Gender on Rubberlip Plecos

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vwill279

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Oct 7, 2011
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Vanessa
I would really like to get my rubberlip pleco "Boris" a buddy. However, I've read that putting 2 males in the same tank isnt a good idea. I would love it if someone could tell me what gender my rubberlip is and how to tell so I can get another one with harmony in my tank. I am not looking to breed, but I wouldnt mind babies. He/she does have a little barbel coming out of each side of his/her lips.

Boris.jpg

Boris.jpg
 

Narwhal72

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Aug 13, 2009
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Looks like a male to me. Based on the pictures it looks like you have a Chaetostoma dorsale, but these fish are really hard to identify. In this species the males have larger pelvic fins than the females but it's hard to tell without seeing them next to each other.

In many Chaetostoma species the males are more green in color and the females are more grayish. Not sure if this is true for this species or not.

All Chaetostoma come from cooler, fast flowing, and highly oxygenated streams so make sure you have plenty of current.

Andy
 

vwill279

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Oct 7, 2011
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Vanessa
Thanks for the info! He does look a lot more like the ones in those pictures than all the other rubberlip websites I've been to. They always have ones with bigger black spots. His have always been tiny white spots. He's actually more of a reddish brown most of the time, though he turns a yellowish-tan at night when the lights are out. His tail is particularly red. When he is really happy (hunting zucchini slices) he gets almost black in color with lighter lattitudinal ovals. He hides most of the time, but will battle my goldfish for zucchini slices and enjoys playing in the filter currents :)
 
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