Red Marble Bristlenose Catfish 3.5cm

Red Marble Bristlenose 

Bristlenose plecos come in a wide range of different genetic traits for the hole aquarium ranging from albino to marble and longfin to shortfin. These different options allow for aquarists to collect and breed these variations in colonies whilst enjoying their elusive secretive behaviors and fantastic algae cleaning ability. Bristlenose plecos are easily one of the world's most popular catfish species.

They are an excellent addition to any aquarium and play a vital aspect in being a great clean-up crew but are also a great segway fish for budding fish breeders looking to gain some experience breeding different aquarium species. After creating many different forms of Bristlenose Pleco colours one of the more unique colours is the red marble Bristlenose. The red marble bristlenose act like a bridge between the common and super Red Bristlenose colours. Red marbles sport the fiery orange colour of the super red but also have patches and peppering of the darker colour seen in common bristlenose. their contrasting colours make for absolute eye-catchers in the home aquarium.

The marble bristlenose do seem to be a slightly rarer colour strain as they are not all that common amongst breeders and with their rising demand has meant that these fish are at a higher price point when compared to other bristlenose variations. Their bright sunburst orange and black speckling colour also easy them easy to spot in the aquarium. These plecos most likely would never occur in the wild which makes them really unique and would be great to have in a breeding group of bristlnose plecos or just a unique species in a display aquarium.

Trying to find the males and females in this species is fairly easy. males have a lot of fleshy bristles all over their noses which can look pretty weird but that’s what makes them such a unique species. Females on the other hand lave little to no bristles. Red Marble Bristlenose though bred in captivity can be fairly shy and naturally the wild colour Bristlenose pleco habitat in South America.

Tank Recommendations for your Red Marble Bristlenose pleco

The Red Marble Bristlenose pleco only needs a tank of around 20 gallons (75 liters) as they are a fairly inactive species in terms of not needing a lot of open swimming space. Though species like common plecos can get 60 cm upwards (2 feet) the Bristlenose max out at 15cm. A sand or gravel substrate is perfectly fine but most importantly they will love hiding areas around small pieces of driftwood, rock caves and they will love a densely planted aquarium as well. This species is most active when lights are turned off.

Suitable Tank Buddies

The Bristlenose pleco is extremely peaceful with aggression only ever coming out during breeding males breeding however this is harmless behavior. With adequate space, these fish will get along with a wide range of community fish.

Usually Compatible

Tetras, gouramis, corydoras, angelfish, barbs dwarf cichlids such as rams, and large peaceful cichlids such as uaru or Severums.

Sometime Compatible

Semi-aggressive or territorial cichlids like jack Dempseys, fire mouths, convicts cichlids, and similar species.

Rarely Compatible 

large aggressive species such as African cichlids, Oscars, and Jaguar cichlids. These species may try to eat the Bristlenose pleco which could end in death for both fish. Because of the dense bone and armor plating, the plecos often get lodged in the predator fish’s throat.

Feeding your Red Marble Bristlenose Pleco
Bristlenose plecos will easily take to a wide range of food and are arguably one of the easiest fish to feed. The Bristlenose are regarded as ‘wood eaters’ meaning they can easily sustain themselves eating aquarium driftwood. The best type of wood is Malaysian bogwood as this is a softer type and breaks down fairly easily. Do keep in mind that plecos feeding exclusively on wood can lead to a lot of wood dust as a byproduct due to them chomping away however a palm-sized piece of wood should last a very long time.

Aside from this they will eat algae and decaying plant matter but will also eat sinking aquarium foods like sinking pleco wafers. This can be supplemented with blanched veggies like zucchini and pumpkin. To really try and enhance the red that these rare plecos have, they can be fed foods with high astaxanthin content which acts as a natural colour enhancer. Feeding should occur once a day and it is best to do so when the lights are off.