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Hello, I just bought these 2 L168's in hope of them being a male and female. The only clue I went after was how "hairy" they were with males being hairier.

The one one the right is the presumed male and the left is presumed female



Closeup of "male"



Closeup of "female"



Here's a bottom shot if it helps anything



Is my assumption accurate or did I get a male and a sub dominant male or none of the above? Also what to look for If I want to buy a female
Thanks all

Looks like two makes to me. Sorry,
Eric

bekateen wrote: 17 Oct 2021, 07:09 Looks like two makes to me. Sorry,
Eric

Thanks for the quick reply Eric, BTW do know any ques to look for when looking for a female? But more importantly these are wild imports and I'm wondering if it's a common thing that the females get sorted before shipping? ie what are the chances of me finding a female, I hope my question makes sense.

The hairy tails makes me too think two males too. I normaly buy 6-10 to grow out.

Koi-fantast wrote: 17 Oct 2021, 18:26 The hairy tails makes me too think two males too. I normaly buy 6-10 to grow out.

That would be the best case scenario, all the ones that are available are wild adults and I highly suspect that the females are sorted out at the source.

Myself, I sex them by the odontodes on their pectoral spines. Like Koi-fantast, I but a group of juveniles and raise them up.

Cheers, Eric

I have a good relation with that store so they let me sift through them for half an hour, I think they got all males.
Please some one point me out if you spot one in the pics

I was suspecting that this one (top right) was a female but I'm not sure

I hate to say it, but those all appear to be males to me.

Sorry,
Eric

They are not being sorted at the source. It s the method of collection that radically skews the availability of females for many loricariids. Divers search crevices in stones and use sticks to extricate the individuals they locate. As "caves" are primarily inhabited by males trying to attract mates and\or guarding fry\eggs collection produces greatly skewed sex ratios.
-Shane

bekateen wrote: 19 Oct 2021, 05:21 I hate to say it, but those all appear to be males to me.

Sorry,
Eric

Yep, wasn't expecting much from that trip anyways.

Shane wrote: 19 Oct 2021, 12:11 They are not being sorted at the source. It s the method of collection that radically skews the availability of females for many loricariids. Divers search crevices in stones and use sticks to extricate the individuals they locate. As "caves" are primarily inhabited by males trying to attract mates and\or guarding fry\eggs collection produces greatly skewed sex ratios.
-Shane

Thanks for the info Shane, never had an idea about that. But that makes me think where would the females generally be? In my brain they are all cave/crevice dwellers, or do females generally inhibit open water? Interesting stuff

Females will seek shelter when frightened and thus are caught from time to time. Otherwise, just like in aquariums, they are either foraging so they can produce eggs or are visiting different males searching for a mate. However, once spawning takes place they are kicked into the open again.
-Shane