Bristlenose mismatch

[fatdiscus]

Hi
I've got a stunted male BN about 2" long, and was given a 4" female BN, will these two breed? I'm thinking that due to the size difference, the female won't entertain the males advances, has anyone tried this?

Thanks
Fatty

[Th0mas]

If there's no other choices, then I think the female will accept him.

And their sibbling will be unpredictable. IMO, it's best to avoid this in order to avoid the "weaker" bloodline from being propagated.

[para]

From talking to another catfish breeder he experienced larger female killing the male. This is due to inexperience male can not keep up with the mature female.

You might want to keep an eye on them.

Cheers
Hilton

[Th0mas]

Don't think it's about maturity of the male - it's just physically malformed (stunted). Like many commercial breeders that produces irregularly shaped fish (ballooned, etc).

Responsible breeders should have some concern on the future of their fish hence breeding with malformed fish shouldn't be encouraged.

Just my 2 cents worth.

[fatdiscus]

thanks for the replies,

The 2" male has been kept in a 2' tank since I bought it as a baby about 12-14 months ago. Not sure if it really is stunted, I just assumed that it would be full size by now. The female is about 5 years old, and I'm told it was kept in a 6' tank.

I guess I'll introduce him to the female and keep a close eye on them. Hopefully she'll go easy on him.