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Apisto sp. Opal question

MDA Apisto

New Member
Messages
4
In the long line of "is my fish a boy or girl" questions here, I've been researching this fish for a week and can't figure it out. I bought the biggest one of a group of 6, they all looked like females in the tank but this one was clearly the "boss," so I thought maybe it'd color up and be a male. It's colored up quite a bit, cheeks and dorsal have fluoresced a bit, and some reds and things coming out, but I still think it's maybe a female.

Thanks in advance for any help or advice, my first apisto of what I hope will be many more. Fascinating little fish, have already trained it to come to the top of the tank and feed out of a pipette.
 

anewbie

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,052
I presume 'sp opal' is actually a borelli with the colour morph of opal. With borelli the males will have colour and the female will not. The males are small; mine feel around 2 inches and the female much smaller - i would guess at barely an inch but probably not even that large. They are also very slight fishes. There are other differences of course but without pictures there is nothing more I can say. My females have absolutely no colour - well a slight iridescence - but are quite the ladies. If you are seeing red forming in the face opal pattern it is almost certainly a male in my limited experience.

Given the limits of my experience it is possible some females have colour and i'm not aware of it but the 3 i have do not (they all came from different sources but are all opal colour morph).
 

MDA Apisto

New Member
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4
And the photos, sorry, was struggling getting them uploaded.
 

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anewbie

Well-Known Member
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2,052
Yes i see the problem; it could very well be a female. To be honest I want to stress i'm a novice but it looks very much like my mature females.
 

MDA Apisto

New Member
Messages
4
Thanks anewbie,

And you are right, she/it is quite slight, maybe an inch an a quarter, smaller than some of my pristella tetras in the same tank, although she/it asserts herself quite well. Its only been in my tank about 10 days, so not sure if it will color up more/turn male, or not.

And yes, I believe its a borellii color morph.
 

anewbie

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,052
I have my doubt she will become a male; as a male at over an inch should have body colour. Her fin and posture is very similar to my females...
 

Mike Wise

Moderator
Staff member
5 Year Member
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11,526
Location
Denver, Colorado, U.S.A.
Even among a group of females there will be a dominant one. I would give it some time to grow and mature a bit more. Right now it shows all of the characteristics of a female.
 

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