identifying the sex of juvenile kribs

[jimmyocean]

Got a pair of juvenile kribs and I'm stumped on the sex. Two males or one male, one female - I just can't tell for sure. Would love to hear your thoughts.

[coltin]

It's tough to sex juvenile fish with certainty. Look for the tail shape - males typically have a more pointed tail, while females have a rounded one.

[graye]

I'm leaning towards all females, given their age. The rounded fins and the red on the belly are good indicators, and their body shape is starting to take on that characteristic deeper profile. You'll likely have a clearer answer in a few weeks.

The species is Pelvicachromis pulcher, often mistakenly referred to as kribs. If they were Pelvicachromis kribensis, sexing would be relatively easy, as only the females display dorsal spots.

[sidthy]

I'm pretty confident they're both females. From what I've learned, Pelvicachromis are actually pretty straightforward to sex, even at a young age - around 1" long. The key is in the pelvic fins. Females have short and rounded fins, while males have longer, pointed fins. That's why they're called Pelvicachromis, the fin difference is quite distinct.

[jade]

I'm leaning towards all females, given their age. The rounded fins and the red on the belly are good indicators, and their body shape is starting to take on that characteristic deeper profile. You'll likely have a clearer answer in a few weeks.

The species is Pelvicachromis pulcher, often mistakenly referred to as kribs. If they were Pelvicachromis kribensis, sexing would be relatively easy, as only the females display dorsal spots.

What's the main difference between Pelvicachromis pulcher and Pelvicachromis kribensis, I'm curious to know more about these two types.

[graye]

P pulcher is the one commonly found in the hobby. They've got different colours and tend to grow a bit larger - roughly a third bigger than P kribensis. The other type, P kribensis, comes in various geographic colour morphs, stays relatively small, and is generally less aggressive. What's more, they're pretty hard to come by and cost significantly more.

[Emeraldsea]

Young males can often be mistaken for females due to similarities in appearance, making sexing at a young age more challenging.