Help Sexing My Bolivian Rams, Please

[Gvilleguy]

I have four juvenile Bolivian Rams, and after 10 days in the tank, I am finally finding ways to distinguish them (mostly based on the presence or absence of fin imperfections, plus breeding tubes). I suspect that I have 2 males and 2 females, assuming it's possible to tell when they are still this young.

I'm hoping to get some additional opinions besides my own!

1. Suspected male, codenamed Slytherin (my kids have named them):

This fish has nearly flawless fins and only the tiniest hint of a breeding tube.

2. Suspected male, codenamed Griffindor:

This fish has a tiny semicircle nipped out of its tail fin (better seen in the 2nd picture), and, again, a very small bump of a tube.

3. Suspected female, codenamed Hufflepuff:

Like Slytherin, I don't see any flaws in the fins of this fish, but it has a much larger breeding tube showing, which is how I tell them apart.

4. Suspected female, codenamed Ravenclaw:

Ravenclaw is the easiest to spot, as her dorsal fin has a tear in it.

Thanks for your time.

 

[meguro]

theyre not juveniles theyre sub-adults/adults

rams 1 and 2 look male while rams 3 and 4 look female

fin damage, or lack of, doesnt mean anything

 

[Gvilleguy]

Thanks. These puppies must be older than I thought. The LFS said these were bigger than the normal shipments.

I wasn't saying fin damage had anything to do with sexing - it was just how I was keeping track of which fish I had a decent "sexing" picture of, and what the kids named it. Sorry if I was not clear on that. I know it's mainly the breeding tube by which we can tell the sex.

 

[mrscullen5373]

how exactly do you sex these guys?

Thanks x x x

 

[karin]

I think you are right on with the sexing. Males have flatter bellies and females have a rounder belly and a breeding tube protruding. At least these are one of the ways to sex.