Sexing L244

[Mol_PMB]

I have a young L244. I've had it a couple of months now and it seems to be doing well in my blackwater biotope tank. I was wondering if it is old enough to identify sex yet, and whether any of you experts could give me some pointers.

Here are a selection of pics from various angles including both sides, top and bottom.

Many thanks for the advice

 

[Bigjohnnofish]

very nice looking fish... i havent had any experience with this type of fish before but if i was a betting man i'd put my money on a male

 

[Mol_PMB]

Thanks

I was coming to the same conclusion but it's difficult without a pair to compare.

I bought this fish on a bit of a whim to be honest - saw it in a shop (they only had the one) and thought it was very pretty. I did check its max size and water parameters etc before buying, but I had no idea how unusual they were. I've been looking in shops and online since and not seen another one.


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[bigbird]

very hard indeed. still think it is too small to sex. wait 6-12months and repost again. cheers jk :thumbup:

 

[Mol_PMB]

Thanks I'll grow him/her on a bit and keep an eye out for any more of the species on sale.
The 'L-numbers' book I have suggests that these are almost impossible to keep in captivity but neither I nor little Yanomami read the book before I made the purchase and my little L244 seems happy and hungry so far


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[Bigjohnnofish]

books can be wrong... people just like you and me write these books based on evidence and personal experience with this fish.... and none of us are 100% correct 100% of the time....

so good luck with your fish and hope you find a mate for it and breed them in the 1000's... then send them to all corners of the globe so we can all enjoy them :thumbup:

 

[Mol_PMB]

I have found a shop with 5 L244's I am going to have a look this evening.
I don't have space for them all at the moment. Considering buying the two most-female looking ones for now, or alternatively reserving them all and accelerating the commissioning of a new or temporary tank...


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[Mol_PMB]

Well they did have five L244s, most quite big (5" or so) and some of them were definitely hairy boys.

They were in a very busy tank with about a hundred Cories and half a dozen other small plecos. Some of the bigger ones had paler patches on them - maybe just a bit of stress colouring.

There was one smaller one, more like 3.5" long but looked a bit happier and also looked more female than the rest to me. Less/no hair and a more angular head.

I decided to buy just that one for now, and make a decision on the others once I have a bigger tank set up to suit a group.

She (hopefully she) is acclimatising now. I have the challenge of slowly adjusting the water from the pH 6.8 and TDS 2100 in the shop to my blackwater conditions of pH 6.4 and TDS 50. This might take a while...



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[Mol_PMB]

My new L244 'Maquichimi':



Compared to my existing L244 'Yanomami' (pics earlier in the thread) this one is a little bigger, has a more angular head shape and does not appear to have hairs on the fins.

I hope this indicates that the new one is a female. Or have I got it completely wrong? I'm afraid this is the only whole-fish photo I have so far though I've seen the fish a few times this evening so there's a fair chance I can get more pics over the next week or so.

'Yanomami' is still quite young but initial guesses were that he was male, so I may now have one of each. They seem to be tolerating each other so far.

I have the option of buying up to 4 more. They are all bigger (~5") and most if not all have hairy fins and flattish rounded heads. So I think that would make them males. Unfortunately the tank in the shop was so full of Cories that photos of the shy plecos at the back were impossible.

I've never tried to breed plecos before. If these were L144 then one of each sex and a suitable cave would probably give me a limitless supply of fry, but L244 may be more complicated:
- Is one of each sex a good starting point?
- Should I buy another one (or more) bigger males?
- Should I keep looking for more females?
- I'm going to be setting up and cycling a new 240-litre 4-foot tank over the next month or so and am planning to move them into there. If I put my 30 rummy-nose tetras in as well, will that help or hinder pleco breeding?

Any thoughts welcome

Thanks,
Paul



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[bigbird]

my thoughts are do not buy any more if you get these 5. You will then get territorial disputes and battles for a cave with serious poss damage to anybody or anything around you. They are stunning fish though. wow cheers jk :thumbup:

 

[L-ko]

Hi Paul,

you can read some informations about Pseudolithoxus dumus (L244) there.
Good luck.

Greetings
Elko

 

[Mol_PMB]

Thank you both!

At the moment I have my original small one and one additional fish, which was the smallest of the 5 available but still a little bigger than the one I had before.

So far they are sharing the space in the bottom of the tank peacefully and although they are often at opposite corners, I have seen them together on the same rock or even once side-by-side on the glass only a few inches apart. I've not seen any aggression. Also they haven't got their 'own' territory and quite often seem to alternate between the favoured locations.

I won't get any more until I have the new 4-foot 240L tank set up and cycled.

Hopefully by then the sex of my existing two fish may be a bit clearer, and I can decide if it's a good idea to get more and which sexes to look for.



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[Mol_PMB]

Recent pics, one of each fish




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[Mol_PMB]

I hope you don't mind if I keep adding pics here.

The two fish seem to be getting on remarkably well together in a busy tank, while they wait for me to get my new 4-footer set up for them. Here are some pics.

My original and smaller 'Yanomami' is usually in a 'yellow' mood as here, though sometimes he feels brown. The newer and bigger 'Maquichimi' has settled in quickly in 5 days, and seems at home already, though so far is always in a brown mood.

Sorry about the reflections!

http://www.plecoplanet.com/forum/photoplog/images/126249/1_maquichimi_4.jpg

 

[Brengun]

Looking good.

 

[Mol_PMB]

Thanks

Here's another pic of the bigger one in a relaxed pose later last night.
Both fish are very active and spend a lot of time out in the open - as long as I approach the tank slowly I can usually get photos of them without startling them




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