The bristlenose pleco (BN plec) is a great algae eater for mid-sized and larger aquariums. It comes in two main types at the LFS, brown and albino. There are also long-finned versions of both kinds. The brown BN's get a bit larger than the albinos, which top out at around 4''. BN's are spotted with white edging on the back tip of their tails. Males have the trademark bristles on their noses, which can get quite branchy as they mature into adults. Females on the other hand, have very limited or no bristles. BN's are very easy to breed; a breeding pair will have lots of fry given a spawning cave, which is typically a long and narrow one made of slate.
Although BN's are great algae eaters, eating green, brown, and brush algae, they can also damage plant leaves with their strong suction. Otos are recommended if you want to avoid that. BN's can also be aggressive to other bottom dwellers. My female used to chase the USD cats around and did some minor damage before I took her back to the LFS. A tank should also only have 1 male BN, unless there are a lot of hiding spaces in a sufficiently big tank, as they are territorial. BN are reliable algae eaters, but their diet should be supplemented with zucchini (unblanched is fine) and algae wafers.
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