Bristlenose Pleco

About

The bushymouth catfish (Ancistrus dolichopterus) is one of the more familiar plecos in the hobby, though it comes with an asterisk: the name has been applied so loosely over the years that much of the available literature actually describes a mix of related species. True A. dolichopterus can be distinguished from its close relatives by having nine soft rays in the dorsal fin, and it has also circulated under the name A. hoplogenys and the L-number L183. In the wild it comes from the upper and middle Brazilian Amazon basin, including the Negro, Madeira, Tapajós, and several other river drainages. Typically soft, acidic blackwater environments. Like all Ancistrus, it carries the genus trademark: a snout covered in fleshy, branching tentacles rather than bony plates, and well-developed spines on the cheeks. Males develop particularly elaborate tentacle clusters as they mature. Behaviorally, this fish sits in an interesting middle ground. Generally tolerant of unrelated tankmates but noticeably territorial toward other plecos and similarly shaped catfish. Territories tend to be small, so a spacious, well-structured aquarium with plenty of caves and broken sightlines can allow multiple individuals to coexist. It is a cave-spawner, with the male taking on all brood-guarding duties. This species can also breathe air when dissolved oxygen drops. A handy adaptation from life in seasonally variable Amazonian waters.