Starlight Bristlenose Pleco (L183)

Name: Starlight Bristlenose Pleco (L183) - Gensou Premium Aquascaping
Brand: Gensou
SKU: starlight-pleco
Price: 12.00 SGD
Availability: InStock

Ancistrus dolichopterus · Peaceful; territorial with other plecos around caves · Intermediate care

$12.00
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A peaceful, night-active L183 bristlenose with a deep black body, fine white star-like spots and pale fin seams. Best kept in a mature, well-oxygenated aquarium with driftwood, shaded caves and stable water.

Pairs well with

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SKU: starlight-pleco

Tags: Bottom Feeder Fish, Tropical Freshwater Fish

Intermediate care Peaceful; territorial with other plecos around caves Nocturnal bottom-dwelling grazer; shelters by day and becomes more active after lights out Bottom dweller

At a glance

Species profile Ancistrus dolichopterus

Origin

Upper and middle Amazon basin, including the Rio Negro, lower Trombetas, Tefé, Madeira and Tapajós river basins

Family

Loricariidae

Adult size

Up to 14.5 cm

Diet

Plant-rich omnivore: algae and biofilm, sinking pleco wafers, varied blanched vegetables and occasional protein-rich food (Omnivore (plant-rich grazer))

Temperament

Peaceful; territorial with other plecos around caves

Swimming level

Bottom

Lifespan

8–10 years with good care

Minimum tank

100 L / 80 cm long minimum for one adult

Water type

Freshwater

Size to scale

14.5 cm adult length, shown to scale against an iPhone 15 Pro (14.66 cm).

Natural range

Where it comes from — South America

Upper and middle Amazon basin, including the Rio Negro, lower Trombetas, Tefé, Madeira and Tapajós river basins

Water

Singapore tap water vs its needs

pH 6–7.5 tap 8

Temperature 23°–27° tap 29°

Hardness: Soft to moderately hard (5–12 dGH preferred).

Adjusting pH the natural way — Singapore tap water (pH ~8.0) sits above this fish's ideal. Soften and gently lower pH the natural way — driftwood, catappa (Indian almond) leaves or other botanicals. Skip chemical "pH-down".

In the aquarium

How it lives in the tank

Swims in the bottom of the tank

Gensou's take 3/5

Sensitivity Index — Moderate

Adaptable, but happiest with stable parameters in a matured tank.

Our own read on how forgiving this species is of water changes — not a formal standard.

Keeping & care

What this fish needs

Special care — Use a mature, well-filtered aquarium with strong oxygenation, stable water, driftwood and one snug cave per fish. Do not rely on tank algae as the sole food.

Family

About the Loricariidae family

Loricariidae are the armoured suckermouth catfishes — the plecos — a huge South American family clad in bony plates with a ventral sucker-mouth for grazing surfaces and holding station in current. They range from the tank-friendly bristlenose (Ancistrus) and dwarf 'L-number' plecos up to the massive common pleco that outgrows most tanks. Most are peaceful and nocturnal and appreciate driftwood to rasp on, though diets vary from algae to wood to protein by species.

Give plecos driftwood and caves, feed to their actual diet (algae wafers, vegetables, or protein/wood by species), and always check adult size — many sold small grow far too large for community tanks.

Breeding

Cave-spawner (male-guarded)

Many smaller plecos, especially bristlenose, are cave-spawners that breed readily: the female lays a clutch inside a snug cave or pleco log and the male guards and fans it until the yolk-sac fry emerge. Provide correctly-sized caves, good feeding and a cooler water change to trigger spawning; larger and fancy L-number plecos are progressively harder and some are rarely bred.

Feeding