Female Con?

[spike_ea_2k6]

its defontly a female

 

[evilxyardxgnome]

Ya I didn't see the second picture you posted, but now that I see it, it is hard to tell because it has its fins tucked in.

 

[mostlycichlids]

I would say male almost 100% It has a lot of color but no orange. Here is a pick of my female.

 

[fivespeed302]

Sounds like only time will tell, I'm getting mixed messages here. Does the fact that the other convict in the tank (100% sure it's male) follows this one around all the time?....I've even seen this one tap the male with it's tail, almost looks like they are circling one and another, but then the Blue Acara breaks it up. Never seen them lip lock though..

At what size should I know 100%?

Here's a pic of the other convict, male I'm sure....

You will know 100% when she lays eggs. I have seen plenty of females with no orange on the belly. My bet is that it is a female and the male you have is just courting her. Once the bond is made you will have eggs soon enough. The only way to know before eggs are laid is to vent your fish, and there are instructions on how to do that on several web pages.

 

[ethnics]

is that an orange belly i see on your "100% sure male" ?

 

[MDH]

no, no red on the males belly...must be the lighting of the camera. Thanks though

 

[MDH]

so for argument sake, let's just presume it's a male. In your experience, what would the outcome be if I went and picked up a female to add to the mix? Was kind of hoping for a breeding pair you know.

 

[evilxyardxgnome]

best solution is to buy 3 females and wait until a male pairs with one of them and then remove the other 2 before they die.

 

[thebestincali2000]

its deffineatly a male.alot of times,the males develop color on their fins,just like the females,only the females get a red stomach though.another thing that iv noticed is that if you look closey,you will see little gray/black dots on the rear fins of the males

 

[MDH]

Ok, I've got an update here....the convict I thought was a female has been guarding an area of the tank tonight, and has dug up a 2"x2" gravel pit on the left side of the tank (swooping down, and moving the gravel with his/her bottom)....the male and her have been sparring (lip locking, and doing circles around one another)......My blue acara keeps coming over into the area, and she usually swims right away when he comes near her, but has been holding her ground as best as she can. Is this a male or female characteristic? I'm leaning more towards the female side, am I right?!?!