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hello!

i have three adult discus that are at least 2 years old. they are about 6" from nose to tail.

anyhow, i was looking at them today, and they are all showing their ovipostors, i think! i'm not sure, but i think 2 are females and 1 is a male. do you know of any pictures i could check to confirm?

also, now what? does this mean they are ready to breed? do you think they will? (i think two of them have paired up)

let me know!

Last edited by niggit at 23-Dec-2004 13:51

Niggit,

Congratulations, kinda, maybe...

If they are all showing ovipositors they should all be female. Without looking at their sex organs, I like the method of thickness in the fish and a "whip" leading from the dorsal fin. Females will have a thinner body and a rounded dorsal fin. Using this criteria, I'm right about 50% of the time.

Generally, I sex by watching them spawn. However, I do have a female who appears a little confused as she attempts to fertilize another female's spawns. I call her "Ellen".

Good sexing ideas:
http://www.aquaworldnet.com/dbws/sexingdiscus.shtml

Last edited by Bob Wesolowski at 24-Dec-2004 19:07

__________
"To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism; to steal from many is research."
researched from Steven Wright

i thought that with females the ovipostor is rounded, and in males the ovipostor is pointed (?). that's the way it is with other fish, is it not true with discus?

The female organ is called an ovapositor. I have only seen the male organ called the male papilla, although there is probably an anatomical name for it.