Tangerine zeb m/f?

[wolften]

I Have 5 Metriaclima estherae (red/tangerine zebra), approx. 9cm

They have never bred for me

Question is, are they male or female?

They all have 1or2 egg spots, all the same size. Basically they all look the same.

Thanks for your time folks.

wolften

[mbunamad]

They are hard to sex. The males normally have a pointed dorsal and anal fins. The females are more rounded. Sometimes the males can have a blue sheen on their body. The females don't have the blue. They are a nice fish.

Cheers Brian.

[wolften]

...yea Brian. Have done all the research, have looked at lots of pics, but this aint a perfect world.

Personally, I'm leaning towards all fem fatales.

I have had them for nearly 12 months in a community tank.

If that is the case, I have 5 adult, virgin Metriaclima estherae (red/tangerine zebra)...

....hmmm maybe I should sell them as such

Glenn

[gtr73]

I have a boy and girl, they don't breed but have bred before. The female is a lighter "tangerine" orange, while the male is a richer, almost "highlighter" orange.

The male is also larger, has more egg spots and is much more assertive in the tank.

[Peter]

Mine have recently bred. The male (larger one) had 3 large yellow egg spots while the females had only one. If yours all have the exact same number and sized egg spots you may very well have the same sex.

I would find someone who is willing to offload a male and see how it goes or sell them all to me at a ridiculously low, low price. :wink: