in pic 3 look closely at the spot just infront of the anal fin where u would expect the breeding tube/ovipositor to be. it is not there. look at the tail of the fish, it has already developed tail fin extensions at that age. the anal fin also seems rather long. take note of the head shape and the general shape of the belly of the fish.
in pic 6 if u look closely again to just in front of the anal fin, it looks like the ovipositor is just barely visible, protruding out as u would expect in a female. the belly appears more rounded. while the tail is blurred, it doesnt appear that it has developed the extensions just yet. the head shape seems more smoothly rounded. and the crest on the dorsal fin isnt particularly what u would expect to see from a male.
though the photos arent very helpful in determining sex.
here is a mature male. they are exceptionally easier to sex when mature compared to a juvenile
he has the obvious dorsal crest. flat belly. bumped head shape. his genital papilla is tapering backwards to a point. and exceptional fins, length and extensions, tail, rear of the dorsal, anal and ventral.
here is a mature female.
at this age, she too has all the fin extensions of the male (the tail wasnt completely captured in the photo) except her ventral and anal fins arent quite as long. her head shape is smoothly rounded. her ovipositor is large, round and pointing downwards (and if she hadnt just spawned would be far more prominent). her belly is round-ish (again she had just spawned)
the traits that occur in both sexes usually always develop sooner in the males. head shape isnt always nicely defined in juveniles
Keep your fingers crossed.
