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Which is the male?


Bill
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Would someone venture a guess as to which is the male and which is the female? The one I thought was male is on the left in pic 1, the right in pic 2, and alone in the other pic. I thought so because he's a little larger and has more of a hump on his head. You can't tell from these pics, but I thought he had a little rounder body versus the other being more angular. I didn't get a look at their breeding tubes. 

I didn't see the first spawn, but when I noticed the eggs, the larger one was doing most of the "egg care" and the other one was the most aggressive, like attacking the vac when it was placed in the tank for cleaning. They both would do that, but the smaller one would do it 70 percent of the time, and the larger one would stay near the fry. So I started thinking the larger one was the female.

I moved them to a breeding tank exactly a week ago and put a breeding cone in two days ago, and right now they're spawning on it. I'm keeping my distance, so I can't tell which one is doing what. The other thing is that just yesterday the larger one stopped taking food. He (she?) seemed fine, but for 2 days just wasn't interested in food ... I'm starting to think that may be the female. If they are full of eggs to they eat less?  

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Edited by Bill
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The one that is on the right in the top photo looks like a male to me because his ovipositor is smaller. He is the one with the least amount of orange on his head.

You can see the differences in the ovipositors in the is video. The males' ovipositors are thin and pointed.

 

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I agree, the tubes are the best way to be sure.  Once seen up close its easier to make sense of it. One tube is big enough to deposit an egg. The other is pointed and more like the tip of a pencil.

I have been able to sex angles I was unsure of by putting them in the tank next to a breeding pair. A big tank with a divider may be even better since they will share water.  If you can get their tubes to drop its the best way to be sure.  Sometimes the same sex will spar through the glass or divider at each other. The sparring method doesn't guarantee anything just something I've noticed while trying to get them to show tubes.

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Thanks @Daniel and @s1_! You guys are right, I didn't look closely enough at the top photo, thinking I wouldn't be able to see the tubes... the smaller one is definitely the male, and has been behaving that way all along. I'm no longer going to trust the size, hump on the head, or body shape! 

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Edited by Bill
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