Sneaker male?

[nandemonai]

Hi all.

For a while I've thought this apisto cacatuoides was a female but now it's starting to look like a sneaker male?

I'm not sure as I'm fairly new to these cichlids. Opinions would be appreciated.

Alpha Male in the tank:

 

[Mike Wise]

The problem with many domestic 'enhanced' strains of A. cacatuoides is that the breeders exaggerated the color of males into the females and shrunk the extensions on the unpaired fins. This makes young females hard to distinguish from young males. My guess is that the first fish is a male. It shows no black on the first rays of the dorsal fin, typical for females. I can't see the caudal fin, so no help at all.