{"id":2422,"date":"2022-01-04T17:54:59","date_gmt":"2022-01-04T17:54:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/?p=2422"},"modified":"2023-11-05T14:36:14","modified_gmt":"2023-11-05T14:36:14","slug":"sexing-plecos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/sexing-plecos\/","title":{"rendered":"Sexing Pleco Catfish: Pleco Male or Female? (With Pictures)"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"2422\" class=\"elementor elementor-2422\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-bfb1ace elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"bfb1ace\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;jet_parallax_layout_list&quot;:[{&quot;jet_parallax_layout_image&quot;:{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;id&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;&quot;},&quot;_id&quot;:&quot;7e662aa&quot;,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_image_tablet&quot;:{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;id&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;&quot;},&quot;jet_parallax_layout_image_mobile&quot;:{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;id&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;&quot;},&quot;jet_parallax_layout_speed&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;%&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:50,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;jet_parallax_layout_type&quot;:&quot;scroll&quot;,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_direction&quot;:null,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_fx_direction&quot;:null,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_z_index&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_bg_x&quot;:50,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_bg_x_tablet&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_bg_x_mobile&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_bg_y&quot;:50,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_bg_y_tablet&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_bg_y_mobile&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_bg_size&quot;:&quot;auto&quot;,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_bg_size_tablet&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_bg_size_mobile&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_animation_prop&quot;:&quot;transform&quot;,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_on&quot;:[&quot;desktop&quot;,&quot;tablet&quot;]}]}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-d259582\" data-id=\"d259582\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-32d13a8 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"32d13a8\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<style>\/*! elementor - v3.17.0 - 01-11-2023 *\/\n.elementor-widget-text-editor.elementor-drop-cap-view-stacked .elementor-drop-cap{background-color:#69727d;color:#fff}.elementor-widget-text-editor.elementor-drop-cap-view-framed .elementor-drop-cap{color:#69727d;border:3px solid;background-color:transparent}.elementor-widget-text-editor:not(.elementor-drop-cap-view-default) .elementor-drop-cap{margin-top:8px}.elementor-widget-text-editor:not(.elementor-drop-cap-view-default) .elementor-drop-cap-letter{width:1em;height:1em}.elementor-widget-text-editor .elementor-drop-cap{float:left;text-align:center;line-height:1;font-size:50px}.elementor-widget-text-editor .elementor-drop-cap-letter{display:inline-block}<\/style>\t\t\t\t<p>If you&#8217;re planning to <a href=\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/breeding-pleco-catfish\/\">breed pleco catfish<\/a> in your aquarium, it&#8217;s important to know how to tell the difference between a male and a female. Sometimes this is quite easy, and sometimes you need a trained eye to tell the difference.<\/p><p>If you are having a hard time sexing your pleco catfish, keep reading to know everything about the difference between male and female catfish.\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-56e111f elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"56e111f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<style>\/*! elementor - v3.17.0 - 01-11-2023 *\/\n.elementor-heading-title{padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title[class*=elementor-size-]>a{color:inherit;font-size:inherit;line-height:inherit}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-small{font-size:15px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-medium{font-size:19px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-large{font-size:29px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-xl{font-size:39px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-xxl{font-size:59px}<\/style><h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Bristlenose Plecoc male vs female<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-89c67e2 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"89c67e2\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Bristlenose plecos are one of the easiest catfish to tell whether they are male or female. The only thing you have to do when you just bought your bristlenose pleco is wait. Yes, wait. Only after the pleco has aged these characteristics will become visible. But what are the differences between a male and female bristlenose pleco, exactly?<\/p><p><strong>Male britlenose plecos will develop barbel-like tentacles called bristles all over their faces. Females have a smooth snout. These characteristics usually become visible at 8 months of age. Females will also be more plumped, but stay a little smaller and have a wider head.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-inner-section elementor-element elementor-element-ab5659c elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"ab5659c\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;jet_parallax_layout_list&quot;:[{&quot;jet_parallax_layout_image&quot;:{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;id&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;&quot;},&quot;_id&quot;:&quot;a1e4f1d&quot;,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_image_tablet&quot;:{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;id&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;&quot;},&quot;jet_parallax_layout_image_mobile&quot;:{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;id&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;&quot;},&quot;jet_parallax_layout_speed&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;%&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:50,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;jet_parallax_layout_type&quot;:&quot;scroll&quot;,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_direction&quot;:null,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_fx_direction&quot;:null,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_z_index&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_bg_x&quot;:50,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_bg_x_tablet&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_bg_x_mobile&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_bg_y&quot;:50,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_bg_y_tablet&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_bg_y_mobile&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_bg_size&quot;:&quot;auto&quot;,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_bg_size_tablet&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_bg_size_mobile&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_animation_prop&quot;:&quot;transform&quot;,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_on&quot;:[&quot;desktop&quot;,&quot;tablet&quot;]}]}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-inner-column elementor-element elementor-element-35a8de7\" data-id=\"35a8de7\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e77c248 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"e77c248\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<style>\/*! elementor - v3.17.0 - 01-11-2023 *\/\n.elementor-widget-image{text-align:center}.elementor-widget-image a{display:inline-block}.elementor-widget-image a img[src$=\".svg\"]{width:48px}.elementor-widget-image img{vertical-align:middle;display:inline-block}<\/style>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"308\" src=\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/6941368673_280e454ae3_w.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-2445\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/6941368673_280e454ae3_w.jpg 400w, https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/6941368673_280e454ae3_w-300x231.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7b0f14a elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"7b0f14a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Female<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-inner-column elementor-element elementor-element-b35f444\" data-id=\"b35f444\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d583305 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"d583305\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"308\" src=\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/6941368515_384806aaf0_w-e1641390185941.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-2444\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/6941368515_384806aaf0_w-e1641390185941.jpg 400w, https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/6941368515_384806aaf0_w-e1641390185941-300x231.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c1b1959 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"c1b1959\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Male<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-70a4ee7 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"70a4ee7\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPhotos by <a href=\"https:\/\/flic.kr\/p\/bzok2v\">Fran Estevez<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ad7985f elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"ad7985f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>It&#8217;s important to note that very mature females occasionally show bristles too. These bristles will however be smaller and only appear around their nose (males show bristles on top of their head, too).<\/p><p>Even though looking at the snout is the easiest way to tell the difference between male and female bristlenose plecos, there are some difference ways, too.<\/p><ul><li><strong>Head shape &#8211;\u00a0<\/strong>Females tend to have a broader and bigger head than males.<\/li><li><strong>Touching the snout &#8211; <\/strong>If you touch the snout of a male, it will feel more soft than that of a female. The snout of a female feels like your knuckle.<\/li><li><strong>Behavior &#8211;\u00a0<\/strong>If you have a cave in your tank, there&#8217;s a big chance a male will claim it along side its own territory. Females tend to roam around the tank more, not having their own spot.<\/li><li><strong>Odontodes on pectoral fins &#8211;\u00a0<\/strong>Apart from showing odontodes on the snout, males also show odontodes on the pectoral (ventral) fins. This is common with a lot of pleco species.<\/li><\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-59334f8 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"59334f8\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"440\" src=\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Bristlenose-pleco-zucchini.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-926\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Bristlenose-pleco-zucchini.jpeg 640w, https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Bristlenose-pleco-zucchini-300x206.jpeg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\">Ancistrus aguaboensis. Male on the left, female on the right. Photo by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CXwbIUZopid\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">@simple_fins on Instagram<\/a><\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c217a28 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"c217a28\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Sexing Common Plecos<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f04da84 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"f04da84\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Common plecos are one of the most kept pleco species. Mostly by beginner keepers, since these fish are often sold as the ideal algae eater by pet stores. The reality is quite different, though and these fish can get over 25 inches long! So, this isn&#8217;t really a beginner fish, and sexing will be only possible at their full size.<\/p><p><strong>Hypostomus plecostomus or the common pleco is a very hard-to-sex fish. At their full size (+- 20 inches), males will appear slightly bigger and more streamlined than females, who tend to be thicker.<\/strong><\/p><p>Breeding Hypostomus plecostomus is at least as hard as sexing them. They are bred in huge ponds in Asia, where they dig holes in the muddy pond dams. After the breeding season, the water in the pond is pumped out, and the <a href=\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/raising-pleco-fry\/\">fry<\/a> is collected.<\/p><p>The most reliable way to sex these plecos is by trying to breed them, even though that&#8217;s very difficult. This way you can determine, based on breeding behavior, which is male and which is female.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c4a9301 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"c4a9301\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Sexing Clown Plecos<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-282f062 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"282f062\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Clown plecos are again a very popular pleco, due to their small size and availability in pet stores. They also don&#8217;t get as enormous as the common pleco, making it a way better choice for beginners.<\/p><p>Clown plecos are a little harder to sex than bristlenose plecos, but if you know what to look for, it&#8217;s still fairly easy.<\/p><p><strong>Clown pleco males have odontodes on their tails and gills that appear upon sexual maturity (&gt;8 months). Females have a wider body and a less triangular head shape, looking from above. Lastly, males are usually a little smaller.<\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-inner-section elementor-element elementor-element-db4b08a elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"db4b08a\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;jet_parallax_layout_list&quot;:[{&quot;jet_parallax_layout_image&quot;:{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;id&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;&quot;},&quot;_id&quot;:&quot;292b981&quot;,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_image_tablet&quot;:{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;id&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;&quot;},&quot;jet_parallax_layout_image_mobile&quot;:{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;id&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;&quot;},&quot;jet_parallax_layout_speed&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;%&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:50,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;jet_parallax_layout_type&quot;:&quot;scroll&quot;,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_direction&quot;:null,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_fx_direction&quot;:null,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_z_index&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_bg_x&quot;:50,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_bg_x_tablet&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_bg_x_mobile&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_bg_y&quot;:50,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_bg_y_tablet&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_bg_y_mobile&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_bg_size&quot;:&quot;auto&quot;,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_bg_size_tablet&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_bg_size_mobile&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_animation_prop&quot;:&quot;transform&quot;,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_on&quot;:[&quot;desktop&quot;,&quot;tablet&quot;]}]}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-inner-column elementor-element elementor-element-a8dddab\" data-id=\"a8dddab\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-635e00f elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"635e00f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/IMG_20171224_102031-scaled-e1641393448937-1024x1024.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-2460\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/IMG_20171224_102031-scaled-e1641393448937-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/IMG_20171224_102031-scaled-e1641393448937-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/IMG_20171224_102031-scaled-e1641393448937-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/IMG_20171224_102031-scaled-e1641393448937-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/IMG_20171224_102031-scaled-e1641393448937.jpg 1388w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b2a0026 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"b2a0026\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Female<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-inner-column elementor-element elementor-element-b37b686\" data-id=\"b37b686\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5e868c7 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"5e868c7\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/IMG_20171224_101951_1-scaled-e1641393423286-1024x1024.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-2459\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/IMG_20171224_101951_1-scaled-e1641393423286-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/IMG_20171224_101951_1-scaled-e1641393423286-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/IMG_20171224_101951_1-scaled-e1641393423286-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/IMG_20171224_101951_1-scaled-e1641393423286-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/IMG_20171224_101951_1-scaled-e1641393423286.jpg 1388w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-51a9b0c elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"51a9b0c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Male<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0e9cd75 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"0e9cd75\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Sexing Zebra Plecos<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b4e992c elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"b4e992c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Zebra plecos are certainly one of the most iconic pleco species. Their fantasy-like appearance makes them very compelling and popular. This does however come at a price because these fish regularly go for up to $300 a fish! Breeding them might be a good idea, but sexing them isn&#8217;t the easiest thing to do.<\/p><p><b>Sexual mature males show odontodes on the cheeks and pectoral fins, which are absent or barely present with females. When looking from above, males have a more triangular-shaped head and a less plumped body shape.<\/b><\/p><p>With this species it&#8217;s very important to not only look at one sign, and take multiple characteristics in consideration. Zebra plecos become sexually mature at the age of 2-3 years, one of the reasons why they are pricey. Thus, these typical characteristics will only be visible when they are sexually mature.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-inner-section elementor-element elementor-element-addcba3 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"addcba3\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;jet_parallax_layout_list&quot;:[{&quot;jet_parallax_layout_image&quot;:{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;id&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;&quot;},&quot;_id&quot;:&quot;292b981&quot;,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_image_tablet&quot;:{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;id&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;&quot;},&quot;jet_parallax_layout_image_mobile&quot;:{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;id&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;&quot;},&quot;jet_parallax_layout_speed&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;%&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:50,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;jet_parallax_layout_type&quot;:&quot;scroll&quot;,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_direction&quot;:null,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_fx_direction&quot;:null,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_z_index&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_bg_x&quot;:50,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_bg_x_tablet&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_bg_x_mobile&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_bg_y&quot;:50,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_bg_y_tablet&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_bg_y_mobile&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_bg_size&quot;:&quot;auto&quot;,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_bg_size_tablet&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_bg_size_mobile&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_animation_prop&quot;:&quot;transform&quot;,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_on&quot;:[&quot;desktop&quot;,&quot;tablet&quot;]}]}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-inner-column elementor-element elementor-element-7f84561\" data-id=\"7f84561\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-221ee7e elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"221ee7e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/IMG-20211122-WA0024-e1641396314703-1024x1024.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-2486\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/IMG-20211122-WA0024-e1641396314703-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/IMG-20211122-WA0024-e1641396314703-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/IMG-20211122-WA0024-e1641396314703-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/IMG-20211122-WA0024-e1641396314703-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/IMG-20211122-WA0024-e1641396314703.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5c21140 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"5c21140\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Female<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-inner-column elementor-element elementor-element-cb397d6\" data-id=\"cb397d6\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-67bc576 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"67bc576\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"860\" height=\"860\" src=\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/IMG-20211121-WA0001-e1641396541574.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-2482\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/IMG-20211121-WA0001-e1641396541574.jpg 860w, https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/IMG-20211121-WA0001-e1641396541574-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/IMG-20211121-WA0001-e1641396541574-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/IMG-20211121-WA0001-e1641396541574-768x768.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 860px) 100vw, 860px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-df8b7b2 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"df8b7b2\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Male, note the odontodes on the cheecks and pectoral fins<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-inner-section elementor-element elementor-element-f5828d9 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"f5828d9\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;jet_parallax_layout_list&quot;:[{&quot;jet_parallax_layout_image&quot;:{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;id&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;&quot;},&quot;_id&quot;:&quot;292b981&quot;,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_image_tablet&quot;:{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;id&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;&quot;},&quot;jet_parallax_layout_image_mobile&quot;:{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;id&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;&quot;},&quot;jet_parallax_layout_speed&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;%&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:50,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;jet_parallax_layout_type&quot;:&quot;scroll&quot;,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_direction&quot;:null,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_fx_direction&quot;:null,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_z_index&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_bg_x&quot;:50,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_bg_x_tablet&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_bg_x_mobile&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_bg_y&quot;:50,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_bg_y_tablet&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_bg_y_mobile&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_bg_size&quot;:&quot;auto&quot;,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_bg_size_tablet&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_bg_size_mobile&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_animation_prop&quot;:&quot;transform&quot;,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_on&quot;:[&quot;desktop&quot;,&quot;tablet&quot;]}]}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-inner-column elementor-element elementor-element-f651dc2\" data-id=\"f651dc2\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8c0dde4 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"8c0dde4\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1322\" height=\"1322\" src=\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/IMG-20211122-WA0025-e1641396656516.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-2483\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/IMG-20211122-WA0025-e1641396656516.jpg 1322w, https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/IMG-20211122-WA0025-e1641396656516-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/IMG-20211122-WA0025-e1641396656516-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/IMG-20211122-WA0025-e1641396656516-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/IMG-20211122-WA0025-e1641396656516-768x768.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1322px) 100vw, 1322px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7f2dc75 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"7f2dc75\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>A young female.\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-inner-column elementor-element elementor-element-5901595\" data-id=\"5901595\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-bd76996 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"bd76996\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"810\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/IMG-20211121-WA0002-e1641396289897.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-2485\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/IMG-20211121-WA0002-e1641396289897.jpg 810w, https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/IMG-20211121-WA0002-e1641396289897-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/IMG-20211121-WA0002-e1641396289897-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/IMG-20211121-WA0002-e1641396289897-768x768.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 810px) 100vw, 810px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2af4e98 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"2af4e98\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Male, note the blocky head shape<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-23f5115 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"23f5115\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">How to tell if a pleco is male or female.<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-24b8f4e elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"24b8f4e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Now that we&#8217;ve gone over some of the specific species, there are a lot of characteristics that are typical for various Loricariidae species when talking about your fish being male or female.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><b>In most species, male plecos are bigger, have a wider head and develop odontodes on the cheeks and pectoral fins. The exact differences depend on the species, and some pleco types might not show any differences at all. Bristlenose pleco males develop extensive odontodes on their mouth.<\/b><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-dbe96bc elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"dbe96bc\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Size<\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a99eb2a elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"a99eb2a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Size is a big factor, apparent with many species of plecos. In most cases, males are bigger than females (in terms of length) and tend to develop\/grow faster.<\/p><p>Note that this is most reliable when fish have been raised together, given the same care, and are the same age. It&#8217;s obvious that there are some exceptions to this rule.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e61c9f1 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"e61c9f1\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Body shape \/ girth<\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-343aa39 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"343aa39\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>If you take a look at your pleco from above, you might see a significant difference in the body shape.\u00a0<\/p><p>Females tend to have a rounder abdomen, with the broadest part of their body located right behind the pectoral fins.<\/p><p>Males on the other hand are more streamlined, with the broadest part of their body being located around the pectoral fins.<\/p><ul><li><strong>Head shape<\/strong><\/li><\/ul><p>With many species, like the Clown pleco or Zebra pleco, we can see a clear difference in the head shape. Males often have a broader head, in the form of a shovel-like triangular &#8216;V&#8217; shape<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c48826f elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"c48826f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"536\" height=\"552\" src=\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/5899616483_473ec773a0_c-e1641400426393.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-2521\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/5899616483_473ec773a0_c-e1641400426393.jpg 536w, https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/5899616483_473ec773a0_c-e1641400426393-291x300.jpg 291w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 536px) 100vw, 536px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\">A plump bristlenose pleco female. Photo by <a href=\"https:\/\/flic.kr\/p\/9Zk5rz\">Inge Knoff<\/a><\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6c9d91e elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"6c9d91e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Pectoral fin spines<\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-dd8363a elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"dd8363a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Males of some species like Clown plecos and zebra plecos show spines on the pectoral fins. These are similar to the odontodes on the cheeks<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-732e1fe elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"732e1fe\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"769\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/sexing-pleco-pectoral-fins-769x1024.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-2530\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/sexing-pleco-pectoral-fins-769x1024.jpeg 769w, https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/sexing-pleco-pectoral-fins-225x300.jpeg 225w, https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/sexing-pleco-pectoral-fins-768x1022.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/sexing-pleco-pectoral-fins-1154x1536.jpeg 1154w, https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/sexing-pleco-pectoral-fins.jpeg 1364w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 769px) 100vw, 769px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\">Photo by Fauna Tropica<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0ec76fc elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"0ec76fc\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Pectoral fins<\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-19c8eb3 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"19c8eb3\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Apart from males having more extensive odontodal growth on the pectoral fins, we can sometimes see a difference in the shape of the pectoral fins. Regarding Hypancistrus zebra (Zebra plecos), <a href=\"https:\/\/www.zebrapleco.com\/articles\/2_L46_from_start_to_finish.php\">females have a more rounded crescent pectoral fin<\/a>.<\/p><p>While some people are very good at determining sex based on this sign, it can be rather hard for an untrained eye.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-26e7a7a elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"26e7a7a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Odontodes on cheeks\/snout<\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e32cfca elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"e32cfca\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The best example of this is the bristlenose pleco or other (Ancistrus sp.). As explained in this blog post, males grow extensive tentacle-like parts on their faces, called odontodes.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p><p>They are often one of the easiest ways to see the difference between male and female plecos, even though females can also show minor odontodal growth.<\/p><p>Bristlenose plecos are an extreme example though. Many species show odontodes only growing on the cheeks or around the gill plates.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3f3911b elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"3f3911b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/pleco-sexing-1024x1024.webp\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-2537\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/pleco-sexing-1024x1024.webp 1024w, https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/pleco-sexing-300x300.webp 300w, https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/pleco-sexing-150x150.webp 150w, https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/pleco-sexing-768x768.webp 768w, https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/pleco-sexing-1536x1536.webp 1536w, https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/pleco-sexing.webp 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\">Baryancistrus sp. Photo by <a href=\"https:\/\/flic.kr\/p\/279erqh\">Isabella Miller<\/a><\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-594084e elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"594084e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Genital papilla<\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c5c9ab1 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"c5c9ab1\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>This is a sign that is apparent with a lot of pleco species but isn&#8217;t always as clearly visible.<\/p><p><strong>Male plecos show a longer, more pointed genital papilla, while females show a broader and more round, tubed genital papilla.<\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-41aae97 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"41aae97\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"769\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/sexing-pleco-769x1024.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-2545\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/sexing-pleco-769x1024.jpeg 769w, https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/sexing-pleco-225x300.jpeg 225w, https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/sexing-pleco-768x1022.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/sexing-pleco-1154x1536.jpeg 1154w, https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/sexing-pleco.jpeg 1364w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 769px) 100vw, 769px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ceaa8ff elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"ceaa8ff\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Behavior<\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6767a2f elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"6767a2f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The advantage of this method is that you don&#8217;t have to take out your fish to observe its behavior. This is also a great way to sex younger fish who may not yet show <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Sexual_dimorphism\">sexual dimorphism<\/a> signs.<\/p><p>Males typically claim their cave really fast. They will not leave their cave very often and see it as their own territory. Females will roam around the tank, hiding under other structures and switching hiding spots.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-97600e3 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"97600e3\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Additional note<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d97363b elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"d97363b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Most of these signs will be most apparent when your plecos are in their breeding season. This is quite obvious since the hormones build up and the visual differences will be bigger. To incentivize your plecos to breed, you have to condition them.<\/p><p>The most important part of conditioning plecos is feeding. It&#8217;s recommended to feed numerous, high-protein live foods for two weeks, before trying to spawn your fish. After these two weeks, it&#8217;s more likely to see differences between male and female fish.<\/p><p>After this period, you will need a so-called &#8216;trigger&#8217;. Plecos will recognize this trigger since it replicates the breeding season in the wild and will spawn (if everything goes well).<\/p><p>There are many different triggers known, and they are different per species. Mostly this is some form of re-creating the rainy season when most species spawn. For example: doing cold water changes.<\/p><p>Other ways are using RO water or lowering the TDS of the water, used by advanced breeders.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-88440c7 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"88440c7\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Conclusion<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e286b19 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"e286b19\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Sexing pleco catfish isn&#8217;t as hard as it might seem. Many pleco species show sexual dimorphism, showing visual differences between sexes. Here are 7 of the ways to tell the sex of your fish:<\/p><ul><li><strong>Size &#8211;<\/strong> Males tend to be bigger than females.<\/li><li><strong>Body shape &#8211;<\/strong> Females are more rounded, broader than males (looking from above).<\/li><li>Pectoral fin spines &#8211; Males grow spines on the pectoral fins.<\/li><li><strong>Pectoral fins shape &#8211;<\/strong> Females have more rounded pectoral fins than males.<\/li><li>Odontodes on cheeks\/snout &#8211; Males grow odontodes on the gill plates\/snout.<\/li><li><strong>Genital papilla &#8211;<\/strong> Males have a more pointed, narrow<\/li><li><strong>Behavior &#8211;<\/strong> Males claim their cave, while females roam around the tank.<\/li><\/ul><p>During the breeding season, or when fish are ready to spawn, these signs are more apparent and it will be easier to tell male and female apart.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you&#8217;re planning to breed pleco catfish in your aquarium, it&#8217;s important to know how to tell the difference between a male and a female. Sometimes this is quite easy, and sometimes you need a trained eye to tell the difference. If you are having a hard time sexing your pleco catfish, keep reading to &hellip;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"> <a class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/sexing-plecos\/\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Sexing Pleco Catfish: Pleco Male or Female? (With Pictures)<\/span> Read More &raquo;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2568,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v20.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Sexing Pleco Catfish: Pleco Male or Female? (With Pictures) | Keeping Catfish<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Sexing pleco catfish: learn how to know whether your pleco is a male or a female. A per species guide with pictures.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/sexing-plecos\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Sexing Pleco Catfish: Pleco Male or Female? (With Pictures) | Keeping Catfish\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Sexing pleco catfish: learn how to know whether your pleco is a male or a female. A per species guide with pictures.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/sexing-plecos\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Keeping Catfish\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-01-04T17:54:59+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-11-05T14:36:14+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/sexing-pleco-catfish.webp\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1872\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1080\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/webp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Thijs\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Thijs\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"10 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/sexing-plecos\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/sexing-plecos\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Thijs\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/#\/schema\/person\/2fadde910b38ba49e9d65d52776d583e\"},\"headline\":\"Sexing Pleco Catfish: Pleco Male or Female? (With Pictures)\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-01-04T17:54:59+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-11-05T14:36:14+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/sexing-plecos\/\"},\"wordCount\":1673,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/#organization\"},\"articleSection\":[\"Breeding\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/sexing-plecos\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/sexing-plecos\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/sexing-plecos\/\",\"name\":\"Sexing Pleco Catfish: Pleco Male or Female? (With Pictures) | Keeping Catfish\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2022-01-04T17:54:59+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-11-05T14:36:14+00:00\",\"description\":\"Sexing pleco catfish: learn how to know whether your pleco is a male or a female. A per species guide with pictures.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/sexing-plecos\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/sexing-plecos\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/sexing-plecos\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Plecos\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/category\/plecos\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Breeding\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/category\/plecos\/breeding-plecos\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":4,\"name\":\"Sexing Pleco Catfish: Pleco Male or Female? (With Pictures)\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/\",\"name\":\"Keeping Catfish\",\"description\":\"Tips for Keeping Catfish In Your Aquarium\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Keeping Catfish\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/keepingcatfish-1-e1652029789702.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/keepingcatfish-1-e1652029789702.png\",\"width\":396,\"height\":80,\"caption\":\"Keeping Catfish\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/#\/schema\/person\/2fadde910b38ba49e9d65d52776d583e\",\"name\":\"Thijs\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/55d1318cd9c55207aab82d413fd68bff?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/55d1318cd9c55207aab82d413fd68bff?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Thijs\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/author\/thijs\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Sexing Pleco Catfish: Pleco Male or Female? (With Pictures) | Keeping Catfish","description":"Sexing pleco catfish: learn how to know whether your pleco is a male or a female. A per species guide with pictures.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/sexing-plecos\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Sexing Pleco Catfish: Pleco Male or Female? (With Pictures) | Keeping Catfish","og_description":"Sexing pleco catfish: learn how to know whether your pleco is a male or a female. A per species guide with pictures.","og_url":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/sexing-plecos\/","og_site_name":"Keeping Catfish","article_published_time":"2022-01-04T17:54:59+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-11-05T14:36:14+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1872,"height":1080,"url":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/sexing-pleco-catfish.webp","type":"image\/webp"}],"author":"Thijs","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Thijs","Est. reading time":"10 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/sexing-plecos\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/sexing-plecos\/"},"author":{"name":"Thijs","@id":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/#\/schema\/person\/2fadde910b38ba49e9d65d52776d583e"},"headline":"Sexing Pleco Catfish: Pleco Male or Female? (With Pictures)","datePublished":"2022-01-04T17:54:59+00:00","dateModified":"2023-11-05T14:36:14+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/sexing-plecos\/"},"wordCount":1673,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/#organization"},"articleSection":["Breeding"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/sexing-plecos\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/sexing-plecos\/","url":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/sexing-plecos\/","name":"Sexing Pleco Catfish: Pleco Male or Female? (With Pictures) | Keeping Catfish","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/#website"},"datePublished":"2022-01-04T17:54:59+00:00","dateModified":"2023-11-05T14:36:14+00:00","description":"Sexing pleco catfish: learn how to know whether your pleco is a male or a female. A per species guide with pictures.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/sexing-plecos\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/sexing-plecos\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/sexing-plecos\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Plecos","item":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/category\/plecos\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Breeding","item":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/category\/plecos\/breeding-plecos\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"Sexing Pleco Catfish: Pleco Male or Female? (With Pictures)"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/","name":"Keeping Catfish","description":"Tips for Keeping Catfish In Your Aquarium","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/#organization","name":"Keeping Catfish","url":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/keepingcatfish-1-e1652029789702.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/keepingcatfish-1-e1652029789702.png","width":396,"height":80,"caption":"Keeping Catfish"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/#\/schema\/person\/2fadde910b38ba49e9d65d52776d583e","name":"Thijs","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/55d1318cd9c55207aab82d413fd68bff?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/55d1318cd9c55207aab82d413fd68bff?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Thijs"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com"],"url":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/author\/thijs\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2422"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2422"}],"version-history":[{"count":152,"href":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2422\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11774,"href":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2422\/revisions\/11774"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2568"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2422"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2422"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2422"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}