A sp. steel blue sexing

[jhj0112]

I got 2 sp steel blue from LFS ( thye sold them as blue agassizzi). I know for sure I have one male but I'm so sure about the below one..

I googled it but it's hard for me to tell if this is female or male..
Thanks.

 

[jhj0112]

meant to say I'm NOT so sure if this is male/female... I hope it is a female though lol

 

[gerald]

Maybe, but the odds are not good. Nearly all steel-blues (a man-made hybrid) are males. I'm guessing the breeders grow them at high temperature for rapid growth (favoring males) or maybe they use hormones to increase the proportion of males, which of course sell better in shops.

 

[Mike Wise]

I have to agree with Gerald. It looks more like a young male to me; very little black on the ventral fins and tips of the dorsal/anal fins look a bit pointed for a female. I definitely could be wrong, however. We still aren't positive that the steel-blue is a hybrid, however. We may never know.

 

[jhj0112]

Thanks Gerald and Mike... Yeah I knew that most of Steel blue in LFSs are males but I also have been told that females start showing up in their shipment as well.. If this is indeed a female, I have something that is kinda(?) rare..
no one seems to know if steel blue is hybrid.... It looks very close to Borelli than agassizii.. Has anyone bred steel blue?

 

[Mike Wise]

Steel-blues have been bred by hobbyists many times. These breeders are the best source for specimens - if you can find one. The Steel-blue shows a mix of features seen on caetei- and resticulosa-complex species. This is why it is thought that it might be a hybrid. It really isn't closely related to either A. borellii or A. agassizii.