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Over a year ago, I posted the question of the sex of my BN, Tipsy. (Original post, picture in that post dated 9/18/05.) You'd think with such obvious bristles on BNs, the question would be easily answered. I still call her a "she" but I'm still a little uncertain, as her bristles keep growing. Either she's a short-bristled male or a very bristled female. Or their bristles don't stop growing?

Anyway, here's a couple quick pics...

Tipsy021607
Tipsy021707
Tipsy021707_2

In the first picture, to give an idea of perspective, the blue net is a 5" x 6" net, the green "brine shrimp" size net below it is 3" wide. She's got an interesting mottled effect to her coloring, almost calico.

I believe I've had her about two years now, possibly longer, I'm not really sure when I added her to the tank now.

~Meow. Thus spoke the cat.~

Looks like a female to me, the local lfs had a batch in the other day that had females with bristles just as ounced as that. Some populations are just a bit bristlier than others. I bought one of the males basically because they were mega bristly.

Its a cute BN any way you look at it.Nice fish.

Tipsy says thank you. I think. I speak cat better than I speak fish.

Pondering setting up the 20 gallon as a BN breeding tank when I move the rest of my stock to the new 55 gallon. Wonder if I can find a decent sized male BN to pair up with her. Maybe Heidi will send me one of hers.

~Meow. Thus spoke the cat.~

Looks like a female to me too at this point.
If she is 2 years old, she would be getting to the
point where you can certainly tell gender.
My BN I thought was a female too, but then suddenly
around 1.5 years of age the bristles started growing,
and by nearly 3 years its most definitely a male and
the bristles are only now starting to make the double splits.

Id say within the next year you will know for sure,
either the grow will peter out and youll have a semi-bristled female, or the growth will speed up and youll have a male.

Not too helpful eh?

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I don't mean to take a shot at your fishkeeping skills, but that is most definitely a male kept in sub-standard water quality. Only males bear processes on their rostral arches.

Only males bear processes on their rostral arches.

Say what?

And while I know my tanks have suffered in the past few months due to my very unsettled life as of late, I have promised them to be more diligent in the future. I've moved three times in the past six months or so, and haven't been able to take care of them properly.

I'm actually in the midst of cleaning out a 55 gallon that I was given and everyone will be moving up and stylin' in a nice, big, clean tank.

So basically, what you're saying is that I can expect HIS bristles to start growing more with the advent of a much cleaner tank?

~Meow. Thus spoke the cat.~

I have the same problem that you have. I also think that the BN in the pictures is a HE.

Can you post a picture with the Fins open, as the males fins are thicker at the end. At least that what i've read..........



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I can try, but it probably won't be until I get the new tank setup. Tipsy is NOT camera happy, the only time he/she poses is when half out of the water. Otherwise he can be found hanging upside down under that fake piece of driftwood as you can see in the pictures.

He's actually dug UNDER the driftwood in order to be upside down when I rearranged the piece. What's the deal with that, anyway? Are BNs obsessed with being upside down or is that just Tipsy?

~Meow. Thus spoke the cat.~

Keeping in mind that this is not necessarily your fault and that even early exposure to nitrogenous wastes and harmful bacteria generally thriving in such conditions retards "bristle" growth, I would agree that, in the case of adult fish, long term water quality changes should extend the size and acuteness of the bristles. The rostral arch[e] is basically the raised portion of the fish between the eyes, where you can see bristles growing in your fish. This is the exclusive trait of the male ancistrus "domesticus".