I have 5 albino bristlenose plecos, all of them a little over an inch long. One of the 5 is already sporting bristles along his nose, and I say his because I assume it is a male?
I have no idea on the ages of these 5; bought them at seperate times at the same lfs, so I can presume from the same breeder. But if 1 out of the 5 has bristles already, does that make the other 4 late bloomers, or all female?
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- Taratron
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But if you tame me, then we shall need each other. To me, you will be unique in all the world. To you, I will be unique in all the world..... You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed.
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~Antoine de Saint-Exupery
A venerable source told me that bristlenoses can be very misleading because a fish whose growth has been stunted by something like poor water quality may be mature enough to exhibit the characteristic bristles at a very small size. In this case, although the fish is mature it will never attain its full size. As far as I know, you cannot sex them with any certainty under 2-3" and a fish that exhibits bristles at a smaller size could be a stunted fish. Also complicating matters are the small bristles the females sometimes develop.
I am no pleco guru, but I hope this helps!
I am no pleco guru, but I hope this helps!
- Barbie
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