Hap ID

[straitjacketstar]

female then? due to the lack of blue coloring?

Not necessarily.
Some females can have a nice blue sheen to them at certain angles but they're certainly not blue at a glance.
Males can bloom late. Some males develop a lot of color very early, many don't even start to color up until about 3".
It's a bit of a waiting game.
In the pic the fish seems to have a lot of blue but it could be the flash or the angle. If the fish is indeed blue, even a light blue as it shows in the pics, then it is male and should continue to color.

 

[pat3612]

the real ones are? or ones being sold as ahli

The real ones

 

[Cichlaholics Anonymous]

Not necessarily.
Some females can have a nice blue sheen to them at certain angles but they're certainly not blue at a glance.
Males can bloom late. Some males develop a lot of color very early, many don't even start to color up until about 3".
It's a bit of a waiting game.
In the pic the fish seems to have a lot of blue but it could be the flash or the angle. If the fish is indeed blue, even a light blue as it shows in the pics, then it is male and should continue to color.

yes, the fish is blue, but a light blue, certainly not the type of blue I've seen on most male S. fryeri at LFS

 

[straitjacketstar]

yes, the fish is blue, but a light blue, certainly not the type of blue I've seen on most male S. fryeri at LFS

The fish is still young. Young and/or subdominant fish are often not nearly as brilliant as a dominant adult male would be.
Give the fish some time.