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Re: Bristlenose sexing



Hugo Hoekstra wrote:

> I have 2 temminckiis 

First, are you 100 % sure that they are of same species?  Are they from
same litter, or at least from the same breeder?  There are over 50
Ancistrus species, and many of them are nearly impossible to tell apart.
To make things more difficult, color, size and beard size and shape vary a
lot inside a species too, especially in the "common bristlenose", which is
widely bred in numerous countries (anybody want few baby bristlies?) As
the whole genus Ancistrus is under reclassification now by Swiss Sonia
Muller, it is best not to use any certain sci names from the dark
brownish, light-spotted species until she has figured out who is who.

> because one of 4 cm has a wide mouth, but also a bigger bellie and a 
> big head, compared to the other one. It's also beginning to develop 
> some very tiny bristles. 

Sounds like a male, but could also be a female from a species where girls
have beard too.

> Other one is 3 cm and has  clearly a slimmer head but a more round
> mouth. 

Could be a female but could also be just younger and less fat.

> Pectoral fin rays are about the same, how many rays should be spiky?

Just the first one.  I don't think that they have much spikes there before
reaching sexual maturity - at that time males are 7-10 cm, females 5-7 cm
long.

OBplant: Baby bristlenoses make excellent algae eaters for tiny tanks.
Just put them into bigger tank or sell them when they get too big, and
replace them with few babies from the next litter (and you have a breeding
pair of your own, naturally).  They are rather hardy even as only 2 cm
long.  I have bristlenoses in all my four tanks and couldn't imagine life
without them!  

(and to Anton: SAE is Crossocheilus siamensis.  Many older books list it
as Epalzeorhynchus siamensis.  And it is not "Latin" but scientific name!)

Liisa