Change sex.

[Henrique]

Hello,
yesterday a friend said me something interesting...he had a male and a female borelli and after the breeding the male died !!!Than the female change sex to male.He supose is because stress.
If a strange people said a history like that ,I wil think he`s crazy !
But who said me this history is a hobbyist and have experience in aquarium.
Someone know why this happens?
I supose the "new male" have a male body but can't breeding...
I think is very difficult to become a perfect male.

Até logo.(brazilian good bye!)

Henrique

 

[mordor]

Recently on PCCA meeting Dr. Jay Stauffer had very interesting presentation about Malawi cichlids. He also mentioned experiments with sex change. Usually it looks like this: you got didvided tank, group of females on one side, dominant male on the other. When you remove male, one of the females start showing male characteristics and even spawns successfully with other females. He explainde that this fish have 7 chromosomes responsible for sex, unlike chromosome X and Y humans have, so it's more likely than some of them can change. Usually every fish borns with more chromosomes of one type but if it's necessary some of them can toggle.

Another option is 'sneaking' male who is subdominant male that looks like female. When you remove dominant male it may change its appearance to become full featured male.

 

[Henrique]

Very interesting... change sex is really possible!
I think this change hapens because don`t have a dominant in the aquarium.In both cases the male died or is separated...than a female becomes male.Maybe if we always,everytime have a dominant in the aquarium this change don`t hapens.If a male die we should put another male dominant quicky...female isn` t easy to find than we can`t make mistake!

Yesterday a bougth a ap. borelli...it have female body but I think she is changing sex,I put in aquarium with many apistos males...Now I want know if she wil becomes females again?ho-ho-ho...is not easy to answer.

Bye.

 

[Z Man]

I have seen a few cases where females changed into the appearence of males but have never seen or heard of a male changing to female. It could be a sneaker male or could change to male but be able to breed.
The only cichld that has been documented as changing sex is Crenicara punctulatum. From what I have read, all are born female amd one or a certain small number in a large group turn into males and do breed. Years back I had 3 in one tank (1m,2f) and I did get eggs but they never hatched because of hard water. Shortly the male died and over time one of the females changed sex. I have just again purchased 6 more specimins and have put 3 in each of the two tanks. It's been about 2 months now and looks like I will end up with 2 trio's and again try to breed them now that I am using RO water. I do have an article regarding this changing on my website.

 

[mordor]

Henrique: How big this Borelli are? If they are juvenile it's possible that they all look like females so this 'sex change' is simply achieving sexual maturity for male. Some apistos look the same for long time, part of them grows slower and they turn to be females other parts grows faster and soon they got bigger than females and start showing sexual dimorphism.

 

[mordor]

ZMan: I do not remember what species of Mbuna Dr. Jay Stauffer studied but you are right he didn't publish anything about that officially.

 

[Henrique]

Mordor,I bougth 2 borellis "female"and each one have 2.50 cm.
Both was in tank with many others borelli males.Just this two fishes I found have female caracterist...There was others borelli males with the same size and it was "very male" .
My problem is the dorsal...it begins to grown like a male...just begin!A female don`t have a dorsal like male,have?The body is definitive a female.

About the history of "change sex" is true...my friend have a lot of experience with fishes.Maybe after the "change" the fish just have outside caracteristc of a male and can`t breed.just an idea!

Bye.