Is this discus a male or female?

[Discluv]

This Alenquer cross isn't the prettiest of fish, no doubt--but, it seems to be pairing up with my male alenquer.
Is it a female? Would it be worth the effort to raise the fry if the spawn together?



This is the male alenquer:

[Sturiosoma]

I'm gonna say female if their both the same size, just by the difference in Finnage ,breeding wise the female looks kind of iffy but the male looks good

Jeanne

[Discluv]

I'm gonna say female if their both the same size, just by the difference in Finnage ,breeding wise the female looks kind of iffy but the male looks good

Jeanne

Agreed.
Good to hear that it looks like a female. I may let them spawn once just for the practice on my part. Ive never raised discus fry, only Ram fry.

[danotaylor]

I would not encourage it to spawn yet if it is a female. Spawning will pretty much halt its growth and it still looks smallish, like 4.5" maybe. It also looks thin above the lateral line to me. It's shape would prob look better if it was thicker so if you wanted to breed it, I would make sure it's getting enough food and condition it first. I do like the full halo and the heckel bar. It would be a good pairing for breeding as far as the strains go

[Discluv]

I would not encourage it to spawn yet if it is a female. Spawning will pretty much halt its growth and it still looks smallish, like 4.5" maybe. It also looks thin above the lateral line to me. It's shape would prob look better if it was thicker so if you wanted to breed it, I would make sure it's getting enough food and condition it first. I do like the full halo and the heckel bar. It would be a good pairing for breeding as far as the strains go

Thank you! Yes, it is thin above lateral line and is a bit of a "shy eater" -- if that is even a concept. It just eats very slow and is skittish around the more aggressive eaters in tank. It is actually about a year old. So, maybe it wont ever fill out.
I wouldnt even know how to encourage it to spawn if I tried- lol!

[LizStreithorst]

I like the overall balance of the female better that that of the male. Notice that the tail on the female doesn't tilt toward the bottom and the penduncle isn't overly only. Like Danny, I see the Heclke bar as a valuable asset.

I'm concerned about it's "shy eating". Does she pick up food and then spit it out? Is her poop good and black? It would be good to keep an eye on her. Given a little more growth and bulk I would consider her to be the better quality of the two fish.

[bluelagoon]

If it is pairing with a male, it is likely a female. I have heard of 2 females pairing but never two males. I may be wrong but have never seem two males of any cichlid species pairing. But is common with female cicklids.

[Discluv]

She had a bout of Hexamita about 4 months ago that really affected her growth. She no longer spits food and feces is normal.
She is just shy approaching food and has never ate as aggressively as other fish.

Liz can you clarify on what meant about the males penduncle? Cant make it out.

Im surprised you would think that the female is better quality than the male. Ive always been so disappointed in this fish.

[Discluv]

Just wanted to let you know that you were all correct about this discus being a female. She and the male are guarding some eggs right now.

She has also really bulked up ( relatively) and colored up in the last couple months. It was strange how quickly that happened. She just started eating more heartedly and grew more aggressive. Prior to that, the male had been more aggressive towards her, but the tables switched and she became the more dominate fish.

Here she is now. Not the best discus-- but, better.



First spawn. This one was from about 8 days ago. They ended up eating them. Not sure why. They are now guarding a second spawn-- on day 2.