nork
Fish Fanatic
Hello,
For any of you who have followed my diary, you will see that it appears this weekend might be my stocking weekend. I do have some questions regarding cichlid sexes beforehand, though.
I will be casing shops tomorrow evening to find the best looking, healthiest specimens I can find locally, but my problem is that I'll be buying only the small (young) versions, so that we can watch them grow. Of all the shops I've seen cichlids at, their small tanks are filled with unsexed fish, as I'm assuming they aren't mature enough to be properly sexed yet.
So what happens if I bring home, say 5 Bumblebees hoping for a 1m/4f ratio and they end up growing into 4 males and 1 female?
I've tried to read up all I can on sexing cichlids and understand the broad generalizations (males having more brightly, defined colours, bigger fins, more egg spots, etc), but I also understand that these are only generalizations, and not the rules. From looking at the small cichlids in shops, it's sometimes hard to tell for a beginner like me with some species, as these fish are only about 2" long and are only starting to grow into their colours and such. I'm also a little hesitant to swallow any word the sales person tells me.
So what's the best way to protect myself from bringing home 90% males? I don't have the equipment or the know-how to pick up each fish and lift up its skirt. Are these generalizations about the best I can do and put the rest of my faith in luck?
For any of you who have followed my diary, you will see that it appears this weekend might be my stocking weekend. I do have some questions regarding cichlid sexes beforehand, though.
I will be casing shops tomorrow evening to find the best looking, healthiest specimens I can find locally, but my problem is that I'll be buying only the small (young) versions, so that we can watch them grow. Of all the shops I've seen cichlids at, their small tanks are filled with unsexed fish, as I'm assuming they aren't mature enough to be properly sexed yet.
So what happens if I bring home, say 5 Bumblebees hoping for a 1m/4f ratio and they end up growing into 4 males and 1 female?
I've tried to read up all I can on sexing cichlids and understand the broad generalizations (males having more brightly, defined colours, bigger fins, more egg spots, etc), but I also understand that these are only generalizations, and not the rules. From looking at the small cichlids in shops, it's sometimes hard to tell for a beginner like me with some species, as these fish are only about 2" long and are only starting to grow into their colours and such. I'm also a little hesitant to swallow any word the sales person tells me.
So what's the best way to protect myself from bringing home 90% males? I don't have the equipment or the know-how to pick up each fish and lift up its skirt. Are these generalizations about the best I can do and put the rest of my faith in luck?
