male or female?

[zerojoe0917]

my tank is about to be ready from RCS!!!!

so i was at a store and i was wondering how to do tell the difference between Male of female when the RCS are still young?\


thanks

Joe..

 

[msjinkzd]

Its really easy once you know what to look for. Are you talking itty bitty juvies? Basically the males have a longer thinner abdomen and a slight hump to their back and are often more translucent. The females have a smoother top line, are wider through the abdomen, are darker red, and also slightly larger (as adults). I will dig around for some pics and post them if I can find clear examples. Once they hit about 1/2" the females will also develop visible ovaries (saddle) that are a yellow or green patch just behind their head.

 

[zerojoe0917]

sweet thanks......i think the rcs in the store are like 1-2 months old...

you can't believe how long i have waited for the tank to get ready....

 

[msjinkzd]

sure i can, lol. Good luck with them, they are really fun! And beware, once you start housing shrimp it gets a bit addictive!

 

[BubbleBack_Ek9_]

Post some pics when u get them and to the question rachel has that covered...

 

[zerojoe0917]

sure i will....can't wait!!

 

[pixl8r]

Mustafa, over at www.petshrimp.com has some excellent reference photographs of various breeds of shrimp. He usually includes pictures of male, female and juvenile shrimp. Here's the link to his Red Cherry shrimp page;

http://www.petshrimp.com/redcherryshrimp.html