Hi Wayne,
you're obviously very into these fish but do you keep any in a community tank? It's great to see so many together and I hope you have much success with the breeding.
I've had one since last year that used to come out at feeding time and occasionally but now I never see it.
I always felt it was a female as she was a chunky looking fish with no hairs, but when I had her in my hand recently while doing a tank re scape, she had hairs around the rear quarter, none up front though.
I bought a male recently and now the two of them don't come out to feed! I'm pretty sure they're all over the place at night but the cucmber I put in which used to get devoured is left untouched.
I don't feel like giving up on this fish. It was my first plecs and they're such a great looking fish to keep. So I'm looking for two more to add and hopefully then I will start to see them more often. I reallydo t mind them hiding but to occasionally see them is all I need

should I try to buy 2 females? Do the males hide more than the females in tanks as well as in the wild?
Thanks,
Gavin