TankBud

Variety of Bristlenose pleco

Super red bristlenose pleco

Ancistrus sp.

One of 4 varieties of Ancistrus sp. · See all varieties →

Also known as Super Red Bushynose Pleco

FreshwaterFish

Super red bristlenose pleco (Ancistrus sp.)

Varieties · Ancistrus sp.

See all 4 →

Care at a glance

Temperature
70–79°F
21–26°C
pH
6.5–7.5
Adult size
4.9 in
12.5 cm
Minimum tank
20 gal
75 L
Temperament
Peaceful
Social behavior
Solitary
Swim level
Bottom
Difficulty
Medium
Breeding
Medium
Rarity
Very common
Family
Loricariidae

Overview

Super red is the solid red-orange line, sold plain or as a separate longfin version. Juveniles look yellowish in shop tanks and deepen to red-orange as they mature, so a washed-out young fish is normal rather than a bad pick. Strain quality varies: better stock throws fry that stay clean red, while weaker lines keep black flecks on the back and fins.

In the wild

Super red was fixed in captivity from the same Ancistrus stock as the brown and albino lines, and no wild fish looks like it. No reliable source names the breeder who established it, so it is a hobby line of uncertain origin. Forum accounts point at German hobbyists line-breeding from existing captive stock, but the details are not settled.

Good to know

The color is a graded selection for red-orange pigment over the whole body, not a single named gene. That is why strains differ in how cleanly they breed. Residual dark flecking is what breeders cull hardest against, and it can resurface in later generations from mixed stock. How the line relates to the albino stock is argued over in the hobby and not settled.

Did you know

A tank of super red juveniles is an unconvincing sight: they come up yellowish and only fill in to red-orange as they grow out. Picking the deepest-colored fish in a batch of young ones mostly tells you which is furthest along, not which will finish reddest.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

Super red bristlenose pleco is a peaceful, solitary species that keeps to the bottom. These picks share a community profile with it, are safe together in both directions, and overlap on water type, temperature and pH.

Check the full mix in the stocking calculator

Common questions

Is a Super red bristlenose pleco a different species from the Bristlenose pleco?

No. A Super red bristlenose pleco is a variety of the Bristlenose pleco, Ancistrus sp., and it wants the same tank, water and food as the species.

What size tank does a Super red bristlenose pleco need?

A Super red bristlenose pleco needs at least 20 gal (75 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.

How big does a Super red bristlenose pleco get?

An adult Super red bristlenose pleco reaches about 4.9 in (12.5 cm).

Related species