The Wrong Pleco???

Kyohti

Curiouser and Curiouser...
Jan 5, 2007
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Northeastern Oklahoma
I special ordered a 4" bristlenose pleco (no gender specified) from my LFS. She only normally carries either commons or a mixed variety that is unspecified in the order. The lady didn't seem very well versed in the different varieties of pleco at all. She even accidentally charged me less for it(I paid $17 for what should've been $22 by her book).

Well, my boyfriend picked (her?) up for me while I was at work for the day and I saw her the next day and I'm perplexed!! I know that female bristlenoses don't have as many 'bristles'... but she's completely naked of them!! So I figured if she is a bristlenose, she must be female, right? The only growths on her head area are a barbel on either side of her sucker mouth. Her whole body looks like it's covered in fine little 'teeth' along with the usual pleco body armor. She almost looks like a common, only a little lighter and with those hair-like teeth along her body and fins.

She's a rather non-descript motley brown color... have I been given the wrong fish?? If so, any ideas on what type of pleco she might be? I will supply photos as soon as I can borrow my friend's camera.
 
my females don't have any bristles
 
Seems all the pictures I've been able to google showed females with at least a few little stumpy ones or bumps on that gill spine they have. I just wanted to make sure she ordered me the right fish.

Even the bristlenoses my aunt had, male and female, had bristles of different sizes, so I was a little concerned.

Any advice on care and maintenance? She's going in a cichlid tank with a high pH. I have driftdood and a healthy growth of algae and I intend to supplement with shelled peas, shrimp pellets, and then algae wafers once she grazes down the natural growth. She also gets some of the goldfish crumbles , mashed cocktail shrimp, and cichlid flakes from the other fishes.

Is this good enough?
 
Seems all the pictures I've been able to google showed females with at least a few little stumpy ones or bumps on that gill spine they have. I just wanted to make sure she ordered me the right fish.

Even the bristlenoses my aunt had, male and female, had bristles of different sizes, so I was a little concerned.

Any advice on care and maintenance? She's going in a cichlid tank with a high pH. I have driftdood and a healthy growth of algae and I intend to supplement with shelled peas, shrimp pellets, and then algae wafers once she grazes down the natural growth. She also gets some of the goldfish crumbles , mashed cocktail shrimp, and cichlid flakes from the other fishes.

Is this good enough?
yeah....

shes probably a female. you can usually tell a BN pleco for their very large, shovel shaped heads and very rounded noses IME.

my female BN pleco never has eaten animal matter to my knowledge, she might just be an oddball, though.
 
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