Convict sexing questions

[mister2]

I have a breeding pair of convicts and the female recently just laid her second set of eggs. first set (last week) disappeared overnight (around 20 eggs).
today, i noticed around 100 eggs. and some have turned white in color.

Now, my problem is that i think i may have 2 females.
Would like some help to determine if they are both females.

first, the one that i know for sure is a female has the red/orange side..and about 1 inch in size.

The one that was sold to me as a male is about 1.5 inches but i have noticed that 'he' does have very little specks of orange on his side... very small amounts. like 3 scales are slightly pink in color. also, his fins aren't long like others have described. the fins look the same for both my pair... only difference is that the bigger one has fins that are blue in color when he flares them out....
do male convicts have longer fins even when they are small? 1.3-1.5 inches?

I'm confused because the females red color is very bright and all over her side.
whereas the male has just a few scales that are reddish, no long fins, and blue colored fins.......

can males be like this? or do all males, small or large have long fins, and absolutely no red coloring?

 

[Kaosu]

no..it takes a while for the male to get long fins..i have some around 2 inches that all have the same length of fins as both sexes,

as far as the orange..well in not sure on the male none of my males have any orange/pink what so ever

look at there foreheads.. does it bow out or slope down more...iv noticed my females have a more direct smooth line from the from the top of there head to there mouths,
where males have a more bowed out look.

on another note...you might have a male and they are young...so they don't know how to lay properly yet so maybe give them a few more tries.

 

[Calihawk]

Easy, Easy, Easy...even when tiny

Male: No orange belly, No blue fins, lighter faded kinda bars

Female: Orange Belly, Orange and blue fins, definition btw black bars and white body.

Thats how I picked mine up, just using these characteristics. You can't go wrong if the LFS has a bunch, Female will def. stand out, BLAM! in Yo Face.

 

[Kaosu]

..the not solid bars on a male is not true...my male has dark solid bars all the time...and blue/purple fins. the bars and colors depend on breeding...not sex, look for the orange.males seem to be all around bulkier as well.
pics of your fish would help.

 

[Calihawk]

...Sorry mines not a Convict, it's a Felon

 

[jabbajikk]

females will have a large orange spot on their side and the males dont have the orange, and are larger and have more pointed anal and dorsal fins

 

[blauaugigengel]

I have one female convict, and she has prominent pink/orange on her sides, and the nice irridescent blue coloring on the fins. I once had a male a few years ago, and he had no irridescence or pink. He had the dark vertical bands, and was a purple/gray color with no other colors. I would say that if your convict has any additional coloring, it is a female. Also, the female I have now has OBNOXIOUSLY long fin extensions, (That's why I bought her) so you can't necessarily go by length of fin extension on the convicts. (And she is absolutely a female because she laid eggs with my male Nicaragua cichlid... but that is a whole nother oddity in itself... )

So additional colors= female, plain gray and black= male.

 

[mister2]

thanks everyone for clarifying. i'm certain i have 2 females now. I just went out yesterday to buy 2 males. will split my tank and breed 2 couples at a time