Sexing Pseudacanthics sp. L-114

[Erlend D Bertelsen]

I have just received some new plecos. It would bee interesting to sex them. They are going in a 375 liter almost for themselves, only a Panaque sp. “Shamper” (20cm)

Fish 1.
SL - 12 cm - I have cept this one for 6 years







Fish 2.
SL - 13,5 cm - I have cept this one for 6 years







Fish 3.
SL - 12 cm







Fish 4.
SL - 11 cm







Fish 5
SL - 13 cm







Any idea about the sex?

E

[Erlend D Bertelsen]

This is the cave I use. In total I have 6 of them. The biggest is 33 cm deep and the smallest is 28cm deep. The diameter is ca 5 cm.



E

[smallfish]

look like a female to me a my fish are alot more hairy

[Erlend D Bertelsen]

look like a female to me a my fish are alot more hairy

It`s 5 different fishes. All of them can’t be females. (I hope )

E

[Erlend D Bertelsen]

Come on! Some of you may give it a try. Every comment helps.
E

[Barbie]

I'm sorry I can't be much help! I have a trio of these fish, but I can only tell for sure because the male claims a cave and immediately got quite a bit more furry when I added the two that looked female. I traded a spare young fish with a friend that had an obviously female fish (gravid) and then another friend sent me his show winning fish that also turned out to be a girl. They haven't spawned yet, but they really need a bigger tank than the one they're in. I really have just gone by the odontodal growth and the shape of the fish.

I thought I had a few pics of mine, but I'm not finding them. I'll try to take some this evening and let you use them to at least compare. Sexing plecos is always easiest for me with overhead shots. Also, a small copy for posting on the board is fine, but I like to have the larger ones also to look at for detail. My eyes are old enough I need all the help I can get! ;)

Barbie

[Haavard Stoere]

Wow!! Those are really nice specimens!! Real eyecandy

I have to study the pictures for a while longer. My eyes probably became a bit tired, because one of your fish started to at me.

[Cristoffer Forssander]

Hello!

I think that fish 3 is a female(short dorsal fin and head), perhaps also fish 2.
I think the rest are males. The first fish has bad fins. Perhaps there has been a fight... that would suggest a male... territorial fight.

Aren't the sexing in Pseudacanthicus similar to Leporacanthicus!?

[looser]

Hello,

my tip FMMFM . Because of the head Form. Malde broad Female smal.

I think, fore shur, you have all sexes in you group.

Regard Michael

[Cattleya]

excuse my bad bad English

Hi
I am not so sure, that 1 female is in this group.
possible Nr1
Femals are wider and shorter

The diameter is ca 5 cm.

use different Caves with different Diameters from 5 to 7cm.

Reduce this Group to 3 animals 1M/2W => No fights and quietly and Friendly in the Tank


lg Udo

[looser]

excuse my bad bad English
Reduce this Group to 3 animals 1M/2W
lg Udo

Hello Udo,

i think you mean 1M/2F

Regards Michael

[Cattleya]

hi

Hello Udo,

i think you mean 1M/2F

yes i men

bigsmile
Udo

[Erlend D Bertelsen]

Thanks for all the good answers. I really appreciate it.

It seems that the group has settled down, not quietly, but settled down. They are fighting at night-time. They all have scratch marks (beneath the dorsal-fin and on the stomach). I believe that the fighting will disappear with time.
The group is not so shy, as I thought. They are coming out to eat even when the light is on. Fish number 3, is the least shy one.
Regarding sex, I am still not certain. Some of them are guarding regular caves. I remember Ingo Seidel told that the males would have longer and higher dorsal fin than the females. That’s the reason I posted picture of the dorsal fin in the first post. As long as I have both sexes in the group, I`m happy.

Cattleya: What is the pH and water temperature in your aquarium? And how big is the fish that have breed?

I also heard that in the June issue of the German magazine Amazonas, it will be an article about spawning these fishes. I`m looking forward to that.

[Cattleya]

Hi

Cattleya: What is the pH and water temperature in your aquarium? And how big is the fish that have breed?

Ph 6.5
Themp 28 Celsius
Sice = 25 and 30 cm

lg Udo

[Cristoffer Forssander]

Hi!

Do anyone have some good images to share on Planet Catfish? It would be very handy to have when trying to sex these difficult species.
I know a few persons, me included, that really would like to see images from above of both sex!


Please contrubute!

Best Regards
Cristoffer

[Barbie]

The insurance company has finally decided I'm not going to settle for $200 dollars of more than $5000 in replacement costs for my camera. I'm supposed to be getting a new one on Monday. I was intending to move my trio to a larger tank anyway. I'll try to take some close up shots and big pics from above. Keeping in mind that mine haven't ever spawned. I'm just going on what I think is an educated guess on sexing ;).

Barbie

[Cristoffer Forssander]

Hi barbie!

Send them to Jools so he can put them up on the webbsite! It would be a great contribution to planet catfish.

If you're female is gravid, I don't think there is any reason to question it, even if they haven't spawned (yet)


I will keep on waiting for some good images!

You will make a lot of keepers happy! Sex educating is always interesting!!!

Best Regards
Cristoffer

[DutchFry]

just looking at the form and shape of the head, i would say FMMFM.

this would explain why they fight so much. try to keep more females than males, and the fighting will reduce a lot i suspect, although this is a species which is very territorial, even towards their own kind.

[Cristoffer Forssander]

Hi!

DutchFry , way do you think that nuber 3 is a male?
I would say that thats a female, but I'm not an expert on Pseudacanthicus species.

Erlend, what sexes do you think you're group have? If you had this species for 6 years, you have some experience!
How are the group settle?

Best Regards
Cristoffer

[Erlend D Bertelsen]

Hi.

I am not sure about the sexes. Three of them have found caves (I guess that is the males), and are guarding them. 2 are swimming around and don’t care about caves (I hope that they are females). 1 of them is beneath the background for the moment; I have to fish it up when I find the time.

The group has settled down nice, and the fighting has ended.

I will start simulate dry season soon, and it will be interesting to see what happens then.

E

[Erlend D Bertelsen]

I believe now, that fish number 4 is a female.

I am now finished an 18 days long dry time simulation, and just started the rain time. Fish number 4 is chased by a male (not sure which number). I will continue to change a lot of water with fresh cold water and feed a lot.

It will bee interesting to see the development.

E