# sexing c moorii dolphins



## joker4466 (Oct 10, 2008)

i have a group of 12 that are about 3.5'' in size.they are to small to vent.but i am noticing that some have turned very dark almost blackish and have begun to battle for dominence.
my question is are these the males or can the females do that to?are the males just figuring out the pecky order?
i want to thin the group by at least 4 and i was thinking of keep taking the top or the darkest one out till i got the number i want. 
good idea?


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## Dave (Feb 9, 2003)

Males tend to be more aggressive and will fight. One way to sex them besides venting is to look at the anal fin. Once the fish is large enough, you will notice that males have an anal fin that extends past the base of the caudal fin. Females have anal fins that do not go beyond the base of the caudal fin. Both males and females have long pointed anal fins, but maturing males have a much longer fin.


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## joker4466 (Oct 10, 2008)

thx i do notice a difference between the top male and the others.


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## Dave (Feb 9, 2003)

The size of your group is going to depend on the size of your tank. I would recommend a 6' tank for long term. These fish like lots of open water, and lots of sandy bottom. In a 6' tank I would recommend 1 male and 4+ females. Having only 2 males will likely lead to a lot of fighting. I am not sure that 3 males would really help either. For a fish that often seems very placid, they can be very aggressive towards other males.


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## joker4466 (Oct 10, 2008)

i have noticed them being really aggressive among the males myself.
long term they will be in a 5 foot tank.i was hoping for a group ratio of 1m 4 f.
they will be in with a few other small breeding groups.labs,demasoni and mainganos.


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## Dave (Feb 9, 2003)

A 5' tank can work, if it is 18" wide.


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## joker4466 (Oct 10, 2008)

ya its 5 foot x18''wx21''h


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## Binner (Jul 20, 2007)

A 4 foot tank at least 75 gallons will work just fine with these fish. Mine are happy healthy fish with great size and colour and breed like rabbits in a 4 foot 110 high. *** always thought you need at least a 5 footer for these guys but having them eat right out of my hand is a pretty good indicator that they are a happy bunch. I am upgrading to a five or six footer because I would like to have another male, I think 2 males in a 4 footer is pushing it. As far as sexing at 3-4 inches you should start to see the differences between male and female. Generally at any size the females are not very agressive towards each other. There anal fins for the most part under 5 inches are shorter and rounder. The males at that age are agressive towards other males, there anal fins will be pointed and will get bigger, but it takes a long time for there fins to reach a length to tell the difference so the shape is a good indicator. You will start to notice that two of them will be at each other alot. Those will be your most dominat two fighting to be number 1. Take one of those out. Give it a couple more months and another will challenge for the title and so on. In a five footer I would keep 2m/5-7f. Now this is how it has worked for me, but all fish are different. Your on the right track though. Good luck.


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## cichlids&amp;baseball (Dec 28, 2007)

since you all seem to know a lot about blue dolphins, could you tell me if this is a picture of one? i have it in the unidentified cichlid forum already...

Also, if buying them as fry-2" how could you expect to be so lucky as to get a 1/4 ratio?


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## SUPERBEE (Jan 23, 2005)

Nope, this is not a Blue Dolphin . Looks like some sort of Peacock.


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## joker4466 (Oct 10, 2008)

cichlids&baseball said:


> Also, if buying them as fry-2" how could you expect to be so lucky as to get a 1/4 ratio?
> 
> YOU HAVE TO BUY ALOT OF THEM,I BOUGHT 15 AND I THINK I ONLY GOT 4-5 FEMALES BUT THERE ONLY 3'' AND I KEEP PULLING OUT A DARKENED UP FIGHTING MALE.AT LEAST I HOPE ITS MALE.I DON'T KNOW BUT WILL THE FEMALES FIGHT AS WELL AS THE MALES OR JUST THE MALES?


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## Binner (Jul 20, 2007)

The females will nip at each other once and a while but nothing serious. If you see two fish circle the tank and snap at each other, I would put money on it that it is two males! Also at the size you have the most agressive one will chase all the Dolphins around, that is your most dominant male. But the females dont really stand out that much, if they did it would be much easier. Let them grow a couple more inches, follow there agression patterns, and look at the feature differences and you will have no problems knowing which is which.


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