Sexing black ocellaris

Maswired · 03/10/2018, 02:43 PM

I have 2 twenty gal tanks that were set up 3 years ago. All my params are excellent. One tank belonged to my daughter, the otger was mine. I now have 2 tanks. I am having issues in my daughters tank. I drip acclimated her single 3 yr old black ocellaris into my 20 gal, which also has a 3 yrd black ocellaris. Both are same specie. Her fish was mated or bonded with a small male that startled and jumped from his aquatic home to die unseen behind the tank stand. My fish has never been introduced to any other fish, just living happily among his waving hand xenia. I used eggcrate to divide the tank in half and securely so before I added my daughters fish. Both fish are roughly equal in size. My daughters fish is clearly dominate and cruises the eggcrate checking out my fish. My fish notices but returns to his xenia. My question is, did my fish, in the absence of breeding stimuli, ever become female? Could my fish be sexually indeterminate at 3 yrs old, or still male?

aznflyfisherman · 03/10/2018, 02:57 PM

Your daughters clown is the female and yours is probably unsex, since they are together now, your should turn to male if the female doesn’t kill it. I would keep them separated in the same tank for now until they get use to each other and remove crate once they stopped trying to fight each other and just monitor it.

Maswired · 03/11/2018, 12:02 AM

Thank you. I left for a few hours and returned to find them together on one side of the barrier, happily setting up house. I was terrified they were goinv to fight. They seem to be doing a lot of submission and gentle nipping and brushing the sand bottom, all of which I have seen in other pairs, nothing fearce or violent. I am hoping their good vibes continue. I removed the divider as it didnt seem necessary. A bit of really good blind luck!

03/10/2018, 02:43 PM	#1
Maswired Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2015 Posts: 73	Sexing black ocellaris I have 2 twenty gal tanks that were set up 3 years ago. All my params are excellent. One tank belonged to my daughter, the otger was mine. I now have 2 tanks. I am having issues in my daughters tank. I drip acclimated her single 3 yr old black ocellaris into my 20 gal, which also has a 3 yrd black ocellaris. Both are same specie. Her fish was mated or bonded with a small male that startled and jumped from his aquatic home to die unseen behind the tank stand. My fish has never been introduced to any other fish, just living happily among his waving hand xenia. I used eggcrate to divide the tank in half and securely so before I added my daughters fish. Both fish are roughly equal in size. My daughters fish is clearly dominate and cruises the eggcrate checking out my fish. My fish notices but returns to his xenia. My question is, did my fish, in the absence of breeding stimuli, ever become female? Could my fish be sexually indeterminate at 3 yrs old, or still male?

03/10/2018, 02:57 PM	#2
aznflyfisherman Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2015 Posts: 957	Your daughters clown is the female and yours is probably unsex, since they are together now, your should turn to male if the female doesn’t kill it. I would keep them separated in the same tank for now until they get use to each other and remove crate once they stopped trying to fight each other and just monitor it.

03/11/2018, 12:02 AM	#3
Maswired Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2015 Posts: 73	Thank you. I left for a few hours and returned to find them together on one side of the barrier, happily setting up house. I was terrified they were goinv to fight. They seem to be doing a lot of submission and gentle nipping and brushing the sand bottom, all of which I have seen in other pairs, nothing fearce or violent. I am hoping their good vibes continue. I removed the divider as it didnt seem necessary. A bit of really good blind luck!