I found a local aquarium store that has a tank with "bushynose plecos" in it. I looked at some pictures online, and the ones I saw don't really look like that. They definitely didn't have the large branches, so I'm assuming the ones at the store are females, if they are in fact BNs. My question is: are there any other characteristics I can look for to determine if they really are BNs? I don't want to come home with a common. I didn't see bristles, but none of them were up on the glass, so I'm not positive. Any ideas? Thanks!

Tammy

My female bristlenoses have small bristles. Certainly not anything like the males I have seen in photos, but enough that you can tell they are bristlenoses Maybe you can get a close look at them the next time you are in the shop.

I will get one of the mods who has lots of baby bristlenoses to take a look at this thread. Maybe she has some hints.

Thanks - I think the pictures would help! I've looked at the pix I can find online, but they all seem to be of mature females, and I think the ones at the shop were wee babies (2 inches maybe?). Cute little critters!

Tammy

With Bristles/Bushnose Plecos,,it's most times very hard to distinguish the sexes.As Val said,some females will get small tentacles-where other females get none at all.
Often times,if you look at a group of them,the females are usually wider at the head area than the males.
Young males.long before they even get a bristle,often show aggression towards other males in the tank,and therefore you will see fish "nudging" other fish.
Truthfully,I've lost track of how many adults I have,and there are still quite a few babies,and none of my females have a bit of bristle at all.
They're not all related either as almost all the adults came from a few different sourses.
Here are a few pics. This is a younger male and a female.

young female.

This is Max.He is Daddy to a lot of babies.If you look closely,you can see his bristles. I have noticed too,that when my males get close to the adult sexual stage,that they start sporting a red patch--right above their eyes.I guess that lets the girls know.

Max and some of his offspring.

female

male===female.

Thank you so much, Devs!!! That last picture really sealed it for me - she looks just like the ones I saw. I didn't see bristles and was suspicious about them being what they were labeled. It's the only place in town I've ever seen BN and I want to make sure that's what they are before I bring home a fish-sucking common! Thanks again!

Thanks, Devs! Great pictures I love the one with daddy and babies!

Your welcome guys.Hey,I have about a gazillion more pics if we get bored here.

More pix are always welcome!

I love the huge branches on the males - I would love to have one like that someday.

Sharon I am officially bored (= please please more pics!!!)

Jeebles I never saw anything so cute as the dad and all those plec babies and that red patch- that is so interesting. I am desperately trying to sex my 2..one surely has a bigger head than the other, still trying to get a good close up pic. Plecs are fascinating. I just LOVE them.

Do yours get into fights ?and if so do they get injured - they seem so hardy. One of mine chase the other the whole length of the tank when he goes near his cucumber patch...so now I have two feeding places and they seem to have their territory stamped. Would love it if I had a female and a male.