Help with identifying Hongsloi m/f

[dlenart25]

Hello,
Can I please get some help confirming a male/female pair of Hongsloi? I think they are 3-6 months old. Bigger one protects their territory (densely planted crypt/reinickii area) and chases small one out of the area. Ocassionally the big one will flare up and color up and tail flip the smaller one, smaller one swims away.

Thank you

 

[Mike Wise]

I can't say for certain. Photo #3 appears to be a female ... or a juvenile. The others? The photos could be either sex. I suggest you wait another 2 - 3 months. You should be able to sex them by then.

 

[dlenart25]

thanks Mike , there’s only 2 Hongsloi. Photo 3 and 5 is the smaller one that’s getting chased by the bigger one. Photo 4 is the bigger one without the colors turned on. You can see in photos 1&2 the bigger one will instantly gain color and glow (like turning on a light switch)and do a little dance for the smaller one. The smaller one will either swim away or get chased away for not responding. These are so different than the borelli pair I had previously.

 

[dlenart25]

Here’s updated photos from today.
Bigger one first photo smaller second photo

 

[anewbie]

Here’s updated photos from today.
Bigger one first photo smaller second photo

My experience is i had a set of 4 that i obtained at 1/4 inch; when they were full grown i had 2 clear females and a male; but no one had a clue of sex of #4; most thought it was a male (it was fairly large) and so the debate went for a couple of months and finally it laid eggs so i guess that answered the question

This species (at least domestics) can be hard to sex even as adults.

Still a hint it seems the male you have wants to breed which suggest it thinks the other one is a female.

 

[KenL]

Two females?

 

[dlenart25]

Two females?

will give it a month. The only behavioral thing I’m seeing is the big one will often yellow up and slowly swim to the smaller one, turn sideways , do a couple soft tail whips and if the other does not respond it will chase it away or the other will swim away. Also the bigger one is chasing all fish away from its territory , it fiercely Gaurds the crypt/reinickii mini planted areas which contains caves and rocks underneath

 

[anewbie]

will give it a month. The only behavioral thing I’m seeing is the big one will often yellow up and slowly swim to the smaller one, turn sideways , do a couple soft tail whips and if the other does not respond it will chase it away or the other will swim away. Also the bigger one is chasing all fish away from its territory , it fiercely Gaurds the crypt/reinickii mini planted areas which contains caves and rocks underneath

So the large one is likely a female the smaller one might be too young to breed.