Choosing discus pair out!

[Mazain]

Q. In a group of 9 discus fish what is the ratio male : female for discus to pair out and be a proven pair?
My pairs that breed are either female : female with unfertile eggs or a pair out which select a spawning site but separate after a day or two.

I dont seperate the discus pair until i'm 100% sure it's a confirmed breeding pair.
Right now, I think I got 2 males and the rest are females, I might be wrong.
Need help from experts who have bred discus.

 

[Rusty_Shackleford]

Q. In a group of 9 discus fish what is the ratio male : female for discus to pair out and be a proven pair?
My pairs that breed are either female : female with unfertile eggs or a pair out which select a spawning site but separate after a day or two.

I dont seperate the discus pair until i'm 100% sure it's a confirmed breeding pair.
Right now, I think I got 2 males and the rest are females, I might be wrong.
Need help from experts who have bred discus.

In order for them to be a mated pair, the sex ratio would be 1:1.

 

[Innesfan]

Q. In a group of 9 discus fish what is the ratio male : female for discus to pair out and be a proven pair?
My pairs that breed are either female : female with unfertile eggs or a pair out which select a spawning site but separate after a day or two.

I dont seperate the discus pair until i'm 100% sure it's a confirmed breeding pair.
Right now, I think I got 2 males and the rest are females, I might be wrong.
Need help from experts who have bred discus.

Not entirely clear on what you are asking. The total number in the shoal --or the gender ratio therein--has no bearing on producing a 'proven pair.' Normally a shoal of 6 or more will increase the odds of one of each sex finding each other and pairing off. So your 9 should suffice. The 'proven' part relies on other factors.

But what you are describing sounds like immature behavior. How old are your fish? What size are they from snout to root of tail? Wilds or domestics? What size tank and what are your water parameters and temp?

If your fish are wilds, recently descended from wilds or still have some wild coloration and pattern, particularly the black halo in the fins that surrounds the fish, that halo will be much darker and more prominent in females than males where it is more subdued and often overlaid with other colors. But many domestic strains no longer have halos--an unfortunate loss IMO-- so if that's the case with yours you won't have that aid in determining gender.

One other way to go is if you are fairly confident of the gender of two fish--a male and female-- move them to another tank and separate them by a divider which allows them to see each other. Feed them well and when they start paying each other a lot of attention through the divider remove it and see what happens. But only if your fish are mature enough. The younger the fish the less likely the pair bond will form and hold.