Is my TEX in breeding colors?

[JESTERX626]

My regular Texas(not the green one), is about 3.5-4inches eyeballed. From the middle of his side towards the tail, are black bars, and the skin is darker. Half the fish is darker and the front is the regular grey color of texas' cichlids. Is this his/her breeding dress? If it is, is it male or female? Come to think of it, it's been chasing my smaller 2.5 inch jag relentlessly and evening kicking his ass here and there. Could this be a sexually mature male looking to mate? Or possible female, looking for a male mate?

 

[dovii88]

pics would help sounds like it..but he may just be stressed..

 

[JESTERX626]

I dont have pix but those who know texas cichlids should know, I think. Unless both male and female both look identical in dark coloring while in heat.

 

[dovii88]

do they look like this not...my pics..third one is stressedd out..

 

[JESTERX626]

Kinda looks like the first pic, except the color aint as pitch black, but its between there. What's the most surefire way to vent my texas besides venting? I dont have any experience in venting cichlids since I havent seen a males and females to compare to. What I see looks like it can be blunt or a pointy genetalia, I really can't tell. I heard looking for a black spot on the dorsal makes it a female? Mine has no black spot on the dorsal so does that make it a male?

 

[dovii88]

i have never heard of that before...usually the female will have a ovary deposit sticking out..these are frontosa pics but they are fairly similar in anatomy...first is a male second is a female.....

 

[JESTERX626]

This is what im talking about

http://www.cichlidmadness.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=5000

 

[dovii88]

yeah i just thought i would give ya a diagram..

 

[JESTERX626]

aha no it wasnt that, I just thought you didnt know the word venting, so I showed an example of what it was. . But yea I just looked at my tex again, I still cant tell whether or not its a male or female. Any pointers?

 

[JESTERX626]

M or F?