Download Common Bristle Nose Catfish

Common Bristle Nose Catfish
Written by Mike
Saturday, 21 February 2009 14:21 - Last Updated Saturday, 21 February 2009 14:35
Common Bristle Nose Catfish (Ancistrus sp.) in NZ Bristle Nose Catfish, Bushy Nose
Catfish, Ancistrus Catfish, BN Catfish
All are terms for one of the most useful catfish to have in any aquarium the ancistrus species.
They are armor plated, peaceful algae eaters that won't harm other tank inhabitants be they
plants or fish. Ancistrus (ann sis truss)
Ancistrus = Hooked and is a reference to the tiny hooked barbs on the cheeks of both sexes.
(Interopercular Odontodes to use the correct term. Interopercular = Gill plates, Odontodes =
Hairy or Spiny growths) These are extended when the fish is startled and help to keep it lodged
in its protective cave, they also become very easily entangled in nets, you should avoid netting
BN cats if at all possible. The easiest way to catch them is to drain the water from the tank then
just carefully pick them up with a wet hand. If a BN does become entangled in a net don’t
attempt to pull it out, the harder you pull the more the spikes will dig into the net, just place the
net back into the water and when the BN calms down he will retract the hooks and usually
untangle himself.
Feeding
While they can get by on a diet of algae and scavenged food from other fish to do well they
need an occasional 'vege' feed. Courgettes are readily eaten, as are shelled peas. most bottom
feeder / pleco tablets are also eaten. Snap or cut the Courgette into lengths of about 2 inches,
stab them with a teaspoon and drop into the tank, the BN's will find the food in no time, and you
may be surprised what other fish will also nibble away at the courgette. For more details check
out my Foods and Feeding Page Housing
BN plecs like to have a cave or hidey hole into which they can retreat or hide, if you want to try
breeding them, then a cave is essential. Bog wood they can hide under will do fine, or a
bamboo or slate / tile cave. They are tolerant of most water conditions and can be put into
practically any tank. They don't eat plants although they will occasionally leave small rasping
patches on broad leaves (a sign they need some more 'vege feed'). Sexing
Sexing BN Cats is very easy; the males sport the fleshy bristles the females don't. Scientific
theory is that the bristles are supposed to look like baby BN that the male is guarding, thereby
assuring any passing females of his ability to defend a brood of young and of his suitability as a
mate. Any BN Cat of around 2 inches or more with no or very underdeveloped bristles is a
female. Variants
Whilst there are several hundred species of ancistrus some identified some not the 3 most likely
to be encountered by the aquarist in New Zealand are the Normal or Common, the Golden
Black Eye or GBA and the Golden Albino. Common Bristle Nose (Ancistrus sp3.)
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Common Bristle Nose Catfish
Written by Mike
Saturday, 21 February 2009 14:21 - Last Updated Saturday, 21 February 2009 14:35
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Eyed Ancistrus (GBA)
The Golden Black Eyed Ancistrus (GBA) is a result of a genetic defect known as Amelanism.
It is basically the same principal as an albino defect but is a lack of dark pigment, as opposed to
a lack of all pigments, in albinism.
Albino - lacking all pigment
Melanistic - Excessive Dark pigments
Amelanistic - Lacking Dark Pigments
As it is a genetic defect it is passed from parent to offspring using the usual laws of genetics.Th
e original amelanistic male Ancistrus was wild caught in Paraguay; he was bred with a normal
female and then the resulting offspring were re-crossed until the defect became ‘fixed’ and all
offspring produced from a pair had the defect.
Being a recessive gene it can be present in a fish without the fish having any external
appearance of having the gene. So it is possible for two seemingly ‘normal’ looking ancistrus to
produce some GBA offspring if both parents are in fact GBA/Normal hybrids carrying the
Amelanistic gene.
GBA's are a little rarer than common's but are usually available from most pet shops.
They are sometimes erroneously referred to as being L144 but as they arnt genrally wild
caught specimens in NZ this is an incorrect label.
Golden Bristle Nose Ancistrus (Ancistrus sp3. - albino)
Golden Ancistrus are a result of a genetic defect known as albinism and are commonly known
as albino ancistrus. The obvious difference between GBA and Golden is the pink eyes in the
Golden and Black eyes in the GBA. Again as it is a recessive gene it is possible for two
supposedly normal looking ancistrus to produce some albino offspring if they are both in fact
normal/albino hybrids carrying the albino gene.
Golden
albinos are perhaps the rarest of the three variants covered here, and will cost you a little more,
but they are a cool looking fish even if you don't generally like Albino fish.
Breeding in New Zealand
All three fish Normal / Golden Black Eye (Ameleanistic) / Golden (Albino) are well established
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Common Bristle Nose Catfish
Written by Mike
Saturday, 21 February 2009 14:21 - Last Updated Saturday, 21 February 2009 14:35
and being bred in New Zealand by aquarists across the country. There are also a lot of hybrid
fish around. If looking to establish a breeding colony you should enquire if the fish you are
buying are pure or hybrids, if their parents produce a mix of offspring then they are hybrids, if all
young are pure then you have pure genes to breed from.
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