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Picked up this Hoplosternum Punctatum, is it male or female?
He is so cute.

I think it's too small to say. It's and and a half inch (not counting the tail) and it might grow another inch.

Males get overlapping plates on their breast, further the brest fin spines might become curved. Basically the same things as all the other species in Hoplosterinae, but more subtile.

Bas Pels wrote: ↑26 Jun 2020, 19:39 I think it's too small to say. It's and and a half inch (not counting the tail) and it might grow another inch.

Males get overlapping plates on their breast, further the brest fin spines might become curved. Basically the same things as all the other species in Hoplosterinae, but more subtile.

Awesome thanks! This species grows to about 3 inches, so figured maybe he'd be big enough but guess not lol

Adding a few more photos, just in case. Plus he's adorable

Got a breastplate photo

Assuming it stays this way, She would be a girl. But as said, (s)he will need some growing to do.

I could not say wen these plates start growing in a male - @ 50 % or 80 % of aldult length.

I do agree however, it's a beautifull specimen. But then, I'm a bit biassed regarding Hoplos

Bas Pels wrote: ↑27 Jun 2020, 08:09 Assuming it stays this way, She would be a girl. But as said, (s)he will need some growing to do.

I could not say wen these plates start growing in a male - @ 50 % or 80 % of aldult length.

I do agree however, it's a beautifull specimen. But then, I'm a bit biassed regarding Hoplos

I placed an order for a couple more of this species.

I'm just super excited that there's a smaller species available of this type of cat. I upgraded to a 55 gallon and hoped to keep a pair of albino spotted hoplo, but then this species is new stock in my online store, sooo perfect! Smaller, I could keep it safely with my neon tetras and other smaller fish and have a bigger group of them.

I love corydoras a lot, so this is like the big brother to them.

Got 2 more today, their breastplate touch and their pectoral fins have curves on the ends. Definitely a couple of males!

Congratulations

If boys can be recognized at this size, than your first one must definitely be a girl.

First get them to mature, then hope for fry.

Well. Their "vests" seem closer together, but reviewing the photos again, I think one may be female...

One the top of the "vest" meets, the other one doesn't.

They are 2 inches in length, max out at 3 inches.

Its the first one in those bag photos I think is male. The vest touches and the pectoral spines are more curved and thicker slightly. The other i am unsure.

But if 1 male 2 females, I like that ratio!


But sooooo cute, I'm so in love with these fish. Male or female, I am happy I got more of them!

Lovely fish. Agree that they are maybe still immature so too hard to tell. From the photos,if I had to go by pectoral fins I would say the original was female, the top bag shot was also female and the bottom bag shot could be immature male but that’s just cos to me the pectoral fins look thicker on the bottom photo.
Time will tell.

This is a photo of the two new ones during acclimation... one does seem to have thicker pectoral spines