Super Red Bristlenose Pleco (Ancistrus sp. "Super Red"), USA Bred
We are now offering USA Bred juveniles/sub-adults of this rare bristlenose pleco variety!
The Super Red Bristlenose Pleco (Ancistrus sp. “Super Red”), also known as the Bushynose or Bushymouth Pleco, is a member of the Loricariidae family of South American suckermouth catfishes. While many suckermouth catfish species have yet to be bred on any major scale in aquariums, the Super Red Bristlenose Pleco is being propogated by a few commercial breeders. Its facial area becomes adorned with many bristle-like appendages beginning in sub-adulthood. Both sexes grow the appendages, but the growth and length is much more pronounced in males. This "super red" variant has a yellowish appearance as a juvenile, but both males and females develop very deep red-orange coloration as they mature.
A generally peaceful and hardy species, the Super Red Bristlenose Pleco is an excellent, undemanding candidate for most aquariums. Unlike the widely-seen Common Pleco (Hypostomus plecostomus) and Trinidad Pleco (Hypostomus punctatus), which easily reach a monstrous size of 18 to 20+ inches (45 to 51+ cm), the Super Red Bristlenose Pleco grows to a size of only 4 to 5.9 inches (10 to 15 cm). This smaller size makes for a much more manageable (and less messy) pleco that can thrive permanently in a well-maintained aquarium as small as 30 to 40 gallons. Male plecos may be somewhat territorial with other males of their species, but disputes can usually be diffused by providing ample territory and hiding places for each fish. All other tankmates will be generally ignored, although it is possible that small shrimp fry might fall prey to the Super Red Bristlenose Pleco. However, some large-scale shrimp suppliers breed Super Red Bristlenose Plecos in the same pools they use for shrimp breeding.
The Super Red Bristlenose Pleco is primarily nocturnal, but will often become active during daytime hours once established in an aquarium with plenty of driftwood, rockwork, and other hiding places. It is not known to eat wood heavily like some plecos (Panaque sp., etc.), but it may benefit from some supplementary wood (or bio-film on driftwood). The Super Red Bristlenose Pleco will not bother most plants, but it will eat plenty of algae in the aquarium, especially as a juvenile. Feed the Super Red Bristlenose Pleco a diet heavy in vegetable matter, including high-quality vegetable flakes, sinking algae wafers and pellets. It will also appreciate being fed some fresh vegetables such as shelled peas, spinach, zucchini and cucumber. Occasional meaty foods such as bloodworms are also beneficial when fed sparingly. This fish eats constantly, so too much meat/animal protein in its diet can be unhealthy for the fish as well as the level of waste it produces in the aquarium.
What We Like About This Fish:
- Develops deep red-orange coloration as it matures
- Very peaceful and hardy addition to almost any aquarium
- At a maximum size of 4 to 5.9 inches, this is a very practical and manageable fish
- This fish will not bother most plants, but it will likely help with algae control, especially as a juvenile. It will also scavenge and consume most uneaten fish food
- Unique appearance as well as plenty of personality
RECOMMENDED TANK PARAMETERS:
- pH level range: 6.5 - 7.5 (flexible as long as sudden changes are avoided.)
- Temperature range: 72° - 86° F (22° - 30° C)
- KH: 6 - 10 dKH
- Minimum tank size: 30 gallons
CARE GUIDELINES:
- Diet: Omnivorous, but meatier foods should only be fed sparingly
- Social behavior: Generally solitary, but will socialize somewhat, especially during breeding.
- Origin: Tank-bred, but indigenous to South America.
- Average adult size: 4 – 5.9 inches (10 - 15 cm)
- Average purchase size: Juvenile 1 - 1.5 inches (2.5 - 3.5 cm), Sub-Adult 2 - 2.5 inches (5.1 - 6.4 cm)
We ship all of our packages out of our warehouse located in Indianapolis, Indiana.
UPS 2 Day is a premium service that has two day delivery to nearly every address in the United States.
UPS 1 Day is an overnight service to all continental addresses. We have been able to negotiate excellent rates with UPS, and our longtime customers will notice a 25%-60% savings when compared to our previous overnight shipping service.
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- Dry Goods Only Shipping
Dry goods will ship for FREE if you spend $50. There will be an $8 shipping fee for dry goods for any amount less than a subtotal of $50 on dry good only orders.
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- Shipping Details
UPS 2 Day and UPS 1 Day is a description of the shipping time and service. Please refer below for up to date handling times. Using UPS 2 Day and 1 Day does not guarantee the package will be shipped on the second or next day from which the order was placed.
All of our packages are shipped via UPS 2 Day or 1 Day if animals are included in the order. USPS is an option for dry goods and plants only.
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- Shipping Rates
Shipping rates will vary based on shipping service, how far the package has to travel from our location in Indiana, and how big the package is. We currently offer three shipping price rate tiers for small, medium, and XL size packages. All rates are calculated automatically at checkout.
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- Extreme Cold Shipping Advisory
Winter temperatures are here and parts of the country may be too cold for us to safely ship using UPS 2 Day Shipping services. If the overnight lows in your location or here in Indianapolis, IN where we are located are too cold, we will suspend shipping as needed for the safety of our animals and your investment. (we reserve the right to hold an order in extreme weather if we deem it is unsuitable to ship for the safety of the animals) You may always contact our Customer Service team via email at info@AquaticArts.com with any questions or concerns.
Delays in shipping may occur when temperatures in shipping destinations or here in Indianapolis, Indiana where we are located reach 90 degrees or more, overnight lows are 30 degrees or below, or when postal holidays occur for both UPS and USPS shipments. The temperature cut offs for UPS 1 Day are above 110 degrees or overnight temperatures are below 20 degrees. We will send you an email when we print your shipping label, and that will be the day we ship your order out. This email will include your tracking number as well. Your package should take 2 days to arrive after that if you chose UPS 2 Day or if you chose UPS 1 Day your order would arrive the next day after shipment. If your order contains only plants or dry goods then your order may ship with USPS if that is the shipping option you chose at check
- Our Normal Shipping Schedule by Carrier
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- Current handling time is 1-9 business days
- Pricing is by size of package needed to fill order and distance it must travel. It will be calculated at checkout.
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- PO Boxes We do not ship Live Animals to PO Boxes. If you enter a PO Box address during checkout, you will receive a message that says: "There are no shipping methods available for your cart or destination".
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- Handling Time
Our current handling time is 1-9 business days, although they can occasionally be longer. If you order with UPS 1 Day (which is STRONGLY recommended during the winter as well as summer), your package will almost certainly ship within 1-9 business days. The only exception would be if temperatures are too extreme to safely ship the animals out. The handling time for a UPS 2 Day order is variable based on outside temperatures, postal holidays, and the size of the order. During the summer and winter, UPS 2 Day orders as well as USPS orders may have significant delays (up to 60 days in severe cases) before we can ship them to you due to extreme temperatures. (we reserve the right to hold an order in extreme weather if we deem it is unsuitable to ship for the safety of the animals).
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- Final Note
Orders are shipped in our choice of boxes in order to custom fit each order so shipping rates can very pending on what exactly is ordered. UPS rates are based on size of package needed to ship an order, distance the package must travel, total weight of the package and which UPS shipping service is being used. We will also include heat packs or cooling packs with orders when temperatures warrant a heat pack or cooling pack to be included at no cost to you.
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In the event of any problems with your shipment, please CONTACT US via email at info@AquaticArts.com - We will be happy to help!
All orders come with our 100% Live Arrival Guarantee at no charge. You can read more about that HERE, on our Live Arrival Guarantee page.
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