SEX!

MySpace Mike said:
You people try to say that "venting" is the only way to sex any fish. Everytime a person asks how to sex their fish, the one thing people try to say "venting" it makes me laugh so much. I think I'll believe the scientist and professionals who list online than a person who says "venting" about every fish there is. I mean seriously, whats next Convicts can only be sexed by venting?
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Were talking about Electric Yellow labs...so how do you sex them without venting them or if they are holding? What about Oscars, hmm almost impossible to sex without venting. Id bet half the folks on here can't sex my Jag in my avatar by looks alone. BTW what Scientists and Profesionals are saying you can sex a Electric Yellow Lab by if it has black on it's fins, Id like to see the article.
 
:iagree: Venting is the only sure-fire way. :) Female Labs can have darker stripes proving that theory wrong (more black/darker stripe theory).
 
Here yo go, it also mentions venting however it does state about the black stripes.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_yellow_cichlid

Their bodies are strikingly bright yellow, with males having dark black streaks on their dorsal, pelvic, and ventral fins. Males and females are sexually monomorphic with most males exhibiting black ventral fins and broader black dorsal stripe, though the best way to sex them would require examining their vents, while behaviour can provide reliable hints (females tend to be smaller and less aggressive).
 
So yes venting is a good way for sexing, but I think I just proved the fact of black stripes on their fins. I use to have an African Tank about 8 years ago with Electric Yellows, and the Black Stripe sexing worked perfectly. I ended up with a pair of Electric Yellows.
 
Wikipedia is a site where anyone can add information to it.....so I could go on there and say anything and they may post it. IMO its not a reliable source....not just because of the Yellow Lab thing, but in general. :rolleyes:
 
http://www.cichliddepot.com/library/african/electricyellow.php

"Male and female yellow labs both have a very similar coloration. Males have more black on their dorsal fin than females, both are yellow and sometimes may get green spots around their face, and mouth."

http://www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/Fishindx/caeruleu.htm

"There is no obvious colour difference between males and females, but males may show more black on the fins, particularly the ventral fins. They may also exhibit a brownish patch in the area between the eye and mouth."

http://www.allcichlids.com/lake_malawi/labidochromis_caeruleus_electric_yellows_.html

"The males have darker fins, and will tend to have a black strip through the eyes as well."



I think I would believe it when almost every site on the internet states "males have darker black stripes on them."
 
MySpace Mike said:
Actually wikipedia is a site that checks and verifies all information input into its systems before letting it post publicly.
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So does pretty much any site including this one for species profiles or articles. So not everyone on here is a professional. By saying females have less black on the fins can mislead someone trying to get a female/male mix. Venting is a 100% positive way to sex these guys. At a juvi stage the black fin way to sex is extremely hard even for a professional. It may be easy with a big group of full grown specimens but not with smaller juvi fish.
You don't even keep Electric Yellows so therefore you are trying to justify something you don't have any experience with. You said you had a pair years ago, they are supposed to be kept in groups of three or more females to one male. None of your profiles mention anything about that.
 
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Visually determining gender among yellow labs [excluding venting] can be challenging (and near impossible with juvies).

The presence or boldness of black fin markings may offer clues but aren't a definitive indicator, since a high quality female can have 'better' fin markings than a lower quality male (or a mature male can have 'better' markings than an immature male).

How the fish behaves, especially when among group of other yellow labs, contributes to determining gender. Males may vie with each other in attempts to establish dominance and initiate efforts to attract and spawn with the females. While it probably happens, I've yet to witness two confirmed female yellow labs sparring with each other.

To a lesser extent, the yellow lab's interaction with other mbuna species may offer additional clues (do aggressive males of other species view the lab in question as a rival or a subordinate tank mate, or spawning partner, etc). When some of my male metriaclima and pseudotropheus species decide to 'clear the immediate area' of other mbuna in the vicinity, I've noticed that a half-heartedly 'charge' seems to easily ward off female yellow labs, but the flaring of fins and other threatening behavior may be required to motivate a male yellow lab to move. Dominant male yellow will sometimes 'square off' with other male mbuna's. (I'm convinced that the fish themselves 'know' which fish are male and female in the tank).

Observation of physical appearance and behavior should give you and idea as to the gender of the lab. Interpreting these variables seem to work best when the fish are already in the tank, than at the LFS while trying to handpick particular genders from what ever tank they're in.
 
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