Sexing L134's - Please help

[hillville]

Are there any experts here that can sex these L134's? If so please sex them from left to right. Thanks

[geminiluna]

Can you give insight into how large or how old they are? They don't exhibit sexual dimorphism until they are mature. And for example, on #4, I can't tell if I'm seeing odontodes on the posterior half, or if the textured surface of the container is throwing me off.

[anton l.]

yeah its quite hard to sex them when they`re all together.try to do some shots of the sides so the odontodes could be seen.
and I dont think they are mature yet..usually at mature age the vertical lines twist, "break" and turn into long spots or thin lines and their number encreases

[hillville]

They are from 2 1/2 to 2 3/4 inches long and around 2 years old I think. Next week when I clean the tank again, I'll try and catch them and make individual shots of each in a container with a smooth bottom. Thanks for the input!

[apistomaster]

They appear to me to be only about 18 to 20 months old.
I have had a few 2 year old females spawn with my wild males but among my F1 breeders they began spawning at closer to 36 months.
I raise Peckoltia compta and have begun breeding my F1 specimens. By two years their patterns should become more irregular and no two adult share an identical color pattern.

I still can't sex them very well until they are full grown adults in breeding condition and I have been breeding them for 5 straight years.
At that time the male odontodes become much more prominent and if you compare a group in a light colored container the males will be more "V" shaped from above.
The ripe females tend to bulge between and behind their pectoral fins and show no obvious odontode growth when viewed from above.

One crude method I use is to provide only 2 spawning caves for a group of six. The two most dominant males will retain possession of the caves.
Ripe females prefer to breed with the most dominant males.
Ripe females wishing to spawn will spend more time near the cave entrances.
I do use some pieces of bog wood to provide the other P. compta some kind of hiding places. By limiting the number of good spawning caves this will increase the females' competition for the chance to breed but none of these sexing methods are 100% accurate.

[anton l.]

you could also do some shots of genital pappila,sometimes its much more easier do identify them like this, because the males,even mature,are not always very "hairy",and look like females.

[hillville]

I'm use to breeding bristlenose that usually breed fast. I've waited 2 years for these, so waiting another year won't be to bad. Thanks for all the information!

[bsmith]

I'm with you on that one friend! It took my L183's about 2 years before they finally spawned. Right about the time they did spawn I was questioning everything I had done and whether or not to obtain more females, but trying to get females from a seller (pretty much anywhere) is far from an easy task!

When they do breed though it will make all of that waiting worth it. I'm sure they will but it takes time and you know that.

[apistomaster]

If there is any secret to success with breeding Plecos it is patience.

[Unungy]

If there is any secret to success with breeding Plecos it is patience.

I have to agree on this one Larry.