# How to sex Cichlids



## jeff12 (Oct 21, 2011)

I have a bunch of cichlids that I don't know what their gender's are. I have read a lot articles talking about the top fin for males is more sharp and for females their more curved. But are their any other easy why to tell what gender they are?

Thanks


----------



## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

There is no easy way, other than waiting to see who produces eggs. What kind of cichlids?

For Malawi, the only sure way is venting (see article in the Library) and that does not work well until the fish is old enough to lay eggs anyway.

If your fish is dimorphic and old enough, you can tell by color.


----------



## jeff12 (Oct 21, 2011)

I have:
1 Kenyi
1 Orange Zebra
2 Bumblebees
1 Electric Yellow 
2 Convicts
2 Assorted Cichlids

I have never seen them produce eggs before.


----------



## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

How big are they? Kenyi are dimorphic. Males are yellow and females are blue-barred fish.

Obviously can't tell you how to vent "assorted" fish and IDK about the convicts as they are not African.

Orange zebra (Metriaclima estherae) and electric yellow (Labidochromis caeruleus) are monomorphic which means males and females look alike.

Bumblebee (Pseudotropheus crabro) males are variable between solid black and yellow bars. Not sure if the females keep the yellow-barred coloration more often.


----------



## jeff12 (Oct 21, 2011)

Then my Kenyi is definitely a male. The bumblebees are only 3 inches so I guess their not fully developed.

Do the way they act tell their sex?


----------



## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Not really, unless you see the female laying eggs and the male doing circles with her.

Most other behaviors both males and females can and will do. Digging, shimmying, etc.


----------



## cindi (Nov 25, 2009)

I can tell you the female convict gets a reddish or pink color on their belly when mature. The male always stays the same color. The male usually develops a nauchal(sp?) hump on their head when they get older. Also the males tend to be bigger than the females. Good luck!! Convicts are fierce when breeding, but otherwise some really fun fish to watch!


----------



## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

3" is pretty mature for mbuna. You will want a bigger tank for them at this point in time.


----------



## jeff12 (Oct 21, 2011)

So then their 3" their mature and ready to breed?


----------



## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Depending on which species, mbuna can breed at 1.5" and often do breed at 2".


----------



## heaya (Oct 18, 2011)

jeff12 said:


> I have:
> 1 Kenyi
> 1 Orange Zebra
> 2 Bumblebees
> ...


if your convicts are a pair (m/f) i'd suggest a separate tank or rehoming. they will breed all the time once sexually matured and beat up your other fish when the fry become wrigglers. from my experience, convicts don't understand africans. i.e. aggressive convicts chasing your africans with no give up since they don't get the hint of surrender. they also require different water conditions, however you can get away with keeping them in your african tank since they're pretty hardy.


----------



## Guest (Nov 20, 2011)

convict females get a little pink on the belly and males dont


----------



## jeff12 (Oct 21, 2011)

I found out that my 2 convicts are males so I just a bought a female and put her in. She seems very lonely and is always sitting at the bottom. What should I do?


----------



## Guest (Nov 20, 2011)

imo when they sit at the bottom and dont swim much they are sick or stressed out and die.. but thats just my opinion.. convicts are readily available at any local fish store so if she dies id get 2 more that way you have a better chance of them pairing up with the 2 males and the other male not getting beat up too bad.. you will know when they spawn they get super super aggressive and are great parents.. i had 2 convicts in my "mixed malawi" tank before i knew any better when i first started keeping cichlids and they are actually what made me want to start breeding fish.. the fry are pretty resilient and grow pretty quickly and its fun to watch the parents gaurd them.. if you have catfish at night they will get picked off slowly but surely...i didnt even have to suck them out to get rid of them after i stopped wanting them put a few catfish in there and they'd eventually eat them all


----------



## heaya (Oct 18, 2011)

jeff12 said:


> I found out that my 2 convicts are males so I just a bought a female and put her in. She seems very lonely and is always sitting at the bottom. What should I do?


this is a horrible idea unless you're going to get rid of one of the males after a pair is formed.

from all your threads, it sounds like you really just need to learn some patience. anytime you only introduce 1 fish into an already established tank, the newcomer is at risk of being picked on by all the other fish. they won't instantly click, ime, it normally takes at least a day minimum for newer fish to get along with other fish, even when introduced in larger numbers.

i know the feeling, the compulsion, to want to put tons of fish into an aquarium. please do some more research first. research all the types of cichlids you have. if you truly want happy, thriving fish, make sure they're all compatible, make sure the water levels are up to par, and make sure you have the filtration for these fish at a fullgrown size. i know when they're little you just want to fill up the tank, but these fish do grow, and some at different rates, pecking orders can change.

just resist future purchases of fish without doing some real research first. 3 things can only come from this, all pretty disheartening: 1) getting rid of fish you grow attached to. 2) fish dying from sickness/stress. 3) buying multiple tanks to feed your addiction. it easily can get out of hand. best of luck!


----------



## Guest (Nov 20, 2011)

heaya said:


> jeff12 said:
> 
> 
> > I found out that my 2 convicts are males so I just a bought a female and put her in. She seems very lonely and is always sitting at the bottom. What should I do?
> ...


i went with option 3 lol


----------



## jeff12 (Oct 21, 2011)

I dont understand why everyone says cichlids are really aggresive the fish I had are not agressive at all. They do chase each other around and that it but not biting or watever.

The female convict is now swimming and she is growing.


----------



## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

They can bite and head butt each other, causing lost scales and wounds and damage to/loss of fins.

Even just the chasing, if too relentless, can cause the victim fish to sicken and die.


----------

