# Sexing Altolamprologus Compressiceps



## T4CTiC4L3Pr099 (Aug 10, 2011)

Hi I have two Altolamprologus Compressiceps in my tank, I would have bought more but the seller I bought from only had two in stock...

They are F1 and young, maybe 1.5-2inches and I know they are juvenile and *VERY* hard to sex at this age, but they take so long to grow! anyway i've had them for 6months maybe and they have grown, one faster than the other. The one with stronger colours and markings here:








I thought to be male, due to the darker colouration and more defined lines. Although the other has grown faster which leads me to believe this one is (above to be the female) I know they may both be male, but my reason to believe that one is male and the other is female is because:

I have noticed they have been....... _'behaving oddly'_ recently. Is this them bonding, or becoming a pair? They will swim together for a while, even touching together, so they are close. one will look up to the top of the tank while the other swims into it, almost like feathering it, or courting it. But they only do this every so often, maybe daily or every two weeks for a while.









This image shows the two of them, the one closest to us has the stronger colouring, yet I have read that the male will be bigger, have a bigger dorsal fin and higher forehead, the one further away. one also has darker eyes than the other. I also read that the female will be 'bullet like' in appearence, the one closes to us, seems to be shorter.

If you think you can offer me any help, it is more than welcome, I just thought it was interesting, their behaviour  thanks! :thumb: =D>


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## Clink51 (Aug 4, 2011)

i have 3 at the same exact stage as your self. and i have been having the same question for soem time. im just going to tag along till we find an answer lol

opcorn:


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## T4CTiC4L3Pr099 (Aug 10, 2011)

okay cool


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## jrf (Nov 10, 2009)

I spent a lot of time speculating when I had a group of juvenile Calvus about 2 years ago. In retrospect, I really didnÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t learn much from my interpretation of their behavior or from the minor size differences between them. However, I can say it was as noticeable as a neon sign as soon as I had a pair Ã¢â‚¬â€œ took about a year for that to happen. So, I think youÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ll either have to vent them or wait until the answer becomes obvious on its own.


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## Fogelhund (Dec 3, 2002)

The physical changes don't really happen until they are pretty large. That is why people recommend purchasing six, and with those odds you are likely to end up with at least a pair.


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## T4CTiC4L3Pr099 (Aug 10, 2011)

> That is why people recommend purchasing six


Thats what I was thinking! six would be a good amount to buy, but thats all he had.. 
hopefully I'll get some more in the future  but we'll see if it _"becomes obvious"_ Thanks! :thumb:


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## ryanjury (Apr 15, 2006)

There is some difference in body shape between males/females males tend to be taller through the head and females more bullet shaped, so looking at the photo of the 2 of yours the front one could be a female and the back one a male.. As stated above it is very hit and miss when they are small but can give you some indication.


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