karin
Fish Herder
Had these questions over in New World with no response. Maybe someone here has some ideas for me?
I bought 5 cupid cichlids, wild caught, 2 months ago. The largest is 2.25 inches. (Max will be about 4-5 inches and they are reportedly slow growing.) There is not a lot of information on the web on this species, but based on that information I have 5 males, identified by their bright blue broken stripes on the lower part of their gill plate. (Females have blue dots in the same location).
I have read at one other forum that this is common with this cichlid, to get all males and I have read two theories.
1. The females are lower in the water column in the wild and the fishermen therefore net only males and export them.
2. The sexual differences show up at 2 years old so be patient. This implies that the striping on the face may turn to dots on some of my fish and I may have females?
Thought maybe this issue shows up in other species.
Here is a picture to illustrate on of my supposed males.
I bought 5 cupid cichlids, wild caught, 2 months ago. The largest is 2.25 inches. (Max will be about 4-5 inches and they are reportedly slow growing.) There is not a lot of information on the web on this species, but based on that information I have 5 males, identified by their bright blue broken stripes on the lower part of their gill plate. (Females have blue dots in the same location).
I have read at one other forum that this is common with this cichlid, to get all males and I have read two theories.
1. The females are lower in the water column in the wild and the fishermen therefore net only males and export them.
2. The sexual differences show up at 2 years old so be patient. This implies that the striping on the face may turn to dots on some of my fish and I may have females?
Thought maybe this issue shows up in other species.
Here is a picture to illustrate on of my supposed males.
