Starlight bristlenose
The blackwater bristlenose: black with white spots and a white fin margin, and considerably more particular about water than the common bristlenose it is shelved beside. Most 'starlight' fish sold are the common species; the white seam on the dorsal and caudal is the tell.
Quick profile
- Scientific name
- Ancistrus dolichopterus
- Adult size
- 12–14 cm (4.7–5.5 in)
- Lifespan
- 8–12 years
- Temperature
- 24–29 °C (75–84 °F)
- pH
- 4.5–6.5
- Hardness
- 0–6 °dGH
- Minimum tank
- 120 L (32 US gal)
- Minimum length
- 90 cm
- Swimming zone
- Bottom
- Social
- Loose group
- Diet
- Wood-rasping
- Overall confidence
- low confidence
What keeping this species involves
Needs soft acidic water and real wood. The common bristlenose forgives both; this species does not, which is why it has a reputation for dying for no reason.
Blackwater river margins over submerged wood, very soft and strongly acidic.
Identity and names
- Common name
- Starlight bristlenose
- Scientific name
- Ancistrus dolichopterus
- Family
- Loricariidae
- Order
- Siluriformes
- Class
- Actinopterygii
- Also sold as
- L183, white-seam bristlenose, Ancistrus dolichopterus
Adult size and growth
12–14 cm (4.7–5.5 in)
Typical lifespan in an aquarium: 8–12 years. Almost every animal sold in a shop is a juvenile, so the tank has to suit the size in the first line rather than the size in the bag.
Water and tank requirements
A wood-rasping catfish needs floor area and submerged wood surface rather than swimming distance; a male holds a cave territory within it.
| Requirement | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Temperature | 24–29 °C (75–84 °F) | Stability matters more than hitting an exact figure. |
| pH | 4.5–6.5 | A stable pH outside the ideal band is usually better than an unstable one inside it. |
| General hardness | 0–6 °dGH | Check your supplier's published figure before choosing species. |
| Minimum volume | 120 L (32 US gal) | A floor, not a recommendation. |
| Minimum footprint | 90 cm long | A wood-rasping catfish needs floor area and submerged wood surface rather than swimming distance; a male holds a cave territory within it. |
| Water flow | moderate | Match the outflow to this rather than to the filter's rating. |
| Lid required | Recommended | Reduces evaporation and prevents accidents. |
| Structure | Substantial submerged wood, caves and soft acidic tannin-stained water. Wood is food as well as furniture. |
Behaviour
- Rasps wood surfaces after dark and rests in cover through the day.
- Males occupy caves and defend the entrance.
Telling males from females
Males develop branched facial tentacles; females have few or none.
Feeding
Requires wood to rasp. Without it the digestive tract does not work properly, whatever else it is fed.
- Diet type
- Wood-rasping
- Staples
- Submerged wood, Algae wafers, Blanched courgette and sweet potato
Breeding
- Strategy
- Cave spawning with the male guarding and fanning the eggs
- Difficulty
- challenging
- Parental care
- guarding
Breeds far less readily than the common bristlenose, and soft acidic water is the difference.
Tankmates and compatibility
Assessments are derived from stored traits by the compatibility engine, with the reasoning shown. A verdict is a statement about probability, not a guarantee — individual temperament can override it.
| Towards | Risk | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Small fish | none | Anything that fits in the mouth is at risk once this species reaches adult size. |
| Adult dwarf shrimp | none | Cover reduces losses but rarely prevents them where the risk is high. |
| Shrimplets | low | Determines whether a shrimp colony can grow rather than merely persist. |
| Snails | none | Applies to snails you wanted as well as snails you did not. |
| Long or trailing fins | none | Fin damage is an entry point for secondary infection. |
| Plants | grazes-algae | Tough species such as Anubias and Java fern survive most grazers. |
Any pair in the catalogue can be assessed with the compatibility checker.
Welfare considerations
Points where the way this species is commonly sold or kept differs from what it actually needs.
- Frequently sold as the common bristlenose or vice versa. Check the white fin margins before paying the difference.
- Wood is not optional. A tank with only rock and plastic starves it slowly.
Problems to watch for
Most problems in a tank containing this species are general rather than species-specific. Start with the troubleshooting index and work from the observation rather than from a guess at the cause.
What AquariumHQ does not yet hold
Species-level disease susceptibility is modelled in the graph and is not yet populated. Health pages will not be published until each condition has veterinary sourcing, because health content written without evidence is the most harmful thing this product could publish. The gap is recorded in the coverage report.
Where it comes from
- Native range
- Middle and upper Rio Negro, Brazil
- Habitat
- Blackwater river margins over submerged wood, very soft and strongly acidic.
What the checklists say
7 distribution statements retrieved from GBIF checklists. Establishment means is reproduced from the source where it states one, and left unstated where it does not — a record of presence is not a record of origin.
| Status | Places | What this means |
|---|---|---|
| Native | 3 | A checklist states the species occurs here naturally. |
| Recorded as present, establishment means not stated | 4 | The source records the species as present and does not say whether it is native or introduced. AquariumHQ does not fill that in. |
Evidence
Every stored value with the kind of support behind it and where to check it. Evidence type and confidence are separate axes: an editorial position held confidently and a measurement held tentatively are different things.
| Claim | Value | Evidence type | Confidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| scientific name | Ancistrus dolichopterus | Observed / measured | high confidence | Catalogue of Life; GBIF — Global Biodiversity Information Facility |
| native range | Middle and upper Rio Negro, Brazil | Observed / measured | moderate confidence | GBIF — Global Biodiversity Information Facility |
| adult size | 12–14 cm | Aquarium-literature consensus | low confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| lifespan | 8–12 years | Aquarium-literature consensus | low confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| temperature | 24–29 °C | Aquarium-literature consensus | low confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| ph | 4.5–6.5 pH | Aquarium-literature consensus | low confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| general hardness | 0–6 °dGH | Aquarium-literature consensus | low confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| minimum tank volume | ≥ 120 L | AquariumHQ editorial position | moderate confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| minimum tank length | ≥ 90 cm | AquariumHQ editorial position | moderate confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
Last reviewed 2026-08-10. Values labelled as an aquarium-literature consensus are AquariumHQ editorial positions rather than measurements — see how evidence is handled.
Why we say this
What each figure on this page rests on, and how far that is from being independently established.
Every figure on this page has a provenance. Open any claim to see what AquariumHQ holds for it, which sources say what, and what a claim of that kind actually needs. Different claims need different evidence: an accepted scientific name is settled by one authority, while a legal restriction needs a current primary instrument. A single source is often the right answer rather than a thin one.
scientific nameAquariumHQ's own position, externally checkableBased on a verified authoritative source.
AquariumHQ's own position on a claim an external source could support.
What this kind of claim needs: accepted scientific name and classification — 1 authoritative source in an appropriate context. Checked against gbif on 2026-08-12. One authoritative backbone is what this class requires.
What would improve this: Go and read a source. This is reachable and has not been reached.
native rangeAquariumHQ's own position, externally checkableBased on a verified authoritative source.
AquariumHQ's own position on a claim an external source could support.
What this kind of claim needs: where the species occurs — 1 authoritative source in an appropriate context. 7 distribution statements held from GBIF checklists — native in 3 country. Establishment means is reproduced from the source, never inferred from occurrence.
What would improve this: Go and read a source. This is reachable and has not been reached.
adult sizeAquariumHQ's own position, externally checkableAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.
AquariumHQ's own position on a claim an external source could support.
What this kind of claim needs: size a well-kept specimen reaches — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No external source is required for this class. AquariumHQ's position stands on its stated reasoning.
What would improve this: Go and read a source. This is reachable and has not been reached.
lifespanAquariumHQ's own position, externally checkableAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.
AquariumHQ's own position on a claim an external source could support.
What this kind of claim needs: what aquariumhq advises for keeping — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No external source is required for this class. AquariumHQ's position stands on its stated reasoning.
What would improve this: Go and read a source. This is reachable and has not been reached.
temperatureAquariumHQ's own position, externally checkableAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.
AquariumHQ's own position on a claim an external source could support.
What this kind of claim needs: what aquariumhq advises for keeping — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No external source is required for this class. AquariumHQ's position stands on its stated reasoning.
What would improve this: Go and read a source. This is reachable and has not been reached.
phAquariumHQ's own position, externally checkableAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.
AquariumHQ's own position on a claim an external source could support.
What this kind of claim needs: what aquariumhq advises for keeping — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No external source is required for this class. AquariumHQ's position stands on its stated reasoning.
What would improve this: Go and read a source. This is reachable and has not been reached.
general hardnessAquariumHQ's own position, externally checkableAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.
AquariumHQ's own position on a claim an external source could support.
What this kind of claim needs: what aquariumhq advises for keeping — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No external source is required for this class. AquariumHQ's position stands on its stated reasoning.
What would improve this: Go and read a source. This is reachable and has not been reached.
minimum tank volumeAquariumHQ's judgement — no authority publishes thisAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.
No external authority publishes this. The rationale carries the reasoning.
What this kind of claim needs: minimum tank size — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No authority publishes this. AquariumHQ derives it, and the derivation is recorded with its inputs and assumptions.
What would improve this: Keep the rationale current. There is no source to find.
minimum tank lengthAquariumHQ's judgement — no authority publishes thisAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.
No external authority publishes this. The rationale carries the reasoning.
What this kind of claim needs: minimum tank size — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No authority publishes this. AquariumHQ derives it, and the derivation is recorded with its inputs and assumptions.
What would improve this: Keep the rationale current. There is no source to find.
Group size and social behaviour
Males hold caves and are intolerant of each other; females and juveniles are indifferent.