# rusty color...female vs male.. what are the odds (7m 1f)



## GaFishMan1181 (Dec 17, 2008)

i have had my rusties for about a month now and they are too small to vent but i have noticed that 1 of my rusties has next to no purple color on its body. the rest of my rusties are very purple on the body.

what are the chances that out of 8 only 1 is female

i have never figured out if the males and females are suppose to look alike but form what i have heard the females do not show the same purple that the males show. this one fish is more rust and very very lgiht body color while the others are dark pruple body color


----------



## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

I had it happen to me with cynotilapia sp. hara. I'm raising my second batch of purchased juveniles to try to get some females.


----------



## Afishionado (Jun 6, 2006)

Mathematically I believe the odds would be 1 out of 32, assuming an even ratio in the population you're selecting from. Possible, but unlucky for sure. What may hapen also though with fish large enough to start giving the first clues as to gender is that customers before you may have selected as many 'female-looking' fish as they could - leaving you with mostly males to choose from.

How big are they and how did you buy them? (online, from an lfs or other source?)


----------



## MalawiLover (Sep 12, 2006)

If they aren't even large enough to vent then I wouldn't put too much stock in their coloration yet. It would be more likely that you have one whose overall color is just less vibrant in comparrison than 8m/1f. The differences in coloration of adults would not be evidant in such young fish anyway, so let them grow a while before worrying too much.


----------



## GaFishMan1181 (Dec 17, 2008)

the fish are about 1 1/2" - 1 3/4". the largest one might be closer to 2". I bought them online.

i will wait longer to see but this one just looks so much different than the rest it was bothering me.

IF i did end up with just 1 female and 7 males is there still a chance that the one female might breed or would there be too much male aggression


----------



## MalawiLover (Sep 12, 2006)

If you think it really looks taht different, are you positive its a rusty? getting a stow-away or a wrong fish is very common. It would really help is you could post a pic of the fish in question and one of your colored rusties.


----------



## GaFishMan1181 (Dec 17, 2008)

it only looks that different because of color. body shape is the same but on the 1 fish the rust color is brighter and the purple is almost next to none.

i'll try and take a pic tonight when i get home


----------



## MalawiLover (Sep 12, 2006)

Then it is likely just due to the roll of the genetic dice. At that size the hormones that cause the male coloration differences have not begun production. Maby for the most dominant of the males, but not all. Even in adults, the sub males are lcolored more like females


----------



## Aura (Oct 29, 2005)

My rusty spawns have been very heavy on the male side. Females are usually duller and at times, darker in color, although in the right lighting, they can show some of that pretty purple.

Here are some female shots. Click to enlarge.






A male for color comparison


----------



## MalawiLover (Sep 12, 2006)

nice rusties.

But yours are adults. you would expect the females to be a bit less flashy than the males once they are all sexually mature.

any pics of juvies (the size of the OP's) for comparisson?


----------



## GaFishMan1181 (Dec 17, 2008)

yeah, none of mine look any where near as good as your male.
so i guess i just need to be more patient and let them grow some. it is just kind of odd having one fish that looks way different. it has bright rust color like your male fish but the body is super pale like the second female pic you posted. all of the rest of them look like your first female except way more purple on their body.

maybe i got 1 male and 7 females.. haha


----------



## Floridagirl (Jan 10, 2008)

My Rusty has never been as vibrant as that male.


----------



## wheatbackdigger (May 11, 2008)

The only way I can tell the difference between my male and females, the females hold. They look exactly alike with the exception the male is a tad bigger


----------



## Dogtanian (Jan 27, 2011)

Can anyone help me sex this rusty? He/she about 2-3" long. If it helps, barely any purple hue at all.

Sorry about the quality, struggling with my camera to get any decent shots









Thanks,

Ian.


----------



## Nina_b (Jan 3, 2011)

Try using the flash? It bothers the fish less than you'd expect.


----------



## Rhinox (Sep 10, 2009)

*GaFishMan1181*

I notice this is an old thread, but what was the outcome with your rusties? did you ever figure out the males from the females?


----------



## Chunkanese (Feb 4, 2011)

Looks likeva young male to me.


----------



## Fogelhund (Dec 3, 2002)

GaFishMan1181 said:


> what are the chances that out of 8 only 1 is female


Approximately 4:1000 or exactly 0.3906% of the time.


----------



## Dogtanian (Jan 27, 2011)

Sorry here are some better photos for sexing:




























Thanks,

Ian.

p.s. Just thought it would be better to tag onto existing thread of similar topic than start a new one.


----------



## football mom (Feb 19, 2006)

I got my rusty group when they were only about 1.5 inches about 2 years ago. It took them
a good while to mature, but once they did I had no trouble telling male from female. 
Maybe you just need to have more patience, lol.


----------

