Salvini w/ red operculum spot = Female?

[missmary]

I bought a bunch of juvie salvini's a few months back in an attempt to get a breeding pair going. I left them unattended for 4 days while visiting family for Thanksgiving and came back one of the eight sals dead and stuck to the filter intake; it was the ONLY one with the black operculum spot that everyone has told me indicates female (see first photo). Go figure.

However, 2 or 3 of the remaining salvinis has a red operculum spot (last 3 photos) with a blueish green edge around it. Does this also suggest female?

 

[Loves severums]

the female have a black line on there top fins.

 

[missmary]

I know I've asked this in a previous thread, but could someone who also owns salvinis post some images of males and females?

I'm just really hoping that of the eight babies I bought that not only one was a female. The remaining seven sals are all between 2-3" long... is it too early to sex them at this size? Are there females without the black operculum spot/without the dorsal blotch?

Sorry if I seem impatient, but I really want a chance to breed and raise these beautiful fish

 

[Loves severums]

here a female salvini.

View attachment 435916


and here a male

 

[MeiTnerium109]

According to AquaticCommunity, "They are rather easy to sex. The male has longer more pointy fins and the female has a patch in the center of her dorsal fin and a spot on the lower part of her gill cover. Females also usually have more red on their bellies but that is not a sure way of sexing them."

That being, I'd be looking at their fins also.

 

[missmary]

According to AquaticCommunity, "They are rather easy to sex. The male has longer more pointy fins and the female has a patch in the center of her dorsal fin and a spot on the lower part of her gill cover. Females also usually have more red on their bellies but that is not a sure way of sexing them."

That being, I'd be looking at their fins also.

A couple of them have a patch in the center of their dorsal fins without a spot on their gill cover and a couple of them have a spot on their gill cover (red with a blue ring around it) but no dorsal patch.

I'll try again to look for notable differences in fin shape, though.

 

[robmcd]

Id listen to loves severums. She knows her stuff......

 

[Loves severums]

thank u robmcd.

 

[missmary]

ttt