FishProfiles.com Message Forums

hey, everybody I have a young bristlenose and i'm not sure if it's a male or a female. It's bristles lengths are right in the middle and im not experienced enough to tell. I read somewhere that males will have 2 rows of bristles while females will only have one. I've never heard of that from anywhere else though. I've had mine for about 2 months and it's around 3in. Any advice?

Hellow, welcome to FishProfiles!

Hmmm, bristlenose plecs can be difficult to sex because it also depends on what species you have. In some species, for example in my pair, by 3" the males have a full beard while the females lack a single bristle. This makes things easier.

There are a couple things to note that might clear up whether or not your fish is a male or female, but keep in mind that it still depends on species and you could have an exception.
1. If the bristles extend up the middle of the nose up towards the forehead/supraoccipital (rather than only being along the edges of the snout), you likely have a male.
2. I think, if there are no bristles extending up the middle of the snout, the males may still have a ridge there where they would grow on.
3. If the bristles branch, you likely have a male.
4. As with other egg-layers, females may be wider than males, but I find with my 3" bristlenose plecs that there is no obvious difference in body shape.

If you happen to have the same species I do (Ancistrus sp. (3) in the Cat-eLog on http://www.planetcatfish.com), females do not have bristles at all, at least at this size.

--------------------------------------------
The aquarist is one who must learn the ways of the biologist, the chemist, and the veterinarian.

i agree with S i have a male that has the bristles up where the nose should be the females tend to have them on there lips only

cheers

papasan ><{{{O>