Sexing Macmasteri

[humanzee]

Hello everyone, I'm new on the forum .
I just got a pair of Apistogramma Macmasteri Red Mask last week and I need some help sexing them as it's my first time having this fish. The photos on the web don't exactly match mine and I don't know if I'm having a Pair or not.
The first one is smaller(female i think), around 4 cm with very nice colouring and relative long fins, even though some look broken.(Photos 1 and 2)
The second one is bigger(male i think), around 6cm, with longer fins and not so many colours on the body, except of the blue cheeks .(Photos 3 and 4, you can see them together for comparison.)

They both do the flare up dance and seem interested on each other but most of the time they just swimm on different parts of the tank.
Any opinions?
Thank's

 

[KenL]

The smaller fish could be a young male.
The fins look like they have some ammonia burn. They should hopefully be fine in good water conditions.

 

[humanzee]

Thank you very much for the reply.
The aquarium is well established, 120 liters, and houses 11 Cardinal Tetras and the Apistogramma. The temperature is 25°C and the pH is 6.5–7. Water changes are done weekly at 40%. At the moment they are fed live BBS, live mosquito larvae, frozen daphnia, Fluval Bug Bites, and Discusfood American Cichlid Color Pearls Soft.
If they both turn out to be females, is it okay to keep them together in a 125-liter aquarium, or could aggression develop in the future?
That said, the supposed female has a yellow belly, tail, and fins, and a black spot between the ventral fins—features that the larger male does not have.
What’s strange is that both fish display to each other, with the smaller one hitting the other on the face with its tail, something like a dance. For now, there is no aggression or chasing. I hope it stays that way.
In the picture below you can see the black spot.

 

[humanzee]

If they both turn out to be females

I am sorry. Males I mean.‍

 

[Mike Wise]

Hopefully they are both the same sex. A breeding pair of apistos has almost no chance of raising fry with fry predators (cardinals) in the tank. Additionally, apistos trying to raise fry in such a tank leads to stress in both the female apisto and other fish in the community. Stress is the leading cause of disease outbreaks in aquaria.

In a tank that is your size - if properly decorated - 2 of the same sex should be able to live together or at least avoid each other.

 

[humanzee]

Thank you very much for your reply!
I'm not really interested in breeding them. I just thought it would be better for them to be the opposite sex. Now, I understand that that's not the case. So, let's hope they are both males.
Here is a photo of my tank. I hope it's properly decorated for them..If not, I can add some more wood and let the plants grow, to give them more hiding places

 

[humanzee]

Hello everyone,
Unfortunately, I’m starting to believe that the fish I bought as a female is actually female after all. Over the past few days, it has chosen a coconut shell and stays there almost all day, only coming out to eat. Its colors have become very intense, and it chases away any fish that approaches the cave — including the male, whom I haven’t seen near the cave at all so far.
Could this behavior also be typical of a male, or does it clearly point to a female? I only have them 2 weeks now,is that normal?

 

[humanzee]

Here is she/he.

 

[dw1305]

Hi all

Here is she/he.

Female.

Cheers Darrel

 

[humanzee]

Thank you very much for the reply Darrel!

The female continues to stay inside her cave all day and only comes out to eat and to chase the tetras when they swim too close. There are no issues with the male; they show occasional courtship displays and dancing behavior between them. However, I still haven’t observed the male entering the cave. Could this indicate that there are no eggs yet? And if eggs are present, how long does it usually take for them to hatch? I’m not planning to raise the fry, so I’ll let nature (the tetras) do their job. I just hope the Apistos won’t get too stressed.
One more thing that really caught my attention: at first the female had blue cheek markings similar to the male, but they have now turned a very intense yellow. Absolutely stunning fish!

 

[Mike Wise]

I still haven’t observed the male entering the cave. Could this indicate that there are no eggs yet?

No, the male doesn't need to enter the cave. He can fertilize eggs from the outside. The female would rather he not enter.

And if eggs are present, how long does it usually take for them to hatch?

3 days to hatch and another 4 days until freeswimming at normal temperatures.

I’m not planning to raise the fry, so I’ll let nature (the tetras) do their job. I just hope the Apistos won’t get too stressed.

Sadly the female will be stressed trying to defend her fry, as will the tetras from continued assaults by the female trying to defend her fry. Stress is the leading cause of disease outbreaks in tank. This stress varies with tank size and population density. This is why I always say that a community tank is not a breeding tank. Some people learn from others, others learn from experiences. Good luck.

 

[humanzee]

Thank you for the explanation, I appreciate you taking the time to share your experience. I understand your point about stress levels in a community tank, and you’re absolutely right that a dedicated breeding tank is the best option if the goal is to raise fry. In my case, I’m mainly observing natural behavior rather than aiming for successful breeding, but I’ll keep a close eye on stress levels and intervene if needed. Thanks again for the insight.

 

[anewbie]

Thank you for the explanation, I appreciate you taking the time to share your experience. I understand your point about stress levels in a community tank, and you’re absolutely right that a dedicated breeding tank is the best option if the goal is to raise fry. In my case, I’m mainly observing natural behavior rather than aiming for successful breeding, but I’ll keep a close eye on stress levels and intervene if needed. Thanks again for the insight.

There is nothing to keep an eye on - stress is a killer of dwarf cichild; if you allow a stressful environment you increase the chances of premature deaths. As for 'watching' natural behavior you would need a more natural environment along with 'natural' co-inhabitants having said all of this i feel for domestic fishes it is not the end of the world to 'have' your enjoyment though with wc i try a lot harder to provide an appropriate environment as feasible.

 

[humanzee]

Thanks so much for all the advice, everyone!
I honestly thought the Cardinal Tetras would be natural tankmates for the Apistos, so I hope I didn’t get misled by some info online.
I still have a small tank with Red Cherry Shrimp , so if any fry appear, I could move them there until I get the 80-liter tank I’m planning to set up this summer.
Either way, it’s a bit of a shame you can’t really enjoy these fish in a mixed community tank and have to keep them in a breeding-only setup. Next time, I’ll definitely go for two of the same sex!
Thanks again to everyone for the tips and support!

 

[Mike Wise]

I honestly thought the Cardinal Tetras would be natural tankmates for the Apistos, so I hope I didn’t get misled by some info online.

Yes Cardinals are found with apistos in the wild. The problem in an aquarium is that it has a greater population density than in the wild. This means more interaction between species. Cardinals, being a blackwater species where there is also a lower amount of microfauna available, have become predators on any small organism including fry of any fish that they can get in their mouths. I'm sure you have seen how they feed, mass feeding frenzy. They simply overwhelm a single female trying to protect her fry. One strikes, she attacks and the rest attack the school while she chases off the first predator.

Either way, it’s a bit of a shame you can’t really enjoy these fish in a mixed community tank and have to keep them in a breeding-only setup.

You can, but it requires choosing the right community members. This has been discussed on this site many times.

Next time, I’ll definitely go for two of the same sex!

This can be a good option. I prefer 2 belonging to different species that don't look similar and have similar dispositions. Of course one needs to provide sufficient space and decor.