# Is this a Red Empress?



## eric1115 (Apr 11, 2015)

Hi
Need help identify this fish. It is about 4 inches. Not sure if this is a Red Empress. Make or female.

Thanks


----------



## noki (Jun 13, 2003)

It is Red Empress-ish, but hard to judge if pure. I suppose you could call it a Red Empress in the general sense, you shouldn't breed the fish and claim the fry are anything.

If male would get shiny male color and longer fins, if female stays the base juvenile color/markings. At about 4 inches males usually color up, though males can color up earlier if they are the largest male in the tank.


----------



## eric1115 (Apr 11, 2015)

Thanks, I have no intention to breed. I am trying to get to an all make tank.
So based on this color and size, this is a female, correct?

Thanks again


----------



## Fogelhund (Dec 3, 2002)

It's probably a female, though it's fins are nipped, so you can't see the proper shape. When you have a mixed tank of all males, the subdominant fish aren't going to get much colour, so they can look like females to some degree.


----------



## eric1115 (Apr 11, 2015)

Ok thank you, I had it for few months and have not see it spawn with any other fish. There was more color and the fin was pointy when I first got it. I did vent it once and thought it was a male but to be honest i find it kind of hard to tell when I vent. I will move it to another and see in time if it will be male or female.


----------

