Do I have a plec & what sex?

[alexkay]

I think I have a plec - i call him a sucker fish he is a brown colour with light brown speckles. I do have a pic of him but im not getting the option to download it on this topic - strange! He is about 4 inchs & getting fatter by the day! He sucks the algee on the tank so I am thinking he is a Plec! But how do I no if he is male or female I have automaticly decided he was a boy & called him Sid. Can anyone give me any advice, how can you tell different sex! Also some of my fish have got a little problem with ICH this week, can a plec get this aswell ???

Oh & is it normal for a plec to be friends with a Betta they seem to get on quite well, the plec (if that wot he/she is) doesnt really like the other fish swimming about him when he is sucking away but he doesnt seem to care when the betta is near him they even share the same dark hole, it is quite funny to see 4 pair of eyes looking out of the dark hole.....
thanks alex

 

[Jezah]

Does he/she look like this?

If so, then yup, you have a pleco. Sexing pleco's is impossible. I may be wrong, but I am pretty sure they have no external differences between sexes. How big is your tank, because Pleco's get to a foot or so long. They are also territorial, and it makes sense he wouldnt like other fish near him. Keep an eye on your betta, because sometimes Plecos will rasp the sides of slow moving fish. So if your betta looks a little sick, I would remove him or the plec. Good luck!

Edit: Yes, pleco's can get ICH as well. They are also very sensitive to most ICH meds, so if he doesnt have the spots yet I would remove him before he catches it.