Problematic Herichthys carpinte

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HerCrenVie

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Sep 21, 2007
1,090
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Singapore
I'm confused. In June, I obtained six 2" Carpinte, and within a month, a pair had formed and spawned. The female had a very obvious black blotch on her dorsal fin, while the male had none. Today, I bought ten wild-caught 1.5" Herichthys carpinte "Escondido" from a reputable source. Visibly, 9 of the 10 specimens have black blotches on their dorsal fins, including the dominant fish. The only one which has no black isn't acting like a male - usually the males are the dominant ones in a community, right? This "male" gets chased by the dominant fish, which apparently is a "female". So, who's who? I'm not going to vent them because they've just settled into their new tank. None of them has his/her tube out, so I can't sex them by this method too. I've always been told that: black blotch in the dorsal = female; no black blotch = male. Then again, this guy, sunvest, a member of ***********, posted pics of his proven Carpinte breeding pair, and guess what: the male had a black blotch on his dorsal fin. :confused:
 
males do not have a blotch... so it sounds like you have a gang of ladies and a very lucky male LOL (Well, not exactly - females can be the aggressors. )
 
I do not believe it's so set in concrete, as females do males don't. I to have seen the particular male with a blotch he/she speaks of.

So what is the opinion when a 5" Carpinte has a faint greyish/black blotch, appearing on the very rare occasion, such as a few minutes once a week?
 
Thanks for replying guys. Marc, the blotches on my carpinte don't come and go. They are there and stay there. If santoury is correct, then the dominant fish of the pack must be the most tenacious female H. carpinte I have ever seen. When I had a group of 6 ordinary farm-bred H. carpinte juveniles earlier this year, the dominant fish was a male, and he looked and acted in every way like a male. In this case, I have a dominant "female" which acts like a male.

I have read that some "Cichlasoma" salvini males can have a black blotch on their dorsals too, just like the females. Since salvinis and carpinte are both naturally occurring in Mexico, perhaps the rule for salvini males applies to carpinte males too? Does anyone have a definite answer on this issue?
 
Don't forget, guys, that sometimes two females will form a pair. So unless if that "male with blotch" was producing fry, it is likely a second female. I personally find that females can be quite nasty, too.
 
these guys are still babies. wait another 1-2 inches and things will become apparent.
dominance is not gender specific. there are plenty of bad girls of the cichlid world ;)
 
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