Boy or Girl (GBR)?

[Argblarg]

I have had this one for about a month in my 46 gallon along with a female I have had for 6 months. They don't interact at all. There is no pink whatsoever on the belly like my other female has, and this one was smaller than my original female but has grown much faster and is now bigger even after 1 month.

Boy or Girl?


This is the original female, sorry for the bad picture.


My guess is that it is a female... I did have 2 females and a male at one point and they paired up and terrorized the loner. So if it is a female then I'm stuck in the same situation again if I want to add a male to the mix.

 

[JDogg]

based on the fins i vote female... plus every male i have seen is much mor colorful

 

[Voodoo Chilli]

I don't put much stock in going by fins: I've seen some fully mature females exhibit the extended dorsal rays that only males are supposed to have. I've had quite a bit of experience with rams (always been one of my favorite cichlid species), and the belly color has been the most reliable method for me.

I'm not too confident with my guess from the one picture (is there any way to get another shot posted?), but going with the complete lack of pink and the blue coloration along the flank, I'd say you've got a male.

 

[Lonewolfblue]

Going by the fins, I'm thinking male myself. Can you give us 1 more shot? If the pelvic fins go past the start of the anal fin, it's male. If they don't reach the start of the anal fin, it's female. Also, belly color isn't always a true positive. I've had females with no pink belly up until spawning time. For me, the best way to tell is the pelvic fins.

 

[ksfishguy]

The tummy looks somewhat pink on the second picture, from that I would say female.

 

[Argblarg]

I will try and get another shot later. The fins do not go past the anal fin at all, they are pretty much the same as the confirmed female.

 

[CHBGator]

The easiest way I found is that when your in the LFS to look at any that might be pairing off and one of the two has an ovipositor sticking out which the females will also have most of the time even alone. If you can get a side shot with more of an upward angle it might be easier to look for the ovipositor or lack of one. I've had my female longer (3 months) so she's been in better water quality than the LFS so her belly is really pink and her ovipositor is sticking out bigtime (hoping for some breeding soon) where as the male has no pink at all and a smooth underside. the Dorsal fin height is hard to tell since the males really tall ones can get worn down durring shipping, overcrowding and fighting with other males int he confined space in the tanks at the LFS. But from what I can tell it looks like you have 1 male and 1 female.

 

[Lonewolfblue]

Sounds like you have a female.....

 

[Argblarg]

Ok I got some more pictures.. I am either a bad photographer (more than likely) or my camera sucks to use because there is a delay and it never focuses on the fish so it is always blurry. I am using a Canon SD450 if anyone has any tips.

I don't know if any of these will help.. they are all the same fish. I took about 50 pictures and these are the only 3 that were decent.




I might just end up finding a definite male from somewhere and swapping this one out if possible.

 

[JDogg]

i still vote girl

 

[kostasonia]

By the fins, i think you have a female...I have 2 of them and one has lost quite a lot the red in the belly. It´s even smaller and longer...but still female...

 

[maxwell1295]

The fins say female and the coloration says male. I have never been a believer in using fin length to determine sex in GBRs....not with the way that they're mass-bred these days. That being said, I would have to vote female on this one, mostly because her body shape is more round than a male's.

 

[crazyred]

I def. say female for several reasons....short pelvic fins, lack of 3rd spike in the dorsal fin, and the tell tale blue spots inside the large black dot on the side. I've had several of each, male & female.....and usually those combined indicators are fairly reliable.