Can You Help Sex My Plecos?

[Jaytropicals]

Can You Help Sex My Plecos
Currently have 3

[Jaytropicals]

[bekateen]

Hi Jaytropicals,

First, welcome to PlanetCatfish.

Regarding your fish, are they common bristle noses? How big are these fish? If these are commons, and if they are pretty big, then I'd guess you have three females.

If they are small (less than 1.5") or if they aren't common BNs, then I'd think they're too small to sex, and we need more info.

Cheers, Eric

[Jaytropicals]

Thanks

And their all common bristlenose
3-4 inches

[Jaytropicals]

Still confused
Some are saying young male?

[bekateen]

Young males would look similar. But if your fish are 3-4" long, they are no longer immature at that size. My male was breeding at about 2.5" (not counting tail) and he was covered with bristles up his nose towards his eyes.

If your size measurements are off... If these fish are small... Then they could be young males. But if your fish really are approaching 4", they should have a lot more bristles than this if they're male, in my opinion and experience.

Hopefully someone else will respond to confirm or counter what I've said, to give you more confidence one way or the other.

Cheers, Eric

[Jobro]

I was inclined to say these could be females, but after taking another look, I would share the opinion of only males.

Because in my experience, common BN females just don't grow any bristles at all. If these fish are not Common BN, I would say 1st, 5th and 6th pictures show potential females. While 2nd, 3rd and 4th picture show a male for sure.

[Jaytropicals]

Their all 3-4 inches with the tail included. The smallest one is the one on the cucumber and he or she is 2.5in not counting the tail.

[Narwhal72]

I agree with Eric. These are all females.

Female BN will often have small bristles that run around the perimeter of the snout. But they will not have bristles that run up the snout from the tip to the eyes. Only males will have that. At this size there should be some bristles higher on the head if they were male.

A quick look at the CatELog will show the small bristles on the pictures of adult females in there.

Andy

[Jobro]

This is strange. None of the females in germany do have bristles... just look at l-welse.com:

Common Ancistrus
or
Ancistrus Cirrhosus

And mine never had any, either.
My L183 females have them.

Looks like american common BN are a different cross than the european ones.

[Narwhal72]

There are probably several different strains of common bristlenose out there.

But the TR strains I have seen here in the U.S. most females have small bristles around the perimeter of the snout.

The Catelog has a really good picture of a pair of albinos that you can clearly see the bristles on the female.

Andy

[Jaytropicals]

Can you send me that link?

[bekateen]

https://www.planetcatfish.com/common/im ... ge_id=7811

https://www.planetcatfish.com/common/im ... ge_id=7821

[Jaytropicals]

Thanks