Hybrid Rostratus females?

[RD.]

I'm about to get this rostratus. Guy said this one is a female and she's about 3.5 inches. This one is a pure one for sure right? based on body patterns and her having no color and the rounded fins is a female at this size? unless its still young and small to tell.

It looks female, but at only 3.5" I wouldn't bet my life on it. And no one can simply view a pic of a fish posted online, and tell you with 100% certainty if it is pure, or not. This is where reputation capital comes into play, you need to know the people that you are buying from, and their source of the fish. Best case scenario is buying fish with some kind of provenance back to the wild.

 

[Plum7]

It looks female, but at only 3.5" I wouldn't bet my life on it. And no one can simply view a pic of a fish posted online, and tell you with 100% certainty if it is pure, or not. This is where reputation capital comes into play, you need to know the people that you are buying from, and their source of the fish. Best case scenario is buying fish with some kind of provenance back to the wild.

Yeah you are right unless I know the seller and their sources. There are some local breeders around here as well who breed certain species and usually stick to only that one like frontosas livingstoni and blue dolphins. Got most of my fish from a locally owned fish store that imports them.

 

[Plum7]

It looks female, but at only 3.5" I wouldn't bet my life on it. And no one can simply view a pic of a fish posted online, and tell you with 100% certainty if it is pure, or not. This is where reputation capital comes into play, you need to know the people that you are buying from, and their source of the fish. Best case scenario is buying fish with some kind of provenance back to the wild.

Here is another female a different person has in first picture. It is 5 inches thought about getting it for my adult male or is it better to grow up smaller fish together and let them pair/spawn growing up? I have 2 smaller males they are brothers and always shoal together wouldn't really like to split them up but the big male does not swim together with the smaller males. Big male seems to love to chase the dolphins around the tank than anything else so not sure if he would be interested in a female? Thought about getting the smaller female to add with the 2 males or a larger female for the big male? I'm leaning more towards the smaller female.

 

[Plum7]

I'm thinking it is likely better to have younger fish grow up together instead of sticking 2 adults together right? is that usually the way to go? I bought only 2 livingstoni as juvies never sexed them but turned out to be a male and a female and they also paired off by chance and female already spawned multiple times with the male.

 

[Milingu]

They don't have much pair bonding. They meet, they mate and after that it is again each fish on its own.
So it doesn't matter if they grew up together.

Btw the eye of the first posted female looks relatively big compared to the body. That can indicate that there was a growth stop due to lack of food when the fish was younger.

 

[Plum7]

They don't have much pair bonding. They meet, they mate and after that it is again each fish on its own.
So it doesn't matter if they grew up together.

Btw the eye of the first posted female looks relatively big compared to the body. That can indicate that there was a growth stop due to lack of food when the fish was younger.

hmm really oh yes the eyes do look huge on the first female. Will this change get better when that female gets larger/older? would that also mean it would be less healthy if it had a stop in growth stunting it from growing to its max size? if that is the case which female would you choose?

 

[Plum7]

Young rostratus at 3.5 inch even with the rounded fins looking like females can also turn out to be males as well later on when they mature right? I'm sure the rounded fins can develop and it becomes a male with pointy anal and dorsal fins hence why you said don't bet on it being female until it matures and gets larger? I guess this is why they are harder to breed because sexing them is more difficult?

 

[Milingu]

hmm really oh yes the eyes do look huge on the first female. Will this change get better when that female gets larger/older? would that also mean it would be less healthy if it had a stop in growth stunting it from growing to its max size? if that is the case which female would you choose?

Some fish grow it out some don't. When both fish seem to be the same quality I would choose the one with the right proportions.