Odd Duck Posted April 9, 2022 Share Posted April 9, 2022 (edited) I’m trying to determine the sex of my gold nugget pleco, L018. I’m looking to compare genital papillae. If you have pictures of the ventrum, specifically of the genital papilla, we might be able to tell some difference between male and female using a comparison to other species and comparison between multiple individuals. Let’s put some information together and see what we can figure out, if anything. Pic of topside then ventrum of mine that I suspect may be a male. Edited April 9, 2022 by Odd Duck Add another pic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Folk Posted April 9, 2022 Share Posted April 9, 2022 @Jane Smith @mvh pets @Stephen Zawacki @alexa_s @Hilary -- I think these folks have, at one time or another, shared that they keep Gold Nugget Plecos. I sure would love some, someday! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hilary Posted April 9, 2022 Share Posted April 9, 2022 These are old photos. I don’t know what gender mine is either. It’s never mattered to me since I have no intentions of trying to breed them. Planet catfish does have an article on the species and a couple breeding reports that might help with identifying the sex. https://www.planetcatfish.com/common/species.php?species_id=153 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandon p Posted April 9, 2022 Share Posted April 9, 2022 It’s hard to tell you need a photo from right above. I know that is asking a lot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Folk Posted April 9, 2022 Share Posted April 9, 2022 here is an article with info: https://badmanstropicalfish.com/gold-nugget-pleco/#-_How_Can_You_Tell_If_a_Fish_Is_Male_or_Female From what I'm reading, it is nearly impossible to sex them until (1) they're fully mature (2) you have males and females to compare against The entire internet seems agreed they can't be bred at home . . . which makes me want to break the internet, and prove it wrong! As @Brandon p suggests, a top-down photo is very helpful. Can you get a wide pan, drain some tank water in, and temporarily move your pleco there to get a clear top-down photo? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odd Duck Posted April 10, 2022 Author Share Posted April 10, 2022 There is pretty much zero chance that I’ll be able to catch this kiddo out of the 100 G, heavy planted nanofish tank with 3 wood pieces, a stack of slate and 6 pleco caves. I’m pretty sure I would have to strip the tank to get him out. I’m hoping if we get enough pics that using that as a comparison, plus overall width of head relative to body, shapes of noses, etc, that we might be able to better determine sex. Trying to build a data base. I’ve spent most of this morning reading reports, have read both of the “breeding reports” on the other site that is all about different kinds of catfish (one is barely any info). I’ve already read the link you posted @Fish Folk, plus about a dozen others. If we can compile enough data points, I think we can do it. @Hilary, are the ventrum photos you posted at significantly different ages? The second photo has no distinction to the papilla and the fish just looks younger (notably more translucent skin, for instance) but in the first photo, the genital papilla looks very similar to my subadult common plecos and they are both definitively male. I’m not certain that my kiddo is mature enough to sex, but my gut is telling me my kid is hitting tween to teen just based on size and recent behavior. My guy’s skin and papilla area looks much more similar to your second photo than your first photo. The most significant report I found was somebody that had a powerhead that happened to be aimed at a cave where breeding took place. They are a fast stream species and that seemed to be what triggered the first breeding and fairly reliably triggered other breedings, according to that report. There was another report that suggested tubes instead of caves and aiming a small powerhead right through the tube. On 4/9/2022 at 10:09 AM, Fish Folk said: here is an article with info: https://badmanstropicalfish.com/gold-nugget-pleco/#-_How_Can_You_Tell_If_a_Fish_Is_Male_or_Female From what I'm reading, it is nearly impossible to sex them until (1) they're fully mature (2) you have males and females to compare against The entire internet seems agreed they can't be bred at home . . . which makes me want to break the internet, and prove it wrong! As @Brandon p suggests, a top-down photo is very helpful. Can you get a wide pan, drain some tank water in, and temporarily move your pleco there to get a clear top-down photo? If I could catch him, I would be planning to put him in with the angels. He’s really going to get larger than I wanted for the nanofish tank. I had no other suitable tank when I got him, so this is where he went when he got done with his QT so many months ago. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Folk Posted April 10, 2022 Share Posted April 10, 2022 Look into this… Pretty easy to place anywhere. External magnet holds in place well. We used to trigger Corydoras to breed. I’m using one now with my Redbelly Dace. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Folk Posted April 10, 2022 Share Posted April 10, 2022 This Canadian cracks me up. I remember these interviews with a German catfish specialist, Daniel Konn-Vetterlein… You might also reach out to Freshwater Exotics, and seek to learn specific information on the waters where these are collected… https://freshwaterexotics.com/l18-baryancistrus-xanthellus-gold-nugget-cw/ They might be able to share with you precise measurements… TDS, Conductivity, etc. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odd Duck Posted April 10, 2022 Author Share Posted April 10, 2022 On 4/9/2022 at 8:55 PM, Fish Folk said: Look into this… Pretty easy to place anywhere. External magnet holds in place well. We used to trigger Corydoras to breed. I’m using one now with my Redbelly Dace. That’s what I was planning, but I only have one gold nugget so far and don’t know gender. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odd Duck Posted April 12, 2022 Author Share Posted April 12, 2022 Any other gold nugget pics? Even unknown gender. I’m just looking for comparisons. Mature, or immature. Doesn’t matter. Best would be a pic on the glass of whole body and one of the vent area. Top down and side of the head would also be helpful. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guppysnail Posted April 12, 2022 Share Posted April 12, 2022 On 4/9/2022 at 9:47 PM, Odd Duck said: catch this kiddo out of the 100 G, heavy planted nanofish tank with 3 wood pieces, a stack of slate and 6 pleco caves. If you can do this you will forever be a fish catching deity! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odd Duck Posted April 13, 2022 Author Share Posted April 13, 2022 On 4/12/2022 at 6:55 PM, Guppysnail said: If you can do this you will forever be a fish catching deity! I know, it’s ridiculous! But he has a favorite spot and I might just get stupid lucky and be able to just pick him up if he’s in “his spot”. Otherwise, the chase hand into the fixed net would be my next tactic. I swear this boy is coming into puberty. He’s always been active, but he’s getting more and more active, restless acting. His ventral skin is getting more opaque and mature looking, and his genital papilla is looking more and more like my male common plecos every day. It’s stupid to even think about the timing on this, but I might start looking for another big tank. What is wrong with me? 🤦🏻♀️ 🤦🏻♀️ 🤦🏻♀️ You can tell I’ve been spending far too much of my free time thinking about this if I’m seriously contemplating getting another big tank and free handing my favorite pleco of all time into it. 🤦🏻♀️ 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now