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My Krib fry (born Oct 06) are getting bigger. Are they called juveniles by now - or are they still fry?

Anyway, I was wondering when I will be able to sex them and what should I be looking for? I have 11 & I'm wondering if they are all girls. This is because of their tail shape. Dad had a diamond shaped tail & mum had a the regular back wards triangle shaped tail. All 11 babies have the same shaped tail as their mum. Is that a valid way to sex them?

This picture is no where near clear enough for anyone to sex them for me, but I thought I'd share the pic anyway (as blurry as it is).

Attached Image:


Cheers
TW

Even when fairly young, Pelvicachromis pulcher exhibits the following trait - females develop a rosy flush to the flanks that forms a kind of inverted saddle shaped patch around the underside between the pelvic and anal fins, the 'flaps' of the inverted saddle coming to an end just before the horizontal body stripes. So, for example, this individual is likely to be a female. Males can exhibit this flush of rosy hue also at breeding time, but the female flush is MUCH more conspicuous. Longer trailing dorsal and anal tips on the male tend to beccome conspicuous only as maturity approaches.

Here's a good page with photos of a spawning pair that should also help.

Basically, every time I've seen juvenile Kribs at my LFS, the females have ALWAYS exhibited a conspicuous rosy flush while the males have had basic yellow ground colour in the same region.


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

Thanks Calilasseia

They must be around 5 months now (or close - born Oct 06)

So then it must be the opposite of what I first thought I had. I now think I must have all males - going by what you say. I can't see any rosy flush.

Pity - whilst I didn't what brother & sister to breed, I would have liked at least one of each in the mix.

while the males have had basic yellow ground colour in the same region

I couldn't see this yellow trait either though

Thanks for your input.

Cheers
TW

I would wait another month or two. It would be VERY surprising if allthe fry turned out male.
You will probably find that one of them colours up a little bit in the near future.

Good luck.

Be advised also that some West African Cichlids exhibit a peculiar trait - namely that the sex ratio of the offspring can be skewed by the pH in which the parents spawned. Temperature can also affect sex ratios in Cichlids (there are scientific papers on this very subject) and it is worth your while checking to see whether Kribs exhibit sex ratio skewing as a result of environmental factors.

Do a search on pH and sex ratios and see if Kribs are affected, then check the pH in which your parents spawn if they ARE affected in this manner. Judicious choice of pH may ensure a balanced sex ratio in the offspring. This has been documented for several species, but I cannot recall off the top of my head whether Kribs are a species that exhibits this trait.




Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

Thanks DD & I hope so.

Thanks too, Calilasseia. I've read that before - but not about kribs (about other dwarf cichlids). I will see what I can find on the net - but if I do have all same sex, that could well be the reason.



Cheers
TW