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Retirement and forum shutdown (17 Jan 2022)

Hi,

John Howell who has managed the forum for years is getting on and wishes to retire from the role of managing it.
Over the years, he has managed the forum through good days and bad days and he has always been fair.
He has managed to bring his passion for fish keeping to the forum and keep it going for so long.

I wish to thank John for his hard work in keeping the forum going.

With John wishing to "retire" from the role of managing the forum and the forum receiving very little traffic, I think we must agree that forum has come to a natural conclusion and it's time to put it to rest.

I am proposing that the forum be made read-only from March 2022 onwards and that no new users or content be created. The website is still registered for several more years, so the content will still be accessible but no new topics or replies will be allowed.

If there is interest from the ITFS or other fish keeping clubs, we may redirect traffic to them or to a Facebook group but will not actively manage it.

I'd like to thank everyone over the years who helped with forum, posted a reply, started a new topic, ask a question and helped a newbie in fish keeping. And thank you to the sponsors who helped us along the away. Hopefully it made the hobby stronger.

I'd especially like to thank John Howell and Valerie Rousseau for all of their contributions, without them the forum would have never been has successful.

Thank you
Darragh Sherwin

How to sex a snowball pleco

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05 Jan 2009 21:31 #1 by phil (phil)
Just wondering if its possible and what size would they need to be.

Thanks

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05 Jan 2009 22:01 #2 by Sean (Fr. Jack)

That would be a ecumenical matter!!!
Attachments:

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05 Jan 2009 22:18 #3 by phil (phil)
i wish it was that easy

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05 Jan 2009 22:29 #4 by platty252 (Darren Dalton)
Hi Phil. Do you know if it is Ancistrus, Hypancistrus etc. If you are not sure do you have a picture. One showing the head if possible.
Snowball is a name that could be used on several different pleco's.
What size is it at the moment?

Sean i see you found a picture of me falling while skiing.:laugh:

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05 Jan 2009 22:40 #5 by phil (phil)
i have no idea to be honest its about 5inch i have it since it was about 1 inch i'll try get a picture of him now.

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05 Jan 2009 23:14 - 05 Jan 2009 23:15 #6 by phil (phil)

sorry about the bad picture was using a carmera phone any info would be a great help
Last edit: 05 Jan 2009 23:15 by phil (phil).

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06 Jan 2009 00:17 #7 by platty252 (Darren Dalton)
It could be one of the Baryancistrus sp. If it is you can sex it by the mature male having whisker like growths up the side of his face. These are called odontodes. He will also have them on his pectoral fins.
The female can have some but a lot less.
I'm not 100% that it is a Baryancistrus. My eyes are a bit blurry this evening.
Have a look here at picture 10 and you will see a male Hemiancistrus sp. with odontodes.
L128.www.irishfishkeepers.com/cms/component/o...w/catid,37/id,43088/
Also look up Baryancistrus sp. on planetcatfish.

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06 Jan 2009 01:15 #8 by serratus (Drew Latimer)
Not sure... but true snowballs LDA033 have bigger spots???
Depends on location, where it was imported from... etc.. can you give us more info.. IDing Lnos is hard let alone sexing them!!!

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06 Jan 2009 01:45 - 06 Jan 2009 14:17 #9 by derek (Derek Doyle)
phil
looks a nice fish. usually when mature, females are chunkier in virtually all cat species, esp when viewed from above and when both sexes are viewed together. also the males pectoral fins leading ray is thickened and sometimes spiny in a lot of plec species. based on the pic. i would hazard a guess that your fish is female.
sean
your gas:lol: dave whelan and bryan ferry and now the fishy snowman.

30 tanks specialise in african cichlids, angelfish and various catfish
Last edit: 06 Jan 2009 14:17 by derek (Derek Doyle). Reason: change

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06 Jan 2009 18:07 - 06 Jan 2009 18:11 #10 by phil (phil)
Platy

definitely does not have any whiskers growing but it has got very large white spots compared to the one in the picture. The ones in the pictures on planet catfishare not very black mines very black with big white spotsif thats any help i'd love to even know what species. I'd love to get more of the one i have or a mate for this one. i haven't seen any in any shops.

Derek
Thanks i really like this fish its very hard to compare body size cos i haven't got another one to compare.
Last edit: 06 Jan 2009 18:11 by phil (phil).

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06 Jan 2009 18:19 #11 by phil (phil)
hi Drew

when i looked up Snowball Pleco LDA-33 (Baryancistrus sp)the pictures do look the same as my one.

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07 Jan 2009 00:27 #12 by platty252 (Darren Dalton)
Phil have a look at this possible female. www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/image.php?image_id=5817
Dose it look the same? If it is the same then yours is only half grown and you may not be able to sex it yet unless you have another to compare it to.

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07 Jan 2009 00:38 #13 by phil (phil)
just seen this to on planet catfish it also looks like Baryancistrus cf. niveatus don't know if thats the same as Baryancistrus sp. (L142)

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07 Jan 2009 00:51 #14 by platty252 (Darren Dalton)
Niveatus grows bigger. About 30-35cm

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07 Jan 2009 00:53 #15 by phil (phil)
i never thought this would be so bloody confussing

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07 Jan 2009 01:00 #16 by platty252 (Darren Dalton)
The best way to ID pleco's is to get the L number when you purchase them. Even at that it could be wrong.
So many of them are so similar if not identical. As Drew pointed out it's down to were they were caught.

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