Water Conditions: pH: 5.8-7.2. dH: 5-16. Temp: 22-24.
Mine breed in relatively hard water at high pH so they adapt readily.
Size: 12-13cm so fine for the smaller aquarium
Food: Algae, my albinos are the best out of all the bristlenose species I have kept at keeping down algae. Also supplement their diet with wafers and pellets as well as some meatier food such as bloodworm (brings them into breeding condition).
Temperament: Friendly to other inhabitants although will eat eggs of other species given the chance. Great parents so no need to remove eggs or young if they breed although the young may eat any new eggs produced. May unintentionally damage plants.
This is a picture of my female, ready to spawn. It is easy to tell with the albinos because you can practically see the eggs inside her and her stomach changes shape.
This is her (right side up).
This is a picture of some of the babies my albino's have produced. Their first spawn in my community tank yielded no survivors. This one in their own tank produced 60 babies and their third produced 152 babies! They regularily spawn every 4 weeks. These ones are 4 weeks old - they eat algae from the tank, algae wafers, courgette and cucumber as soon as they have finished their egg sacs! When I moved them into their own 2ft grow on tank which was covered in a thick layer of algae. They finished it off in 2 days flat!
