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Starlight bristlenose pleco
Ancistrus dolichopterus
Fine pale spots and male snout tentacles mark the L183 bristlenose.
Fine pale spots and male snout tentacles mark the L183 bristlenose; ordinary domestic bristlenoses are not this species.
- Adult length
- Up to 14.5 cm (standard length, without the tail fin)
- Water temperature
- 26–30 °C
- Lifespan
- 8–10 years
- pH
- 5–7
- Hardness
- 1–10 dGH
- Natural habitat
- Native to the middle and upper Brazilian Amazon and tributary systems including the Negro and Madeira.
Provide a mature, clean and stable aquarium with refuges.
Appearance and identification
Speckling continues onto the fins; pale margins can occur. Tentacles depend on sex.
Floor and movement space
A 120 × 45 cm base.
Aquarium environment
Attached plants can add cover; they do not replace water-quality care.
Diet and feeding
Offer varied sinking foods with plant and suitable animal components rather than relying on glass algae.
Same-species behaviour
Provide a mature, clean and stable aquarium with refuges. Similar bottom fish and conspecifics can trigger territorial disputes.
Compatibility limits
Similar bottom fish can trigger territorial disputes.
Similar and related fish
