Question from a colleague:
I have a client who has purchased a couple of Plecostomus catfish which were meant to be a breeding pair. It is believed they are both males (has had them for over 6 months with no breeding and apparently they both have similar width head [head width is used to sex this species of fish]).
Someone told him you could give one of the fish an injection to turn it into a female. I am only aware of using HCG or Ovaprim to induce ovulation and egg lay, not for changing sex.
My response:
I believe you are correct. With most fish, gender manipulation may be possible only when very young.
You could give them the hormones and then try to strip them to see whether they produce sperm or eggs using microscopy.
I think it’s not unusual for same-genders to pair up even in the fish world!
