Freshwater Fish
Bristlenose Pleco.
A compact, bristle-faced pleco that earns its keep grazing algae off glass and wood. It stays a manageable five inches — unlike the common pleco — and is beginner-easy, peaceful, and happy in any 30-gallon-plus tank with driftwood to rasp.
We keep this species at our Erie store. Come and see it in the tanks, or call (814) 456-9445 and ask what we have in right now.
Sea Cave keeps this species. You will find these in the tanks at 660 East 14th Street in Erie. We never ship live animals.
- Condition
- new
- Fulfillment
- Local pickup — Erie, PA
We never ship fish, coral, or invertebrates — every animal here is one you meet in person. Each one is acclimated and health-checked in-house before it goes out into the display tanks. This is a species we keep, and what is swimming on any given day changes with the deliveries, so please call (814) 456-9445 before you drive in.
Care at a glance
What to know before you take one home.
- Care level
- Beginner
- Temperament
- Peaceful
- Community
- Community safe
- Adult size
- 5"
- Min tank size
- 30 gallons
- Diet
- Herbivore
- Scientific name
- Ancistrus sp.
Good tank mates
Peaceful and community-safe, this pleco gets along with most calm community fish: small tetras, rasboras, corydoras, peaceful gouramis, and livebearers like mollies and platies. It mostly keeps to itself on the glass and wood. Avoid very aggressive or much larger fish; males can be a little territorial toward other plecos, so give each one its own driftwood and caves.
Good to know
The bushy tentacles that give the bristlenose its name grow longest on mature males and are used in courtship.
What is in the tanks and each animal's temperament vary — call (814) 456-9445 for pairing advice.
Good tankmates
Plays well with.
Species we’d keep in the same tank, with why each pairing works. What is in the tanks and each animal’s temperament vary — call (814) 456-9445 for advice on pairing.
New to stocking a tank? Read our guide on which fish live together.
Neon Tetra
Peaceful, small schooling fish that occupies the upper water column and shares the same tropical freshwater pH and temperature range, leaving the bottom territory undisturbed for the pleco.
Assorted Platy
Hardy, peaceful livebearer with overlapping temperature and pH preferences that stays in mid to upper water levels and does not compete with this bottom-dwelling species.
Assorted Guppy
Small, peaceful surface-to-mid-water fish with compatible freshwater parameters that causes zero territorial conflict with the bottom-dwelling bristlenose pleco.
Bronze Cory
Peaceful armored bottom scavengers that share similar water parameters; their flattened body shape differs enough from plecos to avoid territorial conflict when ample hiding spots are provided. Multiple authoritative sources confirm this as a well-established safe pairing in adequately sized tanks.
Visit the store
660 East 14th Street,
Erie, PA.
Mon–Fri 12–6 · Sat 11–4 · Sun closed. Call ahead on livestock — what's on the floor rotates.