Wow! Thank you so much! Especially for the link. He was so very tiny when I first got him and now he seems so much larger!It's a clown pleco Panaqolus maccus (Loricariidae) Cat-eLog (planetcatfish.com)
Nice little fish, I've a few over the years. They are quite nocturnal so give it a hiding spot for daytime & some food after lights out but room lights still on.
Thank you so much for information! I will try to get a better picture. Maybe I'll see something? LolI can't tell its gender. The link I posted tells how...for adults in breeding season. Maybe I always had females, I don't remember any bristly parts. Plecos can have them on the pectoral spines (usually very fine) sometime coming from the gills or along the "plates" over the body, or like ancistrus, bushy noses (mostly ancistrus species...I think, maybe others). I don't know about genital papillae either...Unless yours is close to 3 inches or so & it feels like breeding (or fighting) you might not see any signs. I didn't with mine but I kept only 1 at a time, no other clown plec to show off to either way. Female plecos & many other fish show a more rounded "tummy" area. That's the best I can do.
Excellent idea! I'll wait for lights out Thanks for the info!Maybe you will!! If you can, try for a pic after tanks lights go off but room lights are still on. Mine often grazed on the front glass for maybe a better view of pectoral bristles, "girly" full rounded tummies or genital papillae. I won't be much help for that last 1, I think I've only seen that in wood cats & maybe a couple others. Planetcatfish & google are your friends...but we'd love to see pics! Maybe someone else here knows...I'm no expert but I am interested.
I get to see mine all the time, however never on the glass. How big is he now?I have 1 clown pleco in my aquarium - had him for 4 years so far; i get to see him once every 8 months or so - for the longest time i thought he died till he showed up.