# please id this cichlid species and sex



## waseemmik (Jul 31, 2013)

i think it is mbuna african, maybe dolphin, moore cichlid? please id the species and sex


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## testeve (Sep 17, 2012)

It is a Lake Malawi Hap Species Cyrtocara Moori

The pointed fins indicate possible Male, but I don't think that is a 100% positive ID method for this species. It is also possible that it was given hormones at some time in it's life, and that would also give it pointed fins. So it could be a female. Males and females of this species both get color making sexing much more difficult. The only way I think you will get a 100% ID on the sex is to vent it.


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## waseemmik (Jul 31, 2013)

thank you very much, now i can read about it


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## nmcichlid-aholic (Mar 23, 2011)

It is a Cyrtocara moorii, and the pointed anal fin is about a 95% accurate indication that it's a male, especially if it's around 2.5" or more. As mentioned, hormone treatment could cause a female to get pointed fins, but as far as I know, hormoning isn't a common practice in this species - both males and females are blue from the time they hatch and they don't really undergo a significant color change, so there's no real benefit from hormoning.


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## testeve (Sep 17, 2012)

nmcichlid-aholic said:


> I As mentioned, hormone treatment could cause a female to get pointed fins, but as far as I know, hormoning isn't a common practice in this species - both males and females are blue from the time they hatch and they don't really undergo a significant color change, so there's no real benefit from hormoning.


I agree that there isn't really any benefit in my eyes of hormoning this species. However, I have seen some of these guys at 1-2" with extremely unnatural long flowing fins. They looked ridiculous IMO. But I guess some people might like that. The people in Asia just seem to hormone everything nowadays.


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## nmcichlid-aholic (Mar 23, 2011)

testeve said:


> nmcichlid-aholic said:
> 
> 
> > I As mentioned, hormone treatment could cause a female to get pointed fins, but as far as I know, hormoning isn't a common practice in this species - both males and females are blue from the time they hatch and they don't really undergo a significant color change, so there's no real benefit from hormoning.
> ...


True. There's Not Much Discretion As To Which Fish Are And Are Not Hormone Treated At Some Of These Fish Farms.


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