera A, blood worms, zucchini and algae wafers.

I am looking for some for my tanks. Where did you get your's at.