L 239 baryancistrus beggini

[longplay]

Hello to everybody

I'm asking for some help about this species.
Want to by pair of them, but i can't find what's the differences between male and female.
Are there any visible differences?
Can anybody explain, please.

Best regards

[MatsP]

It can be very difficult to tell in the shop, as the fishes are often not sufficiently mature and good condition to show good signs of sex. The same general rules as other

Baryancistrus

species applies:

• Males have more odontodal growth on pectorals and behind the gill-cover.
• Males have a broader head, the body being widest at the gill-cover
• Females in good condition will be noticably wider around the halfway point between pectoral and ventral region.

However, as I said, that's not easy to say from fish in a shop, as they are often on the brink of starvation and likely also not mature enough.

--
Mats

[Rohan Richardson]

The fin on the top of the back just prior to the tail fin is often rounded in females and sharp or hooked in males within baryancistrus species.
I hope this helps you as i must admit this is another species that i care to gain an adult pair/trio for breeding although in Australia we have extremely restrictive importation laws on South American catfish making obtaining breeding stock very expensive and difficult to achieve unlike other countries hence very few renowned breeders are Aussies instead of American or German/European. I quite often sex 2cm fish ie. L333's(via the ventral fins an easy thing to do when you know how) yet because of the nature of catfish breeding in Australia too many people would prefer to throw stones(saying this isn't possible) instead of actually looking for the differences themselves and learning. If you manage to get a pair or trio have a go at breeding them as i believe like most baryancistrus species it is only that they are rarely bred that throws people away from breeding them successfully. Best of luck getting them and breeding them.
Rohan R

[MatsP]

I didn't say it was impossible to sex small/young fish. However, smaller and/or poor condition fish is much harder to sex than mature, well conditioned fish.

Do you have some pictures (or words) to describe how you tell the difference between sexes in Hypanicstrus species? How reliable is this method (i.e. you say you have done this many times - how many, and what is your record of success)?

[edit]
I'd say the lack of success in breeding most of (particularly larger) Loricariidae is largely a combination of two things:
1. Most people keep a single specimen - that will certainly not work as a breeding project.
2. Many species are quite demanding, and simply to keep them alive for a longer time frame is a challenge. The subject of this thread is definitely one of those that come in to shops in poor condition, and long term survival is low once they get to the keepers tank.
3. It is likely that some concerted effort is needed to produce a spawn.

The fact that many species that hadn't been bred before are now being successfully spawned in captivity is evidence of this.
[/edit]

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Mats

[longplay]

Thank you.
There is only 2 of them in the shop. But, 2 males

Maybe, next time. But, now i know how to see the difference.
In my country, i can't see many times L numbers in shop. Till now, i have L 010a, L 190, L 201 and L 015.


It's to bad that i couldn't find a pair of this beautifull blue panaque .

Best regards

[inkyjenn]

they are RIDICULOUSLY hard to keep. in my experience, keep an eye out for parasites, and having a MATURE tank is essential to keeping them. quarantine is hard on them unless there is substrate and wood and plants for them. they tend to be super picky eaters, so having stones coated in fishfood/egg white is almost a necessity. they get ich easily, but fortunately, it seems to be easy to treat (unlike loaches). they tend to be sensitive to water parameters and one thing out of whack can throw them off.

i would recommend picking these guys up one at a time. check their condition CAREFULLY before bringing them home. if they already have sunken bellies, they are probably too far gone to recover. ive had a total of 5. i actually have 2 now. i bought a batch of 3 and they died like flies in under a week. after much searching, i found a place that had 2 that had been there for several months. you could see them eating. you could see them swimming around. even then, the one i brought home stopped eating in qt, got heater burns, got ich and had a fish louse (HUGE). now however, she appears to be fat and happy.

again, all of this has just been my experience.