# Unsexed Juveniles



## rchcle440 (Jan 18, 2016)

First and foremost I'm new to this forum and to African cichlids in general. I have a 55 community with a few GBR's, Roselines and a currently small stripped Raphael catfish. I have a 90 gallon set-up that is currently waiting on some fish, 75 getting ready to start just need to drill some plumbing, 40b that is just sitting right now but plan to use for a planted tank in the future or a back-up/grow out. I have also started to build a custom 300+ gallon tank not sure exact size yet which should be ready by mid-year (going to take my time on it)

My main goal is to have an all-male peacock/hap tank as my main 300 gallon tank. If I decide to go with the unsexed juveniles route what do you do/can you do with the female/male ratio after they get old/big enough to sex? I know 3:1 or 4:1 is ideal but what if it comes out the other way? Could I keep all the females in the 90/75 until I sell/offer them up to others? I'm not really too interested in breeding right now but if it happens I'll make sure I do what' needed.

Any tips would be great.


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

Hi and Welcome to C-F!! Nice to see another local here.

Peacock females look so similar that once you mix different species, you can't identify which female is which. Most people choosing to do an all male tank either purchase sexed males or adult males though there is always the chance a female or two will slip through.

Do you belong to or attend any of the local aquarium clubs? If not check out the Ohio Cichlid Association, NEOfish or the Medina County Aquarium Society as they have many members that breed and sell cichlids. There are also other local clubs in the area, just click on Clubs at the top of the page to find more info. Many of the clubs have auctions coming up that are well worth attending to help you get your feet wet on the abundance of cichlids available locally.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Deeda is right, you will need a rehoming plan no matter what the approach. Even if you buy adult males you will find some individuals just don't work.

Also right, don't mix peacock females. You could mix a peacock and a hap or possibly even multiple hap species if you choose hap females that look absolutely different (one with spots and one with horizontal stripes for example). But even if you used all your available tanks and you could find enough hap females that looked different, you would end up with 8 individuals after 1-2 years work. Not enough to fill a 300G. So...

Definitely look into buying adult males.


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## tanker3 (May 18, 2015)

I too agree with Deeda and DJR, Very (VERY) difficult to tell female Peacocks apart. Going for an all male Peacock and Hap with Juvies is going to be very difficult and will probably be more expensive in the long run.


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