Above: The picture above shows a 2.5" long premium quality Spotted Bristlenose Plecostomus, swimming in one of our aquariums, when one of us took this picture.
Comments: This is a Premium Pet Fish, and we never see Premium Fish like this in any of the live fish stores or any of the online fish stores that we visit.
Premium Pet Fish are more energetic, hardier, and have brighter colors with a beautiful metallic sheen.
Click here to learn more about Premium Pet Fish.
Origin: This Plecostomus was caught in the Rio Xingu basin in Southwest Brazil.Maximum Size: This Plecostomus can grow to be about 5" to 5.5" long, including their tails. Sometimes very old specimens can get even longer.
Behaviors: They will usually move around pretty actively during the day, but some of them seem to hide during the day and become more active at night.
Feeding: Premium Fish Food Flakes when very small and small Premium Pellet Food when larger.
Here in our facilities the water is hard and the pH is usually about 7.8. We ship them in this water.
Click here for a lot more information about aquarium water conditions.
This Pleco comes from streams with rapidly moving water, so it needs rapidly moving water in its aquarium, which can be achieved with oversized filtration and a powerhead filter.
Aquarium Size: It is probably best to house these fish in at least a 30-gallon tank, when they're less than 3" long, but a bigger aquarium is always better.
Allow at least 5-gallons of water for each Plecostomus under 3" long, and about 3" they should be moved into a 60-gallon aquarium.
Decor: These Catfish do not need gravel, and a layer of gravel more than 1/4" thick will usually fill with bits of uneaten food that will contaminate the water.
Click here for more about aquarium gravel. Pieces of aquarium-safe driftwood are also nice.
Live Plants are beautiful and improve the water quality, but may not be compatible with this species, which needs lots of water flow.
Aquarium Filter: Bio-Wheel Filters are highly recommended.
A Penguin 350B Filter in an aquarium with 30-gallons of water is OK to start with a few of these Catfish that are less than 3" long.
At 3" long they should be moved into a 60-gallon aquarium with at least two Penguin 350B Filters and an extra Powerhead Filter for added circulation.
Click here to learn more about aquarium filters.
The addition of Lava Rocks will keep nitrates in the ideal range, which is very important with this fish. Click here to learn more about using Lava Rocks in aquariums.
Life Span: These Plecostomus can live for several years, probably many years provided they are fed premium food and kept in a large aquarium with very fresh water.
Gender: As they mature females presumably become plumper than males, and males will grow long bristles on their nose.
Breeding: These Plecostomus have rarely been bred in the aquarium hobby.
Popularity: This Plecostomus is rare and so not very popular.
Names: The scientific name is Ancistrus sp. L-255.
Variations: We do not know of any variations of this species.
We hope you've enjoyed reading these comments.
All of our fish are Premium Quality Fish from the best suppliers in the world. Our fish have better health, more energy and brighter colors, as you can see in our pictures on this website.
We have 380-aquariums with lots-and-lots of popular aquarium fish plus lots-and-lots of rare fish!
We consider ourselves to be the link between the world's best sources of fish and the world's best customers. We love our work, and we are very responsible about caring for our fish and then shipping them carefully.
We also offer lots and lots of information about keeping and caring for pet fish, all from the knowledge of the Bailey Brothers, who have a combined total of 100+ years of experience as breeders, wholesalers, and retailers of pet fish!
Our fish and our customers are treated with the best of care, and we work energetically everyday to make sure every customer enjoys their new fishy friends.
When you purchase pet fish from us, you know you're receiving premium quality fish and premium quality service.
"Received my fish last night and was so pleased! They all arrived alive and appeared to be healthy.
"Once in the tank, they became very active and are now thriving in their new home.
"Beautiful fish, I asked for color and aquariumfish delivered. Processing and shipping was extremely quick."
Nevin and DrTom, the Bailey Brothers
This website is owned and operated by the Bailey Brothers, DrTom and Nevin, who've been together in the fish business for more than 50-years.
The Product Manager has been with the company for more than 35-years.
So we feel very confident that this is the fishiest crew anywhere.