View Full Version : breeding yellow labs
so i have 3 yellow labs i got for a good deal at this fish auction. they look so beautiful swimming togeter. unfortunately the gravel i have doesn't suit their color, so i am switching to a black sand. probably tahitan moon sand. alright.....so each of them are between 1-1.5 inches. in fact the largest one of the three may be bigger, but my question is: when will i start being able to recognize signs of m/f interes and what signs will they be?
kay-bee
11-23-2007, 9:07 AM
There are many opinions on how to determine gender. Hard to say at the tiny size they're currently at, or even when they're larger.
It is probable (but not guranteed) that the most dominant of the trio is a male (but there's always the chance they're all females, and in that scenario one female will be the dominant).
It is probable (but not guranteed) that the one(s) with the boldest fin markings is male (but this trait can be seen in high quality females and absent from low quality males).
It's probable (but not guranteed) that the one(s) with the largest pelvic fins is male (but subdominant males may develop slower than the more dominant males).
It's probable that males are more likely to fight or spar with each other (than male vs female or female vs female), so if you see two of the three sparring it's likely they're the males. But mbuna of any gender are capable of aggression.
Basically there's no one sure clear cut sign which signifies gender (especially at the size of fish you have, though the gender does become more evident with larger yellow labs).
Observe your fish and see how they interact and behave, and look. If you have at least one of each gender it's very likely you'll have fry within 18 months or less. In some cases the the more labs in the tank, the likihood of the males 'revealing' themselves increases (for example one will step up to become the dominant male, which may motivate rivals to challenge him, and they'll begin to interact with the females as part of their competition).
ok. thanks for that awesome advice. also, i have 1 fish that is growing much faster than the other two and is developing much more black on its anal and dorsal (if that is what the top fin is called) fins and head. but ya, could this also be the sign of a male? and it is definately the dominant fish because it ocasionally chases one of the other fish, but the third is left alone for the most part.
AquariumNoob13
11-24-2007, 12:37 AM
ok. thanks for that awesome advice. also, i have 1 fish that is growing much faster than the other two and is developing much more black on its anal and dorsal (if that is what the top fin is called) fins and head. but ya, could this also be the sign of a male? and it is definately the dominant fish because it ocasionally chases one of the other fish, but the third is left alone for the most part.
from what i was told, yes. most of the time in the event that you DO have at least 1 male and 1 female, the dominant male will have more black on its upper fin and head.