Determining arowana gender

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it is very difficult to differ between the male and female arowana until they start breeding. Both gender has the same mouth structure but some say that the male has bigger mouth as compared to the female so that it can store the eggs in its mouth. The safest and surest way to determine the gender nowadays is by DNA testing.
 
Yeah, both sexes have the pouch. I remember hearing somewhere on here that in silver aros, males have a longer lower jaw that extends past the top of the head, whereas in females it is more even with the head (which would suggest that my silver is a male).
 
In my experience, generally the male's jaw will protrude a bit, and the line of the mouth will be more vertical. Versus the female, who's mouth line will stay more 45 degrees-ish like they all look when they are babies. Also, if you have a few of each in a tank, it's generally pretty easy to tell by the time they're 9 months old or so, cause the males will typically be a LOT larger/thicker than the same age female.

Of course, some are thicker than others... ;-)
 
PLJ is not an accurate way to determine sex in Asian or South American aro's (I've never seen an adult silver that DIDN'T have at least slight PLJ). This is a defect that could affect males and females of these species.

Some breeders claim that body shape and size of mouth can be determining factors-- females being shorter and wider, males having larger mouths-- but I'm a firm believer that DNA testing is the only sure fire way to tell. If you've got the funds to start up an aro breeding program, DNA testing is a very small investment.
 
bcarlos;4329692; said:
PLJ is not an accurate way to determine sex in Asian or South American aro's (I've never seen an adult silver that DIDN'T have at least slight PLJ). This is a defect that could affect males and females of these species.

Some breeders claim that body shape and size of mouth can be determining factors-- females being shorter and wider, males having larger mouths-- but I'm a firm believer that DNA testing is the only sure fire way to tell. If you've got the funds to start up an aro breeding program, DNA testing is a very small investment.
Click to expand...

I wasn't necessarily describing PLJ, just that most males that I've worked with have a more vertical jaw line, and the females a little more angled forward... :)

And I certainly agree...if you really have the funds to start a breeding program, then you should definitely go the DNA testing route...Particularly if you're hand picking specimen to use as breeders and are willing to pay a premium for quality fish - why would you not?
 
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