CichlidFish.com - Fish That Think.

anyone kno how to sex a royal pleco? my dad went out and bought me 4 royals (by order at r lfs for my bday)right now there ina quarantine tank for a couple days(10 gal plenty of nasty wood they love it) any help would b good so i can try and set up some couples hopefully thanks

For most plecos

Males are thinner then females(body wise) - but males heads are wider.

Females bodies look rounder and fuller then males.




Males usually either get bristles on their cheeks or little hair looking growths on the ends of their pectoral fins - BUT I'm not sure which species get which.


With Royal's venting also works
females - ovipositor will be round and wide
males - genital papilla will be narrow and pointed compared to a female


ovipositor & genital papilla = reproduction organs

thx a bunch i tryed it out on the two in my 29 gallon and one has a hole that look like a lower case o while the other one has a dot shape .

thx a bunch