Sexing Hemiancistrus subviridis

[Haavard Stoere]

I have photographed my 9 Hemiancistrus subviridis in an attempt to determine the sex.

Fish nr 1 measures only 113mm:




Fish nr 2 measures 120mm:




Fish nr 3 measures 130mm:




Fish nr. 4 measures 130mm:






Fish nr 5 measures 140mm




Fish nr 5 on the left and fish nr 3 on the right:


Fish nr. 3 on the left and fish nr 5 on the right:


Fish nr. 3 on the left and fish nr 5 on the right:


Fish nr. 5 on top and fish nr. 2 on bottom


Fish nr 5 on the left and fish nr. 2 on the right;


Fish nr. 6:






Fish nr. 7:






Fish nr. 8:




Fish nr 9:

[pturley]

Methinks:
1. Likely female
2. Male
3. Female.
4. Male
5. ???

[Haavard Stoere]

Thank you Pturley:):)

I totally agree with you. Fish nr. 5 is the alpha male of the group. Fish nr 3 is a really nice female. My hopes lies with her:)

Anyway... Since you posted I edited the post and put in fish nr 6,7,8 and 9. The picture of fish nr 9 is not good. Hopefully I will get some better pictures in a weeks time when I move the fish to their new and permanent home.

[Haavard Stoere]

I think fish nr 6 is a female.

Fish 6:

[Haavard Stoere]

I think fish nr. 7 and maybe nr. 8 are male. Pectoral fins are somewhat thickened on fish nr. 7. Fish nr 8 is difficult. I should have made pictures from above to show the curvature of the pectoral fins.

Fish 7:


Fish 8:


I don´t have a good picture of fish nr. 9

This is my list at the moment

1. Likely female
2. Male
3. Female
4. Male
5. Male
6. Female
7. Male
8. ?
9. Likely female

[Haavard Stoere]

Fish 1,2 and 8 are approximately the same size, and can therefore be compared.

Pectoral fin of fish 1:


Pectoral fin of fish 2:


New list:
1. Female
2. Male
3. Female
4. Male
5. Male
6. Female
7. Male
8. Female
9?

[cmstwc]

Sorry cant help, but GREAT pics! Loved it!

[Haavard Stoere]

Thank you Glad you enjoyed the pictures

[pturley]

I think Fish#9 is a female also.

Nice fish BTW: Keep us posted on your progress.

[Kostas]

Great pictures and very beautyfull fish
This thread is excellent and very helpfull in sexing these sp....

As you may know,i too want to keep a group of 4 Hemiancistrus subviridis in my 2 meter tank and try breed them alongside with Leporacanthicus L240...Today,i unexpectedly found 4-5 Hemiancistrus subviridis about the same size as yours which is basically what i am interested in buying...I was watching them carefully to determine their sex through their behaviour and found that one of them,medium in size,not the largest of the batch,was chasing all of them except one...He was fighting with anyone coming close to him...He was in the best condition while the other not in excellent shape...I mean,he is the one with the most vibrant colors and good mood not trying to hide at all but standing in the middle of the aquarium...All of them had some interopercullar growth,not very much though...So i would like to ask you this:does fighting occur between males only or can it be directed towards females too?So,in other words,is there a chance at least one fish is female?What should i look for to check their sex at that age?

Thank you very much in advnace

[Haavard Stoere]

Thanks again pturley

Kostas: I am not very good at observing behaviour, but I am quite certain that males are more aggressive than females. They are more aggressive towards each other than towards the females if my observations are correct.

I think this photograph is the best illustration of the sexual differences. The female is 13cm and the male is 14cm. The differences in smaller specimens are the same, but not as easy to see. Note the slightly broader head and the very thick and hairy pectoral fins of the male.

[Kostas]

Thank you very much for the info Haavard

I checked again the pictures along with the sex of the fish and practised on the differences you told me and found some more on the genital papillas...
Are you sure that males do chase females too?Just to know...
As for this group i found,i cant decide wether to buy any or not as the 2 meter isnt setted up yet and i may have serious fights with the Leporacanthicus in the 1 meter...

Thank you very much in advance

[Haavard Stoere]

I really think you should buy them. I believe the dynamics in a larger group makes spawning more likely. If you do buy them ask to borrow a shallow plastic container in the petshop and view all the fish from above to determine the sex. This method has been very useful for me.

[Kostas]

Thank you very much for your reply Haavard
I dont know...Some have damaged fins or fins not very well healed...I know this is not something to worry about but i would really like to buy some as perfect as yours...They seem to be completely perfect...Did they had any hard fin ray damaged when you bought them?
Dont know if i will buy any,but will surely pay this shop another visit to see them...As for using a plastic constainer,i really doubt they will agree on that... But will ask it,its indeed much easier but never thought a shop would do that for you...

Thank you very much in advance

[Matien]

Hi,

I read this thread with real interest. I already have 3 Hemiancistrus subvidiris, and I am about to receive 4 more.

This fish is wonderfull! (at least from my point of view) so such occasion should not be missed.

About the plastic bucket to see the fishes closer, I would really be surprised if your reseller refuses : this is a common practice (at least where I live). And if it help to sell a group of fishes, I pretty sure he will accept.

Happy shopping!
Matien

[Kostas]

Thank you Matien

I have 1 Hemiancistrus subviridis 4 years now,so i too know first hand their interesting behaviour...I know,it does is an opportunity as i have since i bought mine to see Hemiancistrus subviridis being sold at that size...The only reason i am thinking it still is that once the 2 meter tank is ready,i will import myself the rest of the plecos i want and the Copella compta and so i was planning to import the Hemiancistrus too...Will probably decide when i get to the shop again...

I will ask for that but i really doubt they will agree doing that...Except of course if you say you will do buy the group,but how can you know if you will buy it before knowing the sexes?I only want 2 females so there is good chance i will not find them in a group of 4-5 fish Difficult deccission...

Thank you for your wish Matien It will be great if it comes true...

[Haavard Stoere]

I have studied the fish in the pictures I took 2 years ago of my H. zebra group. The visual difference in the genital papillae is enormous in the larger specimens.
http://www.planetcatfish.com/forum/view ... hp?t=16551

I think I know why the difference is so much greater in the H. zebra pictures than in my H. subvirides pictures.... When photographing the H. zebras I had my right hand on the camera while pressing the fish against the glass with my left hand. This pressing probably made the papillae protrude a lot more making the differences more apparent.

When moving my H. subvirides to their next home I will try to do it the same way as I did with the H. zebras.

Another factor may be that my H. subvirides are rather fat compared to the H. zebras that were rather thin. Not sure about that.

[AquA32]

Hello. I have a question. I bought 3 units L-200 and I want to ask whether there is here a couple? I attach a few photos .Thanks for your answers.

[catfishchaos]

Well it appears you have reanimated a rather old thread (almost a decade actually).

Your photos are rather small and blurry and the one with the fish in the bucket only really shows the head structure of the fish in the middle. Photos like the ones tht litter this thread are the kind of quality and detail that people on here need to give you an accurate sex.