Sex My Albino Bristlenoses Please

[indir-emir]

Hi all,
Bought these as a pair but the bristles are both short on both fish so im a bit confused if they are actually a male and female (were 2 pairs in the tank according to th seller). Anyway got picture happy with my camera phone (no actual camera lol) and here is what ive got:










Didnt wanna post link by link but seems like i dont have a choice as i dont know hwo to post an album. Plus theres like 10 pictures, and didnt want people to leave before they even enter the post. :\
Ok i was told that the smaller and lighter one is a male.. But im looking for some expert advice here But they might be right? It does have some bristles on the face area, while the bigger and darker yellow coloured one has NO bristles on the face area, just the lip..
Thank you.

Regards,
Indir

 

[Duck and Dive]

It is hard to tell from those pictures, you may have to wait a bit longer, if the bristles don't develop in the next 1-2 months then they are both female.

 

[kizno1]

how big are they coz they might just be abit young

 

[indir-emir]

They have aparently laid and fanned so i guess got ripped off? :\

Ive estimated them to be 7-8cm in size. Can get a ruler and measure if u need exact.

Is there any pics that would help? I can try to take them.

Regards,
Indir

 

[skippy_49nz]

Do females also get the red mark behind the head that the males get when they're ready to breed? Both of these seem to have it and both seem to have decent bristle growth developing. If I was a gambling man I would put my money on both being young males but time will make things clearer. Its possible you might just have a manly female with a lot of facial growth...

 

[indir-emir]

Well one of them definetly has about 1-3 bristles growing in the nose area. The other does not...
So that makes me lean to a pair but im not sure.
They were bought as a breeding pair.. So are they breeding size at about 7 cm?

Regards,
Indir

 

[skippy_49nz]

I have heard they can breed around the time the males begin to develop bristles but I've only had luck with more mature fish. Also, typically females will breed with the dominant male in a setup so if any more developed males were in there, the females would probably rather breed with him. Its not impossible for them to have bred in the past. If they are a male and female, they are so easy to breed there really is no such thing as a "breeding pair". They don't "pair up" as some other fish do and a female will always prefer the most dominant male available. Give them a good home and nature will take its course.