TheWabenmuster Bushynose Pleco, also called theHoneycomb Bristlenose Pleco, is one of those plecos you just don’t see every day. Their dark body is covered in a whitish-yellow geometric pattern that gives them this really cool honeycomb look.
“Wabenmuster” translates from German to “honeycomb pattern,” which honestly fits them perfectly. That patterning covers the body and fins, making them stand out from more common bristlenose plecos.
We get these fromone of our local breeders who specializes in some seriously cool plecos, and he actually taught us something interesting about them. You might notice they don’t have an L-number like a lot of other plecos in the hobby. From what our breeder explained to us, when these fish first showed up in Europe, their exact collection location wasn’t known, so they never received an L-number. Pretty cool!
They are anAncistrus species, so they stay much more manageable than some of the giant plecos you see in the hobby. That makes them a really cool option if you want something more unusual without needing a massive aquarium.
Wabenmuster Plecos are omnivores, but their diet should focus heavily on vegetable-based foods, algae, biofilm, and quality sinking foods. Algae wafers, spirulina-based foods, NorthFin Kelp Wafers, zucchini, cucumber, and other veggie-based options are all great choices.
They can also be offered small amounts of meatier foods occasionally, but those should not make up the majority of their diet.
And don’t forget thedriftwood. We recommend keeping real driftwood in the aquarium forAncistrus to graze on and explore.