what size do female red terrors show nice color/sexing ques?

[arowfan]

Hey guys and gals, so I called a lfs and they have some in stock (they said around 4-5in) but the guy there says he's unable to tell male from female...can you tell the sex at this size? I'm interested in getting a female....
is this what a pair of red terrors look like; the one with the stripes being female? what should I look for...anyone have pics or are these pics accurate?
thanks in advance!!!

 

[xdragonxb0i]

i beleive the female its the stripes, and is more colorful

make sure they are true festae by the spot on their tail

 

[arowfan]

if you're referring to the spot near the tail to tell if it is- as opposed to a mayan-both have them ...I think I can tell the difference now, its just a matter of sexing them though...
Over the phone, the lfs guy said that none of them have bright colors at 4in...when do they develop the color? and what should I look for to tell the difference if I can't go by color? (minus venting lol)
thanks

 

[dogofwar]

The smaller fish is the female. Best way to sex them at the size you describe is tubes: males have a small pointy tube; female more blunt.

Festae WILL NOT display those kinds of colors on a daily basis... only when breeding...

Matt

 

[Citrinellus]

^ Agreed. Your probably best off buying a group of 4-6 and letting them pair naturally and then sell the leftover ones back to the lfs.

 

[Sarah88]

yeah at that size its going to be kind of hard, but look carefully to see if you see any speckling on the sides, males will have speckling and females wont, at this size some of the females may still be showing their he/she baby speckles but if there are any that arent showing any side speckling at all then that should for sure be a female, also talk witht he lfs guy and see if he will let you vent the one you pic out first to be sure GOOD LUCK

 

[Rockbass6]

Sometimes at a small size you can tell if the fish is male. If you look at the picture you posted the big gold colored male has greenish speckles on the side. A female won't have those even when litte. I'd go off of that or just buy a few and raise them. Some show better colors than others, so that is another reason to buy a few. I had a female festae that never got red, it was always orange.
Only sure way is buy a bunch, but it is hard to describe through text. It would be easier to show you. haha but can't help there..

 

[arowfan]

so I went to the lfs the other day to check them out, and I believe out of 5, only one is a female...it appears that she has no speckles, and they all lack color at the 5 in mark. the lfs guy said they were there for about a month, so I think I may try back in about 2 weeks and see if there are any changes...is it possible for them to start to pair up at this age, or is to soon still?
I'll let you guys and gals know happens!
Thanks everyone!

 

[VRWC]

You will NEVER know or be able to tell their sex at that size, especially in a small tank at an LFS. In 2 weeks, nothing is going to be different enough for you to tell. At any given time, females have blue speckles as juvies, just like males. Males will have black in their dorsal almost as much as females as juvies etc.

They are notorious for being androgynous, so I wouldnt even assume you can tell the difference at that size. If you can afford it & have the space, get them all and youll be able to find out whats what, soon enough.