Female Guppies With No Gravid Spot?

[This Old Spouse]

I've had a few rounds of births from 2 females I bought, and was separating the older male fry from the females. I thought I'd gotten all the females out of that tank using the gravid spots as a guide. But now I notice there are many still in that tank that don't appear to have gravid spots OR gonopodia.

Shall I assume they're females?

 

[helterskelter]

Blond females tend to not express a vived gravid spot, it's more creamy/pinkish in colour.
As long as there is now gonopodiumson them, then their unable to mate with any young females, even if their a late developing male (we commonly call these males "late bloomer's")

 

[OldMan47]

The gravid spot is a terrible way to sex any fish. Try instead looking at the shape of the anal fin. If it is triangular and the fish is mature, it is a female. Although a gravid spot is often seen in a female guppy, it is not the way to sex them.

 

[tropicalfish16]

I've had a few rounds of births from 2 females I bought, and was separating the older male fry from the females. I thought I'd gotten all the females out of that tank using the gravid spots as a guide. But now I notice there are many still in that tank that don't appear to have gravid spots OR gonopodia.

Shall I assume they're females?

The gravid spot is not a way to sex fish because female fish only get one when their pregnant. If they're not pregnant would you assume it's male?
But the way to do it is to look for a gonopedium or an anal fin which are more "flowy" than pointy.

 

[This Old Spouse]

I've had a few rounds of births from 2 females I bought, and was separating the older male fry from the females. I thought I'd gotten all the females out of that tank using the gravid spots as a guide. But now I notice there are many still in that tank that don't appear to have gravid spots OR gonopodia.

Shall I assume they're females?

The gravid spot is not a way to sex fish because female fish only get one when their pregnant. If they're not pregnant would you assume it's male?
But the way to do it is to look for a gonopedium or an anal fin which are more "flowy" than pointy.

No, the gravid spot can be visible from birth. That's how I can tell most of mine apart from the males. But, there are some females that don't show a visible gravid spot. With those I just have to wait until they're old and big enough to see the anal fin. If it's a female, it's triangle shaped. Males have pointed ones, or gonopodia.

 

[tropicalfish16]

I've had a few rounds of births from 2 females I bought, and was separating the older male fry from the females. I thought I'd gotten all the females out of that tank using the gravid spots as a guide. But now I notice there are many still in that tank that don't appear to have gravid spots OR gonopodia.

Shall I assume they're females?

The gravid spot is not a way to sex fish because female fish only get one when their pregnant. If they're not pregnant would you assume it's male?
But the way to do it is to look for a gonopedium or an anal fin which are more "flowy" than pointy.

No, the gravid spot can be visible from birth. That's how I can tell most of mine apart from the males. But, there are some females that don't show a visible gravid spot. With those I just have to wait until they're old and big enough to see the anal fin. If it's a female, it's triangle shaped. Males have pointed ones, or gonopodia.

Well from my experience, sometimes it appears that fish that are clearly males based on their gonopodium, have gravid spots as well. Especially with guppies, sometimes it can be hard to tell based on a gravid spot. Personally, I advise against using a gravid spot to sex a fish.

 

[OldMan47]

Indeed a fish of either gender will indeed show a dark color that can be mistaken for a gravid spot. It in no way designates a fish as female but may well be the result of generous feeding. Anything that reduces the amount of light transmitted through this almost transparent fish will look like a gravid spot. It is time to go back to basics instead. A gonopodium is never possessed by a female and a nice triangular anal fin is never possessed by a mature male. All fry resemble females, so wait a bit before you try to determine their gender.
A gravid spot is even a terrible way to judge the developmental stage of a mature female. A nice solid meal will make almost any mature female appear quite gravid regardless of her stage of fry development. It is the reason we have given you other ways to judge the female's stage of development in two separate pinned threads.