# Is this pleco the species I think it is?



## hXcChic22 (Dec 26, 2009)

I went to Petco today just to look around, and lo and behold, in one of the tanks they had what I THINK are baby albino bristlenoses. I got one ($1.99, sold as a "small common pleco" because they don't actually try to stock any other kind, they just sell what the distributor sends them as what they DO stock), and I think it's a young female because it barely has any noticeable bristles. 
It has a couple on the sides of the front of its face? I don't know if that's an every pleco thing or if it's because it's a BN. I took some pics, can someone confirm?

























:fish::fish:


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## Revolution1221 (Apr 20, 2010)

does it have white tips on its fins? it kind of looks like a albino common pleco to me i do see some whiskers but idk its hard to see.


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## hXcChic22 (Dec 26, 2009)

Yes, it has some white tipping on its fins. It doesn't really look like a common to me... too delicate.


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## Bettawhisperer (Oct 1, 2010)

It looks very young. To young to tell the sex yet. When they mature the male will have many brisltes and between the eys only back a little it will have a red hue. He will also have a line of bristles going straight back from the nose. The female will have shorter bristles and as many as the male. It looks like an Albino Bristlenose. If in fact it's an Albino common then the only things you'll see are the two barbles on the edges of the mouth one on each side.


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## Cam (Nov 9, 2009)

Hell yeah that is! Got one in my tiny tank right now, might sell him off when he matures.

They won't grow any bristles at all until a few months to a year after they are born.

Best of luck with your little guy!


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## Revolution1221 (Apr 20, 2010)

if he has white tipped fins he is probably a bristlenose. they last picture showing him in the tank didnt show up on my phone last time but now that i see it it looks more like a bristle nose. the white tips on the fins are always the first sign i look for in a juvenile.


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## hXcChic22 (Dec 26, 2009)

Awesome, I was so worried it would be something that would get big. The biggest established tank we have is a 29 and tat tank already has a clown pleco in it :]


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## Cam (Nov 9, 2009)

Should be a good mix


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## AquariumTech (Oct 12, 2010)

Its defiantly an albino bristlenose (or bushynose), I can see the little tips coming off the nose on it already. It looks pretty young too so going on that its probably (note: going on picture and estimation, keyword: probably) a male; because females have significantly less bush on their nose than males and some (but rarely) really dont grow any. I see these things all the time and had them they usually get around the ball park of 6 inches. Ive had one that only got 4 inches after like 7 years and one that got almost 7. They seem to do less damage to your water parameters than the commons, and actually I have to say are better algae eaters from my experience.


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## Revolution1221 (Apr 20, 2010)

AquariumTech said:


> They seem to do less damage to your water parameters than the commons, and actually I have to say are better algae eaters from my experience.


much much better from what ive learned and experienced. commons are herbivorous and will eat meaty foods any chance they get. while dwarf bristlenose are almost strictly herbivorous and eat many more types of algae and also love diatoms. ive seen commons munching on shrimp pellets and dead fish. ive never seen that from a bristle nose.


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## AquariumTech (Oct 12, 2010)

Revolution1221 said:


> much much better from what ive learned and experienced. commons are herbivorous and will eat meaty foods any chance they get. while dwarf bristlenose are almost strictly herbivorous and eat many more types of algae and also love diatoms. ive seen commons munching on shrimp pellets and dead fish. ive never seen that from a bristle nose.


O yea definitely, I'm glad our pet store started carrying them because the stupid people up at our district level discontinued Otocinclus (for stupid ass ballon mollies when we already have like 6 tanks full of them and snails) and they were our only real good algae eater. Lets face it chinese algae eaters are horrible and regular plecostomus arent cut out for most peoples tanks. Now we have to clean all the algae off the plants by hand to look good for customers and its a pain in the ass, when we used to just put them in the Otocinclus tank when they had algae. The albino bristlenose is the only good one we have and luckily we get little almost baby ones in and they sometimes will eat off the plants without damaging them. 

Anyways we actually have tanks with regulars, and Albino BN's next to each other and after a week or 2 you can easily see the difference in cleanliness. Also like you said the commons will go after (usually dead) fish and eat things, that well, lets just say they dont need. Also people starting out always want the plecos and luckily we have those Albino BN's, cant tell you how many people come back to us when their 10 gallon tank starts having problems because they have like 10 mollies and a foot long pleco in there (always warn them but wont stop them), dont know how people let it come to that, lol.


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