Male or female angelfish?

[hennaartist]

I do realize it is difficult to tell the gender while this young, but feel free to guess. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

 

[Coursair]

My friend makes her guesses based on behavior and interactions. Sorry, on looks alone I have no guesses.

 

[hennaartist]

I understand, but thanks for the response.

 

[mike gergley]

could not tell you their sex but they are very nice looking....what I have read is

A-males have more rounded head
B-females have bigger bellies
C-The outline of the body running from the pectoral fins to the anal fin If the body angles down its most likely male ......if it run horizontally it is probably a female

 

[hennaartist]

Thanks for the info

 

[delfisherman]

Those are pretty superviels.

 

[Andy Sager]

Pics can be deceiving. How large are these fish or how old are they? To me, they look too small to sex based on the size of the fish vs the average size of the background items. If the fish are less than a 25 U.S. cent piece then they ARE too small to sex for sure. That's about the smallest size I buy and sexing them only comes after really watching their behavior for a while and at that point it's really just a guess. Body forms are not set at that size yet. Head bumps don;t start that small and are not present on all males. Females without eggs don;t have that rounded belly look so you want fish at least 8 months old and 1/2 dollar size at least if you really want a definite shot at pairing them.
Hope this helps

 

[hennaartist]

Their bodies (without tails) are about the size of a quarter. I do realize they're young and small. I got them on Monday, and as always have been watching them closely. The three of them hang out together quite a bit; however, when they don't, the primarily black one will either hang out with one or the other, the two with more white don't really hang out together unless they are all together. The angelfish that is mostly white has started to develop a belly which is worrying me because I'm pretty sure it's too young to be carrying eggs (hopefully it hasn't eaten too much or has something wrong with it). None of them have shown any aggression.

 

[Andy Sager]

Their bodies (without tails) are about the size of a quarter. I do realize they're young and small. I got them on Monday, and as always have been watching them closely. The three of them hang out together quite a bit; however, when they don't, the primarily black one will either hang out with one or the other, the two with more white don't really hang out together unless they are all together. The angelfish that is mostly white has started to develop a belly which is worrying me because I'm pretty sure it's too young to be carrying eggs (hopefully it hasn't eaten too much or has something wrong with it). None of them have shown any aggression.

To be honest, they are too new to be showing any signs of pairing behavior. For now, I suggest you just enjoy them as they grow Once they grow, then you will have a better chance of sexing them.
Watch and make sure you see all your fish defecating. As long as they do and it's a brownish color ( not white or stringy), they are okay. If this one fish doesn't "poo", you may want to isolate it and use Epsom salts to try to get it to "go". Did you quarantine these fish before you put them into your main tank?

 

[hennaartist]

To be honest, they are too new to be showing any signs of pairing behavior. For now, I suggest you just enjoy them as they grow Once they grow, then you will have a better chance of sexing them.
Watch and make sure you see all your fish defecating. As long as they do and it's a brownish color ( not white or stringy), they are okay. If this one fish doesn't "poo", you may want to isolate it and use Epsom salts to try to get it to "go". Did you quarantine these fish before you put them into your main tank?

No, I did not quarantine them. I know I should have, but I have a small place and no room for a quarantine tank. However, I only buy my fish from one lfs, and they've been pretty good so far.

I do realize they are too small, too young, and too new to really know. Mostly I just wanted to throw it out there to see if anyone had any ideas or info.

I do really appreciate your advice and info!

 

[hennaartist]

Also, I don't really care if they breed or not. I bought them because I really just like them. However, I've heard they are happier when in a pair, and that's why I am hoping for a pair. I just want them to be happy fish

 

[Andy Sager]

Also, I don't really care if they breed or not. I bought them because I really just like them. However, I've heard they are happier when in a pair, and that's why I am hoping for a pair. I just want them to be happy fish

for what it's worth, you'll get a much more accurate answer if you give the whole story from that start. People trying to help can only accurately help when they know the whole story. Notice how nobody mentioned the size being an issue? Q: What does "small" mean? A: Different things to different people Try to be more inclusive next time. You'll get better help that way.
To follow up on the info you heard about pairs: It's probably the worst thing to have in a tank if you are not looking to breed them. Since Angels are members of the Cichlid family, they become very aggressive when they are pairs. The pre-spawning behavior has damaged many a breeder fish and can really detract from their beauty. Ripped fins, torn mouths, bumps and bruises are common with breeder Cichlids. They also become very territorial and can severely injure the other fish in the tank should they try and spawn.
What they do like is to be in schools. I always suggest for non breeders is to have a same gender tank. It's also better to have male only tanks opposed to female only tanks as females will pair off together to spawn and act just like male/female pairs ( which you don't want.)
However, as I suggested before, these fish are small enough that I would just enjoy them for their beauty. ( They really are some nice looking fish. I'm a little jealous ) Just keep your eye out for any aggression. If it is a continual thing, it may mean you'll need to separate out the aggressor to keep harmony in the tank.

Hope this helps

 

[hennaartist]

Andy Segar: thank up so very much for this info! It helps a great deal, and I will take your advise on being more specific in my postings.

Again, thank you!

 

[Andy Sager]

Andy Segar: thank up so very much for this info! It helps a great deal, and I will take your advise on being more specific in my postings.

Again, thank you!

No problem. Glad to help