Male and Female(maybe)?

[pewpewkittah]

Hello everyone!

I am new to the forums .

I just got my first pair of apistogramma cacatuoides double red. I purchased them from my LFS and they were still in the bags from shipping, one marked male and another female. I don't believe they are fully mature, my best guess would be that they are adolescent. My question is, can the female display markings on the dorsal and tail fins? I tried to look at pictures online with no luck.

I will update with pictures as soon as possible!!

Thanks in advance!

 

[Mike Wise]

Yes, in domestic strains of A. cacatuoides the females can show markings similar to young males. They are often hard to sex until mature.

 

[pewpewkittah]

Thanks for the reply Mike Wise.

Here are some pictures. Please excuse the neon photo bomb.

Fish 1:

Fish 2:

 

[mixmixi]

They're two males, I believe.

 

[abrooks12376]

They're two males, I believe.

+1, although I've seen some crazy things with these little apistos. Sneaker males can make it tricky to sex when they're small and new to a tank. I'd say it's most likely 2 males though.

 

[pewpewkittah]

Thanks for the replies guys!

That's what I figured. However, I wanted to wait until they matured a bit more. You never know.
Would it be safe to keep them in the tank together until that happens? I would hate for one to die because its being harassed. They are still getting along well and exploring the tank together.