identifying the sex of my aquarium fish

[axiomist]

I've recently picked up some cichlids and I'm having trouble figuring out their sex. Can anyone shed some light on this for me?

[armoredfish]

I think it's a bit too early to tell, and to be honest, Electric Yellows can be tricky to sex anyway.

[axiomist]

The guy at my local fish store claimed it was a cherry zebra, I'm not so sure though.

[codefly9]

Going by appearance, I'd say it's probably a Red Zebra - Metriaclima estherae, possibly a hybrid. Most likely male, in my opinion. That "Cherry Zebra" label is a bit amusing - doesn't exist, unless it's a crossbreed, in which case it's still essentially a Red Zebra mixed with something similar. Either way, the odds are it's male. And I have to agree, it's quite a stunning fish.

[armoredfish]

No worries, it just brings back memories of a similar one, you know, a slow day.

[axiomist]

Thanks for the help, I really appreciate it. So it's probably a male, then? How can you actually tell, I'm still a bit lost on that part.

[codefly9]

I'd say this little guy, given its size, has at least 3 eggspots - might be more, hard to make out in the pic. Venting it when it's older will give you a definitive answer, but in my experience, some Africans are easier to sex than others. Yours seems pretty male-dominated, if you ask me. Egg spots aren't always a reliable indicator, but in this case, it's looking very male - possibly a dominant one. You'll see how he colors up with age, and I think you'll love it.

[damebond]

Here's some info that might be helpful to you - I thought I'd share. Check out this link for some general cichlid info: http/bluegrassaquatics.com/cichlids.html.

Also, I did a quick search and found some pics of what's supposed to be a cherry zebra cichlid - not that it's a real thing, but still. http/www.google.com/search?q=cherry+zebra+ci ... 24&bih=653

And if you're still wondering how to tell the sex of your cichlid, I found some pics that might help with that too. http/www.google.com/search?q=cherry+zebra+ci ... d&tbm=isch

[riverfox]

I'd agree, seems like a male red zebra to me too, agent14 nailed it