# How do you sex an electric Blue?



## Nathan43 (Jul 9, 2007)

As the subject suggests, and about what size can you sex them? thanks


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## fatpuffer (Jul 30, 2007)

EBJD are hard to sex at any age. Most are males but some lucky breeders do get females. I found out the sex of mine when he bred with the female.

Js


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## mlancaster (Jul 24, 2009)

Hi Nathan,

It seems like there is no real way to tell, based on experience and what people have told me. Even the breeders I have talked to, say they can only really tell when a male/female regular JD is put in the tank with an EBJD and they either fight or breed... basically hard to tell unless they breed.

Anyways, I have the same questions. Specifically, is it possible to determine the sex of an EBJD, or any CA cichlid, by looking at their "breeding tubes" during spawning? Moreover, I have come to believe I have a female hybrid Texas Escondido and a female EBJD. They are nice to each other and enjoy terrorizing the tank mates and dithers as a team (with the EBJD being slightly more dominate, but slightly smaller at 5"). Anyway, about once a moth they become more aggressive and exhibit spawning behavior at which point small grey tubes project out of both of their vents. I have yet to see any eggs (but I have an aggressive common pleco who probably makes quick work of any eggs).

Basically, do small grey tubes projecting out of CA cichlids vent while exhibiting spawning behaviors indicate a female cichlid? If so, is this a sure fire method? Or do both males and females project these tubes during spawning (just one lays eggs and the other fertilizes with sperm)?

Thanks,
Matt

Edit: I have tried many times to get pictures to no avail, and I don't really want to pull them out of the tank for a shot.


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