Male Convicts??

[Idealconcepts]

Hello Everybodies,
I'm a newbie to the aquarium world and would like to experience breeding Convicts, I've had a pair for about 2 weeks now. I'm trying to determine if one of the Convict I have is a male. I know the other is a female because of the red/orange dots on her belly. Both are the same size (about 1.5 inches in length) and from the research I have done I'm having trouble determining if the no dot Convict is a truly a male or to young to determine. I can't tell a difference on the length of the fins or can detect a lump on the forehead of the fish, this is what I read that could help determine the gender of the Convicts. Is it possible to tell the gender by the color of the tint in the tail fin? The female has a yellow tint to its tail fin, and the other has a reddish tint to it's tail fin. Does the reddish tint in the tail fin signify it is a male convict or can you not differentiate a Convicts gender by tail fin tint. Thanks in advance for your information and comments.

 

[ferret]

Not sure about the fin. My female has orange stomach blotch, and slight orange/yellow coloring to upper fins. My male has a blue black coloring. No hints of red or orange at all. He's under an inch, and she's under half an inch, so I can't really answer my question. Mine are quite obviously a pair (Though young, and apparently not quite mature yet).

Without the stomach blotch of orange, I would say he's a male.

 

[Voodoo Chilli]

If both are about the same size and one doesn't show the orange color on the belly- I'd say you've probably got a pair. The other indicators (nuchal hump on the head, extending dorsal fin rays, etc.) won't be obvious until the fish are fully mature and begin to put on more size.

 

[Idealconcepts]

Thanks again ferret. I think I was just excited and anxious to get them to breed that I wanted determine if he was actually a male.

 

[juliemichelle]

My female and male started breeding at about 1" each---so babies could be coming any time!!!! 8)