dwarf seahorse sexing help!

[fl_izzy]

easier said than done. tghe tail is to be shorter on the female and the male has a pouch. i think and hope one is a female but not sure. the other one seems pregnant or do they just carry the pouch that far out because they both seem to have same lenght and pouch size other than bulging out.
picture here is the one i believe is female

another picture

here next is the one i know for sure is a male and i also have one more that is darker and looks the same. lfs says that they are both pregnant

all are doing well and i have 2 full time bbs hatcheries

 

[ann83]

That last one doesn't look like a pregnant male to me, it looks like a female. Take a look at this article http://www.seahorse.org/library/articles/sex.shtml
The dwarf seahorse in the center of this picture is a male
http://gallery.seahorse.org/main.php?g2_view=core.ShowItem&g2_itemId=549
This is a female dwarf seahorse
http://gallery.seahorse.org/main.php?g2_view=core.ShowItem&g2_itemId=545

 

[fl_izzy]

that was a nice article and great pictures. but now i am even not sure how many females i have. i will try to post a pic of the other one. why do you think the belly is so far out on one and not the other?

 

[ann83]

One is probably fatter than the other. Do you understand what the pouch looks like now?

 

[ReefNutPA]

I agree with Ann.... the pics you showed are all females. Sorry.

Tom

 

[fl_izzy]

ouch!! yes i understand and believe i might just have one male now. he does have a more round profile at the pouch than the female that is a sharp cut inside. give me a few and i will post pics of the other

 

[fl_izzy]

ok here is the other seahorse. this one seems more round at the belly. please dont tell me i have 3 girls!!

 

[ReefNutPA]

"Roundness" of the belly has nothing to do with sexing of dwarf seahorses. I can't visually see a pouch on any of the pics you've posted. All three appear to be females IMO.

If you can get a pic from the front or even directly from the side instead of from the back it would be much easier to tell, but I really believe they are females.

Tom

 

[fl_izzy]

that is just great. lfs seems to know very little and i should have looked better. dont get me wrong, i was ready for them and have a tank dedicated to them plus 2 hatcheries going full time. so basically one of them was just malnourished. anyone want to send me a couple of dwarf boys?

 

[fl_izzy]

hey reefnutpa. when you say 10g natural tank meaning?

 

[ReefNutPA]

.... meaning, it's a 10 gal set up with 2" live sandbed, live rock, caulerpa prolifera as opposed to using a sterile tank with fake plants/decor and dead/dry rock.


<-------- this is a pic of a few of the dwarfs hanging in the prolifera

 

[fl_izzy]

nice website reefnutpa, i e-mailed them and awaiting response so i can end up with 3 pair.

 

[sixfins]

fl_izzy, the males will have like a smooth section on the front on each side of its belly, that is the pouch. Like Ann and Tom are saying it has nothing really to do with the shape of the belly or tail, but rather a pouch or no pouch. The best way I could describe it is that they look like little armor plates on the bottom of the belly area, or if filled the pouch kind of looks like a little balloon (when really prego the pouch will stick out a lot on the sides.) Those all look like females to me as well.

 

[sixfins]

I just looked at the links that Ann gave you. In the middle link, the dwarf that is in the middle gives you a real good visual of what to look for. Notice the smooth sections around the bottom of his belly. None of mine have a color change like that.

 

[fl_izzy]

yes i see what all of you mean. already sent an e-mail to try to purchase 3 males since i want all paired up. i will try to get a black one and 2 yellows. i'll keep you posted of progress. btw i am soaking the bbs on selcon for a few minutes is that ok or should i try to enrich it with something else or another way?