How to sex plecos

[Ballinxalex]

I have 2 green phantoms and I'm wondering how do u sex them and maybe if they would breed ?

[mistahoo]

Female plecos in general are bigger and more plump. You can't know for sure until they are matured, which can be 2-5 years depending on the species. Some plecos are more apparent like BN plecos where males tend to have bristles and females have short or no bristles.

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[Ballinxalex]

I'm pretty sure there old since there 5 in atleast but have no clue of the sex of them

[mistahoo]

They get up to 7"

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[Ballinxalex]

Has anybody bred them ?

[mistahoo]

I still don't know the sex of my L095s. They're pushing 6-7" and have some good girth to them. I know they're paired, but no clue which is the male or female as they're not fully matured.

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[mistahoo]

I'm sure they've been bred before as they're not very rare and have been in the hobby for some time now.

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[Ballinxalex]

Mine dont seem so paired up lol more like opposites of the tank

[mistahoo]

Mine stick together like white rice. One will swim to the other side of the tank and then the other will follow right after.

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[morpheus]

Most plecos other than BN are difficult to tell. They do need to be older. Male green phantoms can get to around 10", and females 8" or so. People sex them by features such as males having bulkier heads or are hairier on fins/cheeks, females are more rounded...which is all relative. They can breed at half their full size, and are cave spawners, so having a variety of places to pick from is ideal. Clay pots, rock caves, pvc pipe, etc. Usually just buy a group and hope some pair off

[troy tucker]

Check and see what planet catfish has on thim.

[mistahoo]

Check and see what planet catfish has on thim.

Nada

[Ballinxalex]

Well I guess imma go with trying to breed albino bn plecos so I can feel up my troph tanks lol

[mistahoo]

Most plecos other than BN are difficult to tell. They do need to be older. Male green phantoms can get to around 10", and females 8" or so. People sex them by features such as males having bulkier heads or are hairier on fins/cheeks, females are more rounded...which is all relative. They can breed at half their full size, and are cave spawners, so having a variety of places to pick from is ideal. Clay pots, rock caves, pvc pipe, etc. Usually just buy a group and hope some pair off

Even those features are not a foolproof way of sexing them. The only way to know for sure when they start showing signs of breeding. You'd have to watch them for a bit.

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[troy tucker]

Its best to start with a group of 6 to 10. Give them lots of caves. and the male and females will find each other.
Bristlenoses are pretty easy to breed. I have three difrent pairs.