Need help sexing Apistogramma Macmasteri

[Ale Kadu]

Hello all!

I recently bought these two A. Macmasteri. The guy from the fish shop assured me he was selling me a male and a female, but I'm not so sure.

Picture A he said was a male:

And picture B he said was a female:

The Macmasteri in picture B is much smaller, about 2.5 inches while A is about 3.5 inches. In terms of behaviour, A keeps chasing B.
Thanks!

 

[Apistoguy52]

Looks like a couple girls to me, but at 2.5” and 3.5”…those would be some of the largest female Apistogramma I’ve ever seen

 

[Ale Kadu]

Thanks Apistoguy52! And yes, I got my measurements all wrong, sorry. The correct ones are 3.2cm (1.2in) and 3.8cm (1.4in), indeed not giant females :-D

 

[MacZ]

And yes, I got my measurements all wrong, sorry. The correct ones are 3.2cm (1.2in) and 3.8cm (1.4in), indeed not giant females

At these sizes (under 4cm) sexing Apistos is not very reliable anyway. How did you get that precise measurements? I can't get more precise than +/- 0.5cm without catching the fish and just for measurements that would be unnecessary stressful. For me and the fish.

 

[Ale Kadu]

At these sizes (under 4cm) sexing Apistos is not very reliable anyway. How did you get that precise measurements? I can't get more precise than +/- 0.5cm without catching the fish and just for measurements that would be unnecessary stressful. For me and the fish.

In the morning when the lights are out, they stay quite still in their favorite spot, in the back corner of the tank very close to the glass. As they are not scared by me, I could easily measure using a ruler.

 

[MacZ]

That's my method, too. I have a piece of measuring tape I can stick to the glass and wait for the fish to be close to it. But the thickness of the glass and the water itself have an influence. That's how I get to the deviation of +/- 0.5cm.