Bristlenose Pleco tank mates
Ancistrus cf. cirrhosus
Bristlenose Pleco gets along with 75 species, needs care with 101, and should avoid 12.
Fish5" adultPeaceful25+ gallons73–81°FpH 6–7.5
buy at The Shrimp Farm · The Shrimp Farm live-arrival guarantee
75Compatible
101With care
12Avoid
Best tank mates (hand-picked)
The most reliable companions for Bristlenose Pleco — peaceful, and matched on water temperature and pH.
Cherry BarbPeaceful fish, shares 73–81°F & pH 6–7.5Clown PlecoPeaceful fish, shares 73–81°F & pH 6–7.5Croaking GouramiPeaceful fish, shares 73–81°F & pH 6–7.5Honey GouramiPeaceful fish, shares 73–81°F & pH 6–7.5Japanese Trapdoor SnailPeaceful snail, shares 73–81°F & pH 6.5–7.5Nerite SnailPeaceful snail, shares 73–81°F & pH 6.5–7.5Assassin SnailPeaceful snail, shares 73–81°F & pH 7–7.5Bladder SnailPeaceful snail, shares 73–81°F & pH 7–7.5Bamboo / Wood ShrimpPeaceful shrimp, shares 75–81°F & pH 6.5–7.5
Stocking more than one fish?
Don’t check pairs one at a time. Add Bristlenose Pleco and every other fish you’re considering to the compatibility checker, and see how the whole community gets along at once — with tank-size and water-parameter conflicts flagged automatically.
Check my whole list →Best avoided (12 total)
A few to steer clear of — and exactly why:
OscarOscar’s mouth is big enough to swallow Bristlenose Pleco (only 5" long) — it will be eaten.Blue Lobster CrayfishBlue Lobster Crayfish hunts along the bottom and will catch the bottom-dwelling Bristlenose Pleco, especially at night.Electric Blue CrayfishElectric Blue Crayfish hunts along the bottom and will catch the bottom-dwelling Bristlenose Pleco, especially at night.Marbled CrayfishMarbled Crayfish hunts along the bottom and will catch the bottom-dwelling Bristlenose Pleco, especially at night.Panther CrabPanther Crab hunts along the bottom and will catch the bottom-dwelling Bristlenose Pleco, especially at night.
Design the whole tank, not just the stocking
Skapelab plans a complete, buildable planted aquarium around your fish — a hand-illustrated layout, the exact plants and hardscape, a placement map, and a full equipment and shopping list. Free.
Design a tank with Bristlenose Pleco →The full compatibility list
Every species we checked against Bristlenose Pleco — tap to expand.
Compatible (75)
Adolfo's CoryFish · 2.25"Albino CoryFish · 2.5"AngelfishFish · 6"Assassin SnailSnail · 1"Bamboo / Wood ShrimpShrimp · 3.5"Bandit CoryFish · 2"Batik Nerite SnailSnail · 0.6"Black Kuhli LoachFish · 3"Black MollyFish · 4"Black Sail CoryFish · 2"Blackstripe CoryFish · 2.2"Bladder SnailSnail · 0.5"Blue Mystery SnailSnail · 1.8"Bolivian RamFish · 3.5"Brilliant RasboraFish · 4"Bronze CoryFish · 2.75"Candy Striped PlecoFish · 4"Cardinal TetraFish · 2"Cherry BarbFish · 2"Chocolate GouramiFish · 2"Clown PlecoFish · 3.5"Clown RasboraFish · 4"Colombian RamshornSnail · 2"Croaking GouramiFish · 3"Dwarf GouramiFish · 3.5"Elegant CoryFish · 2"Emerald Cory (Brochis)Fish · 3"False Julii CoryFish · 2"False Rummy Nose TetraFish · 2"Fancy Guppy (Female trio)Fish · 2.4"German Blue RamFish · 2.5"Gold Kuhli LoachFish · 3.5"Gold Mystery SnailSnail · 1.8"GuppyFish · 2"Honey GouramiFish · 2"Horned Nerite SnailSnail · 0.5"Ivory Mystery SnailSnail · 1.8"Japanese Trapdoor SnailSnail · 2"Julii CoryFish · 2"Koi AngelfishFish · 6"Kuhli LoachFish · 4"Malaysian Trumpet SnailSnail · 1"MollyFish · 4"Mystery SnailSnail · 2"Nerite SnailSnail · 1"Olive Nerite SnailSnail · 0.75"Pagoda / Spiky SnailSnail · 1.5"Panda CoryFish · 2"Pearl GouramiFish · 4.5"Pitbull PlecoFish · 2.5"PlatyFish · 2.5"Pond SnailSnail · 2"Ramshorn SnailSnail · 1"Red Racer Nerite SnailSnail · 0.75"Rubber Pleco (Rubbernose)Fish · 4.5"Rummynose TetraFish · 2"Schwartz's CoryFish · 2.5"Scissortail RasboraFish · 3.5"Siamese Algae EaterFish · 6"Skunk CoryFish · 2"Smudge Spot CoryFish · 2.25"Spike-Topped Apple SnailSnail · 1.5"Spiky NeriteSnail · 0.7"Spotted Tail CoryFish · 2.2"Sterbai CoryFish · 2.6"Thai Micro CrabCrab · 0.4"Thai Micro Pom Pom CrabCrab · 0.8"Threestripe CoryFish · 2.2"Tracked Nerite SnailSnail · 0.8"Two-Saddled CoryFish · 2.5"Vampire ShrimpShrimp · 6"Variatus PlatyFish · 2.75"Venezuelan CoryFish · 2.5"Zebra Nerite SnailSnail · 1"Zebra PlecoFish · 3.5"
Keep only with care (101)
Amano ShrimpShrimp · 2"Betta (Siamese Fighting Fish)Fish · 2.5"Black Neon TetraFish · 1.5"Blue GouramiFish · 5"Blue Phantom PlecoFish · 7"Colombian Zebra PlecoFish · 3.5"Emerald Eye RasboraFish · 1.4"Fire RasboraFish · 1.6"Flash Pleco (L204)Fish · 20"Flower ShrimpShrimp · 2.5"Ghost ShrimpShrimp · 1.5"Gold GouramiFish · 6"Harlequin RasboraFish · 1.75"King Tiger PlecoFish · 6"Kissing GouramiFish · 12"KribensisFish · 3.5"Lambchop RasboraFish · 1.25"Leopard Frog PlecoFish · 4.5"Licorice GouramiFish · 1.4"Longfin Bristlenose PlecoFish · 5"Moonlight GouramiFish · 6"Neon TetraFish · 1.5"Noble GouramiFish · 3"Opaline GouramiFish · 6"Otocinclus CatfishFish · 1.5"Rabbit SnailSnail · 3"Red Nose ShrimpShrimp · 1.5"Red-Line RasboraFish · 1.75"Royal PlecoFish · 17"Saddled CoryFish · 1.8"Sailfin MollyFish · 5"Siamese Algae EaterFish · 6"Slender RasboraFish · 1.5"Sparkling GouramiFish · 1.5"Sulawesi SnailSnail · 2"SwordtailFish · 5.5"Thick-lipped GouramiFish · 3.5"Typhoon PlecoFish · 12"Wild-Type BettaFish · 2.5"Yucatan MollyFish · 6"Zebra OtocinclusFish · 1.5"Altum AngelfishFish · 7"Axelrod's RasboraFish · 0.6"Black King Kong ShrimpShrimp · 1"Black Rose ShrimpShrimp · 1.5"Black Skirt TetraFish · 2.5"Blue Bolt ShrimpShrimp · 1"Blue Dream ShrimpShrimp · 1"Blue Tiger ShrimpShrimp · 1.2"Blue Velvet ShrimpShrimp · 1"Brazos Dwarf CrayfishCrayfish · 1.5"Cajun Dwarf CrayfishCrayfish · 1.5"Carbon Rili ShrimpShrimp · 1.5"Cardinal ShrimpShrimp · 0.8"Cherry ShrimpShrimp · 1"Chili RasboraFish · 0.7"Chocolate ShrimpShrimp · 1"Common PlecoFish · 24"Crystal Red ShrimpShrimp · 1"DiscusFish · 8"Dwarf Cory (Habrosus)Fish · 1"Dwarf Crayfish (CPO)Crayfish · 1.75"Dwarf Emerald RasboraFish · 1"Dwarf Emerald Rasbora (nanus)Fish · 0.7"Ember TetraFish · 0.8"Emerald Dwarf RasboraFish · 0.9"Endler's LivebearerFish · 1.2"Giant GouramiFish · 24"Giant Sulawesi SnailSnail · 3"Green Jade ShrimpShrimp · 1"Green Neon TetraFish · 1"Green Tiger BarbFish · 2.75"Hengel's RasboraFish · 1.2"Least RasboraFish · 0.8"Mischling / Taiwan BeeShrimp · 1"Neon Blue RasboraFish · 0.8"Neon Green RasboraFish · 0.8"Oolong ShrimpShrimp · 1.2"Orange Eye Blue Tiger ShrimpShrimp · 1.2"Orange Rili ShrimpShrimp · 1"Painted Fire Red ShrimpShrimp · 1.5"Phoenix RasboraFish · 0.8"Pinto ShrimpShrimp · 1"Pom Pom CrabCrab · 1"Pygmy CoryFish · 1"Pygmy RasboraFish · 0.8"Red Rili ShrimpShrimp · 1"Red Shadow Panda ShrimpShrimp · 1.2"Shadow Panda ShrimpShrimp · 1.2"Snowball ShrimpShrimp · 1"Strawberry RasboraFish · 0.7"Super Crystal Red ShrimpShrimp · 1.2"Tail Spot Pygmy CoryFish · 1"Tangerine Tiger ShrimpShrimp · 1"Tiger BarbFish · 2.75"Tiger ShrimpShrimp · 1"White Glove ShrimpShrimp · 1.2"Wine Red ShrimpShrimp · 1.2"Yellow King Kong ShrimpShrimp · 1"Yellow Neocaridina ShrimpShrimp · 1"Zebra DanioFish · 2"
Avoid (12)
Blue Lobster CrayfishCrayfish · 5"Carnival / Polka Dot Freshwater CrabCrab · 1.5"Electric Blue CrayfishCrayfish · 5"Fiddler CrabCrab · 2"Marbled CrayfishCrayfish · 5"OscarFish · 16"Panther CrabCrab · 3"Purple Vampire CrabCrab · 1.5"Red Claw CrabCrab · 2.5"Red Devil Vampire CrabCrab · 1.5"Thai Devil CrabCrab · 2"Thai Freshwater CrabCrab · 2.5"