My Mbambas & Yellow Labs

[mooman]

That is a false assumption... Both male and female labs can and will have black on their fins... eggspots make no difference either... The only way to successfully sex yellow labs is by venting or unless you have a yellow carrying a mouthful of eggs.

That's bologna. I can look at a tank of juvi yellow labs and make a pretty accurate guess as to gender based on the amount of black coloration on the ventral fins. As the fish get older the differences become even more pronounced. Can females have some black on ventral fins? Sure, but not NEARLY the amount that males have. Can males have more of a "pale/white belly"? Absolutely, but not as pale white as most of the females. It's just like sexing any cichlid. You look at a combination of characteristics (fin shape, coloration, head shape) Any ONE of those factors can and will lead you astray, but when looked at them together you can usually make a pretty accurate guess.

Can't see all the ventral fins on that lab, but from what I can see, I vote male. Partsrep, check that fishes equipment and prove me right.

 

[~*LuvMyKribs*~]

I am pretty good at sexing yellow labs, mostly because I take into consideration the behaviour of the fish as well as its coloration and features. So I need to observe the fish in "real life" in order to make a really accurate guess.

Moo, I have seen on several occations with really good quality labs that females will look like males. Not like good quality males, but if you picked out all the females and stuck them in with other 'regular' labs then I would guess that those females were actually males, just because they had such black markings.

So for most people sexing labs is extremely difficult, but to the trained eye it becomes easier and easier, especially after keeping and breeding them.

For that picture at the top of the thread I could go either way for male or female because it appears to have pretty good coloration, but I am leaning towards a male.

To be absolutely sure, you need to watch them mate or vent them.


-Diana

 

[partsrep]

Nice color on both of them, especially the yellow lab, he/she looks excellent!

The first mbamba looks a little.... bent? Or is it just the pic?

Nice fish!




-Diana

Just the pic. I feed them NLS Cichlid pellets, OSI Cichlid flake and OSI Spirulina flake. Occasionally some frozen brine shimp. The foods really seem to make a difference in color.

 

[partsrep]

Venting?

I agree with Diana on the sexing of the yellow labs. I'm rather new to this and I couldn't tell the difference until one of them was holding. She's lighter in color than the rest of the yellow labs and the only yellow lab to hold in that tank thus far. She's easy to indentify, it's the others I can't tell. I have 6 yellow labs in that tank and only one for certain is a female.

Can anybody help me learn "venting"?

 

[scholar]

A side-body pic with the head showing is enough to tell if it is a male or not. The black is a sih=gn of dominance. So we a couple of males round, the females will have none or very little. However, the dominate female will show quite a bit of black without dominate males around.

The breadth of the shoulder and the insistent chasing also establishes a male.

 

[nugs]

That's bologna. I can look at a tank of juvi yellow labs and make a pretty accurate guess as to gender based on the amount of black coloration on the ventral fins. As the fish get older the differences become even more pronounced. Can females have some black on ventral fins? Sure, but not NEARLY the amount that males have. Can males have more of a "pale/white belly"? Absolutely, but not as pale white as most of the females. It's just like sexing any cichlid. You look at a combination of characteristics (fin shape, coloration, head shape) Any ONE of those factors can and will lead you astray, but when looked at them together you can usually make a pretty accurate guess.

Can't see all the ventral fins on that lab, but from what I can see, I vote male. Partsrep, check that fishes equipment and prove me right.

oh wise one, you are the man... keep believing what you will... sounds like you should work in a fish shop...