Is this a male convict

[Aimstro]

I purchased 2 convicts the lady at the lfs had no idea how to sex them so it was my job now yours i have 2 one has a blue/green fins and orangeish ribs and is a bit smaller then the other one so i am assuming it is a female
now the other one is a lil more tricky this one has just grey and black coloring but does not have very long fins they are about the same size as the female in comparison but his bodys a bit bigger ill attach 2 pictures tell me what you think.
if the pictures are to small tell me how to make them bigger lol.


convic.jpg

convict.jpg

 

[Fishkeeper88]

You need to wait a few weeks for them to color up a bit in order to sex them properly. also I would post larger pictures showing both of them at that time and we can help. let them get used to the tank and the food and it will make them color up and the patterns will be brighter.

 

[Aimstro]

ya I just got them, and as i observed them today they are wiggling on the sand and moving it around. Also being very aggressive towards the tank mates all the sudden does this mean i can dismiss the question of male or female or should i still not get my hopes up?

Thanks for the reply

 

[Fishkeeper88]

it means you should watch them closely and follow my prior directions so we can help you

 

[cichlidcasey]

I've found that males can be as colorful as females. Best way to tell is females have shorter back fins and the males back fins are longer and will come to a point.

 

[HUKIT]

I've found that males can be as colorful as females. Best way to tell is females have shorter back fins and the males back fins are longer and will come to a point.

That is simply not true any longer, convicts have been so over/inbred that using a blanket statement like that is false. Here is a male by your definition but he's laid eggs! Venting is still as with the majority of cichlids the only way to properly ID male or female.

 

[cichlidcasey]

It's still a good rule of thumb assuming your fish come from a reputable breeder.

 

[Freakgecko91]

No, it's really not. HUKIT IS a reputable breeder lol What he's saying is that the gene pool is so tainted with inbreeding and overbreeding that those male/female traits that should be determining characteristics are no longer such.