Yellow Lab Sexing

[kribensis12]

I have had theese labs since Jan. and they havent bred yet. I have two of their sex I'm unsure of. I was wondering if you could sex them!

Here is the other fish( sorry, best pic I could get!):

I know one I have is a female. The other is a definatley a Male. Biggest of them all, lots of color, and ashen face.

 

[Ripley]

Males are larger and have a black line running vertically through their eyes. Also the males have more black on their fins. The first one is a male and the second looks like a female.

 

[kribensis12]

Whoa! I didn't know males had a Black line through thier eye's! That's News to me! Im gonna go see if my male has a line through his eye. I have a tank of another 4 , so Im gonna put ALOT more hiding places in this tank and another filter and up the W/C so the overstocking doesnt harm them.

 

[helterskelter]

These are notorious to sex.
The first dose look more male though. it also has an egg spot in the anal fin (which again is not 100%) but i've not heard the line though the eye either, I'll have to check that out when back at work.

The second also look female like.

These fish will not breed until their totally happy, once their happy your not stop them.
I've seen females kill their self from lack of food.

Some I have seen go 2-3 days between having fry to having another batch of eggs..... Crazy girls!

 

[youngfisher]

Sorry to change the topic' but what are the price range for these fish?

 

[helterskelter]

In the uk

• 2-3" £3-6
• 3-4" £5-8

Depending where u go

 

[kribensis12]

I got theese guys for 5 bucks a piece( about 2.5 pounds). I know I definatley have 2 males know. I know one for sure is a female , no black fins or egg spots ect. Im going to trade in the newly found male for a female from the buy I bought them from, when our fish club meets next month.

 

[helterskelter]

The exchange rates have changed in the last year.
it was £1 = $2 but now it's a lot less £1 is now $1.50, shame

Course if u know a breeder their usualy happy to get rid of a few

 

[Mystil]

Yellow labs are REALLY hard to sex. The only known way is to see the female holding and then see what other fish is displaying.

My yelow labs all have black barring on their fins and egg spots so not really helpful.

 

[kribensis12]

I'm sure I could vent them. But I'm unsure of how to do that exactly.

 

[dthoffsett]

I'm sure I could vent them. But I'm unsure of how to do that exactly.

There's a good article in the breeding section at cichlid-forum on how to vent. Other than watching them breed that's really the only accurate way to sex them. I've have females take on full male coloration (not that there's much difference to begin with) when my only male died. I've also had sub-dominate males look very much like the females. Oh, and my alpha male didn't have the line through his eye or egg spots, and I know he was a he because he successfully bred with several girls.

I can't remember what your stocking is, but when I had mine they bred like crazy until I add the m.callainos, then my lab girls all took a liking to the alpha callainos and started breeding with him. I've read of a couple of other people who's labs didn't breed when kept with more aggressive tank mates.

 

[kribensis12]

I have them in a 30g tank. Lots of slate work. Im going to get some holey rock next club meeting. Im also looking into buying another power filter. Im gonnalook at the venting article.