do all bn plecos have bristles?

[johnm]

I had my lfs order some bn plecos, they arrived today and all 6 which are about 1.5-2inches do not have any bristles. She called her distributor and they told her she received 6 female bn plecos. What are the chances of this happening? I think they may have pulled one over on them. Do the bristles develop at a certain age or do females not have them at all?

[Elite Aquaria]

Females do not have them at all. Males get them at about 2 inches. You can tell the difference between the males and females. Males are longer and slimmer while females are fatter.

Dan

[johnm]

what differentiates the female bn pleco from any other pleco since they do not have the bristles? The lady at the lfs thought they may be rubber lip plecos.

[Apistomaster]

The common BN is Ancistrus sp 3. The males often begin to get the beginnings of bristles at 1.5 inches and can spawn at as little as 2-1/2 inches. See the Bushy Nose stickys or www.planetcatfish.com for all things Bushy Nose.

Rubber Lip Plecos are members of Chaetostoma which are typically cool water fish from higher elevation fast moving streams. These fish do not belong in Discus tanks.