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Captain Jim

Captain Jim

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May 12, 2012
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I think I'd best get my bristlenose a friend of some sort. I can't get him to eat very much it seems and he won't come out from his driftwood. Fairly certain it's a he all I know is he has lots of bristles. Can I be pretty sure a 3 inch pleco with "light bristles" would be female? She would look a little more stout, right? Thank you, Jim
 
vwill279

vwill279

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Oct 7, 2011
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Vanessa
It takes them a while to develop the bristles though, so there is no guarantee if you get a young one with no bristles that it will end up being female. Two male plecos may not get along (depending on the size of your tank), so it may be best for you to find an adult, mature female so you can be sure you are getting compatible fish.
 
excuzzzeme

excuzzzeme

Stroke Survivor '05
Mar 29, 2007
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Females may or may not have bristles. They will be more fat or rounder than a male, which is hard to judge when you have just one. It is pretty obvious when you have several. The nose has a tendency to be a bit more rounded on females. Even though a female may have bristles, they won't be as numerous as they are on a male. You really need to look at all indicators and not rely on just one or two. As stated, 2 males don't get along very well but more than one male can be kept in a tank as long as they have separate caves to call home. I have about 6 in a 40 breeder and can tell male from female only because of others to compare it to.
 
Captain Jim

Captain Jim

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May 12, 2012
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You guys verify and make much more clear some info I have gleaned from some hurried and panicky research I had done. Much more clear. Petluvr... no he is the chocolate brown type. He came out early today- hanging on side glass. Makes me think he may be hungry. I should go to store and get him some green beans. I don't think he likes zucchini or algae wafers much. I vacuum his floor a lot. Reason I'm nervous about him is I bought two 55 gallon tanks from a lady, fish and all. So I had to learn a lot quick. She was too upset about giving up her fish to be a lot of help. He is about three and a half inches long.. So probably not a year old yet ,right? I've had him about 5 weeks now and I really like him.Would he possibly like cooked apple?
 
M

mudskipper10

Sharkie
Jan 24, 2011
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If hes three and a half hes a year. If it was three inches with few bristles it would most likely be a female
( take my answer with a grain of salt, i learned this from recent research ive never kept them before.) i dont think hed like apple, even cooked.
 
stephcps

stephcps

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Jun 2, 2009
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Don't worry too much about him being in his driftwood....that is what they do. When they do come out being stuck to the glass is also what they do. So, his behavior so far....is pretty normal for a bristlenose. You may have to offer new food several times before he takes to it. They usually like zucchini....I agree with other advice you have rec'd. If you for sure want a female...best to get an adult. I once had a brown one I thought was a female for like a year....all of a sudden "she" had massive bristles!! They just mature so slowly.....
 
Captain Jim

Captain Jim

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May 12, 2012
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Thank you people.. everybody agrees here.. I like my chances of finding a fairly mature female. And I'll keep offering some vegetables. He doesn't pick- he'll go a day or so then gorge. But he's cool. Thanks a bunch!... Jim
 
oo7genie

oo7genie

Hello my fintime gal...
Nov 18, 2010
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Yup, everything sounds very typical of a BN Pleco.

Keep at the zucchini, once he gives it a shot, he'll love it. Never met a BN that didn't. Cucumber is good as well. I tend to feed a bit of each as a treat once a week, and algae wafers as a daily to bi-daily staple. There is a chance that he doesn't like the specific brand of algae wafers. I know my BN, and in fact, all of my bottom feeders can be quite picky about them. An example is that I haven't run across a fish yet that likes the TetraVeggie "Extreme" Algae Wafers, or this one specific type of meaty wafer from Ken's Fish (though they love many other Ken's products).
 
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