Whats the best way to Sex them

We all know how difficult it is to identify the sex of these fish, so please post a picture in here and we'll try to help you (or at least give an educated guess!).
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DasArab
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Whats the best way to Sex them

Post by DasArab »

OK guys and gals whats the definitive way to sex Zebras? Right now all i know is that the females have shorter hairs on their pectral fins. What else would be a give away?
Cascudo
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Post by Cascudo »

I find these two pictures quite explaining. At least I see the difference clearly in the zebra's at home:
Image
The upper one is a male and below is a female. Look at the outline of the snouts (I mean the part from the mouth to the eyes). The male one is spherical, while the female one is concave (hollow).
The female seems to have a forehead.

Do you see what I mean?
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Rob
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Post by Rob »

I tend to go by the hairs on the pectorial fins, although this does make it more difficult in younger fish. The older a male gets, the easier he gets to identify. The difference in head shape in another good one, but I'm not sure how reliable it is.

there is supposed to be a marked difference in vents, but as yet, I've not magaed to figure it out.

I think you sometimes just have a feeling!! :wink:

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Adam
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Post by Adam »

Do markings on the belly help to differentiate between the sexes as well?
I think I heard someone mention this before.
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Barbie
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Post by Barbie »

I also read that the pectoral fins of males are more "straight" and the females are more curved. A good friend of mine that spawns these fish debates that fact, but it has certainly proved true with mine. In my zebras, the females heads just plain look a bit smaller than the males, in comparison to their bodies. I have a large, older female that has some pretty serious odontodes on her pectoral fins, also.

I have read too that the males ventral fins look larger in relation to their body than females, and while that does make sense, and in the pictures of mine that I've taken, I think I can see the difference, I'm not sure that it's going to make a fool proof method.

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Adam
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Post by Adam »

Looks like the only way to be 100% sure of the sex of a zebra is when it has spawned, up untill then it's pretty much an educated guess.
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