L183 bristlenose

hello all i have just got 6 l183 iwas wondering with the femals and males how many bristles can the female get as the 6 i have got all have bristles but some only have 2, i think 1 is 100 % male as it has a whole lip full of them but can emales have a whole lip full of them also? or just 2?
cheers

I'd be interested in these answers too as I have 2 L183 and both have two little bristles pointing straight out front. I am inclined to think they are female but don't know for sure.

I can't say how many bristles they get, but the males bristles split into 2 at the end. As in a Y shape.

Sean1 wrote:

I can't say how many bristles they get, but the males bristles split into 2 at the end. As in a Y shape.

i have seen females like this too im asking is it there hol lip or just the 2 on the end

I'm not 100%, but I think L183 females can develop bristles along the whole of the bottom lip although they are usually shorter than those on the males.

none of the females i've had have had brisltes that split into 2. But they do have a full lip of bristles. Hope that helps.

allrighty, simple way of telling male from female L183s. Females will get bristles and the will SOMETIMES cover the entire bottom lip. The will also SOMETIMES fork at the end (different to common bristlenose female who never have forked bristles).

the difference is that males will have thicker bristles and they will not only run along the top lip but they will run up the nose towards the eyes. Notice in the bristlenose world banner at the top of this page.the female on the right is an orange spot, very similar to the L183, (Dotty i believe he name is) and you can see her bristes running along her top lip, sometimes they can be more pronounced than this. the male on the left (common i know but same thing applies to L183s, called Tyson i think) has bristles along his top lip as well as running up his nose. they are thicker as well.

Of course this only helps if the fish are mature. if the fish are not yet mature then you can still go on body shape. There are diagrams in my book to help with this

thankyou for your time mate

glad to help

I will mention that going of body shape is not an exact science and males with full tummies can be mistaken for females. the older they are the easier it becomes. I am right with 4cm fish about 70% of the time (so slightly better than chance )