Help Identify My Jaguar Cichlids

[lazykiwi]

i recently bought these jaguars (along with some other fish). they were clearing the gravel in the tank so i thought they were about to mate. so i took them out and put them into a separate 55 gallon tank with a flat rock to lay their eggs. they moved all the gravel in this tank too but now they just stay in separate sides and come out only to fight. can someone tell me what sex they are (and how can you tell)?

 

[indiginess]

judging by typical cichlid dorsal sexing, i'd say the bottom one is the male, and the top is the female... notice how the male has a much longer and pointed top fin in the back?

nice looking fish... really nice. jaguar cichlid, huh. i likes.

 

[indiginess]

found a site that has a lot of pics...

Jaguar Cichlid

man those are neat. get BIG though, sounds like theyre alot like oscars, size, habits, natural habitat...

 

[Slappy*McFish]

I'm pretty sure the top one is male. The bottom one I'm unsure sure of, but I think it's also a male due to the markings and color patterns.

 

[indiginess]

I'm pretty sure the top one is male. The bottom one I'm unsure sure of, but I think it's also a male due to the markings and color patterns.

the dorsal fin differentiation is supported by the sexing examples provided in the website i linked. i don't think color patterning is significantly different enough to be a determinant, but then i have no experiece with this particular species.

 

[ashdavid]

Judging by their fins they are both males, IMO. What size are they? they only look about 10" or so.

 

[ashdavid]

the dorsal fin differentiation is supported by the sexing examples provided in the website i linked. i don't think color patterning is significantly different enough to be a determinant, but then i have no experiece with this particular species.

Males will tend to be more colorful than females.

 

[indiginess]

the dorsal fin difference seemed pretty pronounced to me, particularly the tapering and extention length.

but, as i said, i've little experience with these species. most of my cichlid knowledge is based in angels, small SA's and mbuna, so take it for what its worth. mbuna are where i draw the eye for subtle dorsal sexing, though it may not apply.

btw, NICE TANK ashdavid

 

[ashdavid]

Thanks a lot for the tank comment. I had a breeding pair a long time ago, until I sold them. Now all I have is a male at about 12". I am pretty sure that they are both males.

 

[lazykiwi]

Judging by their fins they are both males, IMO. What size are they? they only look about 10" or so.

i'm guessing they're slightly under 12" (almost the width of the tank).

Thanks a lot for the tank comment. I had a breeding pair a long time ago, until I sold them. Now all I have is a male at about 12". I am pretty sure that they are both males.

so if they're both males, i guess i can just put them back with my other cichlids. they can't be ***, can they? i just don't understand why they cleared the gravel. seemed like one of them wanted to mate. or is that normal? i just want to make sure...