Rainbow cichlids gender ID?
- Thread starter Joshuakahan
- Start date
As with many new world cichlids, the males fins are usually more pointed, the facial profile is steeper.
The bodies of mature males are somewhat more streamlined though.
During spawning the females get quite a bit darker in coloration.
But at 2" it may be hard to differentiate.
I kept a group of 8, and was seldom able to tell them apart.
To mimic the breeding season in Costa Rica when they fan out into flooded plains to spawn, at maturity I put my group in a 400 gallon kiddy pool with water only about a foot deep, when they hit about 4".
I put in a lot of barriers to offer territorial boundaries.
Below, probably a female, note the rounded fin tips, and more streamlined read profile
The bodies of mature males are somewhat more streamlined though.
During spawning the females get quite a bit darker in coloration.
But at 2" it may be hard to differentiate.
I kept a group of 8, and was seldom able to tell them apart.
To mimic the breeding season in Costa Rica when they fan out into flooded plains to spawn, at maturity I put my group in a 400 gallon kiddy pool with water only about a foot deep, when they hit about 4".
I put in a lot of barriers to offer territorial boundaries.
Below, probably a female, note the rounded fin tips, and more streamlined read profile
Did yours max out at 4”? I’ve read conflicting info ranging from 3-6”. Just curious more or less. I was able to get a male/female identified thanks to your help and have them alone in 55. Already showing spawning behavior at 2”As with many new world cichlids, the males fins are usually more pointed, the facial profile is steeper.
The bodies of mature males are somewhat more streamlined though.
During spawning the females get quite a bit darker in coloration.
But at 2" it may be hard to differentiate.
I kept a group of 8, and was seldom able to tell them apart.
To mimic the breeding season in Costa Rica when they fan out into flooded plains to spawn, at maturity I put my group in a 400 gallon kiddy pool with water only about a foot deep, when they hit about 4".
I put in a lot of barriers to offer territorial boundaries.
Below, probably a female, note the rounded fin tips, and more streamlined read profile
Mine hit about 5" for males, but at that point when I moved they were given away.
Whether they may have grown more since, I don't know.
In nature 3.5" is average, and spawning small, is also normal, but cichlids in aquariums often get larger than in nature in aquariums because of regular feeding, and lack of predation.
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