It is not always easy for a novice aquarist to navigate such a colorful and incomprehensible world of exotic fish. What to feed, how to properly maintain and what to do if the fish get sick or decide to have offspring? Of course, one of the main questions of concern to novice amateurs is how to distinguish males from females. We master some of the wisdom of this business.
Instructions
Step 1
Take a close look at your charges. In some fish, sexual dimorphism is very pronounced, so it will not be difficult to distinguish boys from girls here. However, if you have no idea how exactly the ladies differ from the gentlemen, the external differences between the fish, although they will be noticeable to you, will not give any information. When breeding guppies, it seems to many that it is not so easy to distinguish a male from a female. It's a delusion. Take a close look at the fish's anal fin. If it is pointed - in front of you is a boy, if it is rounded - you are considering a girl. By this sign, by the way, it is possible to determine the sex of the fish even before the onset of their sexual maturity, when, in addition to the anal fin, males and females practically do not differ in anything. When the fish grow up, a beautiful variegated tail and dorsal fin become a characteristic feature of boys. Females, on the contrary, remain inconspicuous and gray, their tail fins are much shorter and not so bright.
Step 2
Note the shape of the anal fin. Not all aquarium fish have such a noticeable difference in sex. The relatives of the guppy mollies have neither bright tails nor specks. Both males and females have a uniform black coloration and look alike, almost like two drops of water. Here observation and a keen eye will help you. Mollies also differ in anal fins. In females, they are rounded, and in males, they have a pronounced peak-like shape. Some varieties of mollies are even owners of an elongated and slightly curved anal fin, so that the boy can always be distinguished from the general crowd by it.
Step 3
Look at the size of the fish. Often, females are slightly larger than males, and in some species of fish this difference is quite noticeable. Of course, you should not be guided by more than one size, since fish from different litters are often sold in pet stores. That is why it is necessary to pay attention to other signs. In neons, for example, the stripe on the female's abdomen has a slight break, bending slightly in the middle. Males have a completely straight back, and the stripe on their body is parallel to the horizon. If you decide to separate males from females in a zebrafish flock, also pay attention to their size and the location of the stripes. The females are larger, and the stripes on the abdomen are slightly blurred. Males have a more toned figure and even stripes.
