male or female convicts?

[beerad555]

Is there anyway to tell the difference from male and female black striped convicts when they are only about an inch in size?

 

[Drew_H2o]

Here's a shot of my female that's about 2 inches:

And here's another..

It's the orange-red belly that gives it away.

 

[beerad555]

Nice pics. I was told about the orange-red bellies when they matured but I just purchased a hand full of approximately one inch convicts and was told that it is too hard to sex them until they get bigger and was wondering if yet there was a another way to tell other than the color change on the females? Thanks

 

[Sarah88]

i mean you could probably vent them but at that size it would be hard, best bet would be to wait a month and they should be showing some color by then

 

[beerad555]

Thanks What does vent them mean?

 

[cichlid2006]

i was told that any orange on the body, no matter how little, is a dead give away for a female. i was advised that males do not get any orange at all on them. i dont know if this was good or bad advice but it served me well.

 

[Citrinellus]

I've seen convicts under 1" and they had orange. Is there any orange on any of your cons?

 

[Sarah88]

yeah i dont know what size they show orange but that is the give away, to vent a fish means to catch them and flip them over and look at their private parts lol, there will be two holes next to each other that will look like this: Male= oo, Female= Oo but usually since cons are so easily sexed by appearance you shouldnt have to do this with them

 

[beerad555]

Ok thanks for all the replies. I have looked at them a little harder and do not really see any orange, but i"ll keep my out for that. I bought 5 of these little guys(and hopefully gals) in hopes to breed them, surely they aren't all males.

 

[Danger_Chicken]

I usually see the orange around 1.5"