PlanetCatfish.com

How can i sex my l205, and my common pleco i've heard if they have barbs around the mouth that means male, if thats true what do the barbs look like, are they whisker like? I would like to breed my l205 and want to know if i should look for a couple females or a male and female to add in.

Many male plecs have "barbs" that are called "odontodes" that can grow on their bodies, fins, and especially on their cheeks right in front of their gill slits. A male P. brevis (L205) in breeding condition will appear fuzzy because the odontodes will appear over most of its body (see in the Cat-elog for images of some males and females) As far as I know, Pterygoplichthys (common plecs) cannot be distinguished by odontode growth, but I could be wrong.