Americans call the scalar an angel fish for its thinnest silvery fins that flutter like divine wings. The body of this beautiful fish has the shape of a flat triangle and an unusual coloration with possible bright stripes. By nature, the scalar is very cautious and does not like noise. That is why she lives in calm tropical waters, where she briskly hides from her enemies among dense algae and reed thickets. This elusive exotic fish has been bred by aquarists in Europe and Russia at home since the beginning of the 20th century, but still some of them do not know how to determine the sex of the scalar.
Instructions
Step 1
In young scalars, sex is somewhat more difficult to determine than in adults. The first sexual characteristics appear at about 10 months of age. Take a close look at the top dorsal fin of your aquarium fish. In the male, it is slightly longer than in the female. The male also has more stripes on the back of the dorsal fin. Scalarians also have bright transverse stripes that can change their color in response to external factors and stimuli. Depending on the mood of the fish, the stripes can be black, pale or dull, making them virtually invisible. Unfortunately, even a professional aquarist does not always distinguish between sex characteristics by color.
Step 2
There is another more accurate method of how to determine the sex of the scalar. It will also require a close inspection of your aquarium fish. The essence of sex determination is that the frontal part of males is wider and more convex, has the shape of a steep tubercle. In the female, on the contrary, it has a concave shape. In general, males are always larger in size than females.
Step 3
Another distinguishing feature of the male sex is the presence of a long dorsal fin. The female can be recognized by the presence of a convex abdomen and a small tubercle, which is located next to the genital opening.
