A. Cacs Sexing

[FishMan10005]

Hey yall, I'm new here, picked up my first Apistos today. I'm new to them, but not new to fish keeping and not new to dwarf cichlids. Hopefully I'm posting this in the right section... I was just wondering what yalls opinions were on the sex of my new additions. I'm thinking male and female, but I know they are still very young and haven't colored up or anything, so I didn't know if they were "sexable" yet.
I was thinking this was the male (it's the bigger of the two):
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v623/sbfishy/Apistogramma Cacatuoides/DSC01099.jpg
I was thinking this was the female:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v623/sbfishy/Apistogramma Cacatuoides/DSC01106.jpg

Thanks for the help, and I'm looking forward to watching these awesome fish grow.

 

[Tea]

sex.

Hello, they both look like females to me..

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,
With the normal proviso, that I've got a terrible record of this.
They may well be a pair, the image with the very black line on the ventral fins is almost certainly a female, but the other fish may well be a male. You'll just have to wait.
cheers Darrel

 

[Mike Wise]

Other than size (and you don't say how large they are) what makes you think one is male? Sexing at a small size is very problematic. Males usually can be determined in A. cacatuoides at about 3/4 - 1" / 20 - 25cm size by looking at the caudal fin. Males will show a pattern on the tail. Females, on the other hand are more difficult to recognize at this size. Both immature males and females will show a clear tail (or some colored areas, if a domestic color strain).

 

[FishMan10005]

Sorry about that, forgot to mention size. The larger one is approx. 1", while the smaller one is just slightly smaller, I'd say around 3/4". They are supposedly "Double Reds".
Some of the reasons I thought the larger one may be male is because it was one of the larger ones in the tank I got it from, it was more dominant of all the others, and it seemed to be showing more colors than the others (darker and the fins are showing more yellow-orange now). I haven't seen a pattern on either one of them unless I'm just missing it somehow. Both of them are much more golden or yellower than when I first got them. I got a closer picture of the larger one, it's definitely a lot clearer and more up close and personal:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v623/sbfishy/Apistogramma Cacatuoides/DSC01164.jpg
I can't really get a better picture of the smaller one as it stays near the back of the tank most of the time, but here are some more pics of the smaller one:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v623/sbfishy/Apistogramma Cacatuoides/DSC01177.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v623/sbfishy/Apistogramma Cacatuoides/DSC01197.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v623/sbfishy/Apistogramma Cacatuoides/DSC01258.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v623/sbfishy/Apistogramma Cacatuoides/DSC01174.jpg

Thanks again for the help.

 

[MGF]

To me, both are like females.

 

[animalmgc]

I'l second it They look like females

 

[FishMan10005]

The more research I'm doing and pictures I'm seeing, the more I'm starting to agree. I was hoping they were just young and haven't developed colors yet, but from what I'm seeing, they look like a lot of other females. I guess I'll be on the search for a single male...

Thanks

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,
Large one is definitely female, and I think at that size the colour would probably preclude the smaller one from being a male.
cheers Darrel

 

[Mike Wise]

I have to agree. Picking by size and assertiveness often works for picking out a male. The problem happens when doing this with tank raised apistos. Since sex is primarily temperature dependent, it is possible to raise a brood of almost all of one sex. Then size and aggression only points to the dominant fish in the tank.

 

[FishMan10005]

I appreciate the help everyone. I actually traded in the smaller apisto I had and picked up this one. I realize the coloring is pretty much the same, but I can see color and a design on the tail of this one. Also, this apisto's first couple rays on the dorsal fin are a bit more extended and I thought I had read somewhere that males generally have that. Any thoughts on this one, is it another female or possibly a male just still young?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v623/sbfishy/Apistogramma Cacatuoides/DSC01466.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v623/sbfishy/Apistogramma Cacatuoides/DSC01468.jpg

Thanks!

 

[Mike Wise]

It looks like either a very young male or older female. Again, you don't mention size. It might help.

 

[FishMan10005]

It's around 1" maybe slightly smaller.

 

[Mike Wise]

More likely a young male. The problem with domestic, color enhanced, fish is that females sometimes show male color and patterns.