Fwd: Re: Anomalochromis thomasi

["Ed Pon" <edpon@hotmail.com>]

>I recently purchased 5 Adult Anomalochromis thomasi.
>I am no quite sure of the sex of the fish I have.
>The dorsal fin on the fish all go to a point.
>One of the five is somewhat smaller then the other 4.
>They all are at least 3 inches or more.
>I would like to separate a possible "pair" into their
>own tank. Currently, all five are in a 15 gallon tank until my 
>45 is setup. Are there any distinct features to look for 
>when trying to sex them like spots or body size??? What
> I have read is somewhat vague. Anyone with some
>suggetions would be greatly appreciated.
>Thanks,
>Phillip J. Ryti
>RYTIREEFS@JUNO.COM
This is vague also, but I once had someone tell me how to sex 
lamprologus leleupi and found that in general it works for fish that 
show little sexual dimorphism.  If your fish are old enough, you can 
stare the male in the face and see that he looks more masculine.  
Actually, the "head" of the male is almost imperceptably larger in 
dimension than a fish of the same age.  The ratio of the height of the 
fish when measured across the gill plate seems to be a little taller.  
When looking at the profile of the head, the females seem foreheads seem 
flatter than the males--the males are almost showing a little of the 
humpheadedness seen in some cichlids.  I have noted that difference plus 
a small size difference (the male is a hair larger) in  a proven 
breeding pair of Analomochromis Thomasi that I had.  I used this method 
pretty successfully in picking pairs of Tanganyikan Cichlids and have 
found that I can pick the male Discus from the pair in pictures of 
breeding pairs that have appeared in various books.  It also works with 
angelfish.  The gotcha is that the older the fish, or knowing that the 
fish are roughly the same age, increases the chances of a good guess.

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