flame wrasse sex change

[Ron Popeil]

how long does it take female flame wrasses to change sex without a distinct male present?

from this

to this

i was under the impression its possible, am i mistaken?



*pictures are not my own, taken from google

 

[JM68]

I have had two females change to male and the total change took less than a month in both instances. both were the only flame wrasses in the tank, no other females or males present.

PS. i do believe that the first pick is a sub adult male, females r very pink and that
little guy is very orange

 

[Ron Popeil]

ah, good to know. thank you!

 

[snorvich]

My recollection is that it is less than 3 weeks.

 

[jc16]

is this is same for all wrasses and do they start once they reach an appropriate size? or what causes them to start changing sex?

 

[zemuron114]

the change into that type of male will take longer than 3 weeks.

females turn due to lack of males in the "harem". In nature if the male gets eaten, caught, dies (dissapears from the harem) a new male must take its place, so the next dominant female will turn to that male.

 

[JM68]

zemuron, i will have to disagree with your statement about it taking more time. i have personally witnessed it with two separate females that i have kept. each time they went from full female color to very dark vibrant male colors in less than a month. the first was a female that i bought and kept alone and the second was a female that was kept with a male and had the male die. neither began the transformation immediately after being put in the tank or after the male died, but from the time there was a noticeable color change until they had full male coloration was less than a month. i have posted before and after pics in previous threads that prove this.

 

[snorvich]

Agree with above. I have personally witnessed one do it in about 3 weeks.

 

[Ron Popeil]

im at week two with my two females and have yet to notice any dramatic changes. i guess ill keep this thread posted.

 

[JM68]

they might not change right away. one will have to establish dominance, but once the change starts it will be quick. it took almost 4 months for the transformation to start once my male died.

 

[snorvich]

JM68 brings up an interesting point. Mine did not start changing for quite a while (I don't recall how long) but once it started, it was quick.

 

[zemuron114]

That is interesting. I usually dont hold onto them long to witness it. whenever i have noticed it, it takes 5-6 weeks generally, not with flame wrasse. Although the male posted above is not a supermale... i highly doubt they change to supermale in 3 weeks if at all..

pics?

 

[Ron Popeil]

since we are on the subject of supermales, how do they come about? what triggers the change from just male to a super male?

 

[nikon187]

competition in the harem more than likely. It is rare for a non supermale to turn supermale in our aquariums.

 

[wet thumb]

What makes the distinction between a regular male and a supermale?

 

[snorvich]

A supermale is also called a terminal male because it cannot revert. I have had C. bathyphilus revert from male to female.

 

[flameangel88]

This is my first wrasse--just got a pair in and can you tell me which type of male I have? Thanks.

 

[snorvich]

They are so stressed out that I cannot tell. Most likely the top one is a subadult male, the bottom is either a juvenile or female.

 

[flameangel88]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13917877#post13917877 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by snorvich
They are so stressed out that I cannot tell. Most likely the top one is a subadult male, the bottom is either a juvenile or female.

Thanks. This is the 2nd week in a row Fedex dropped the box where the styrofoam cracked. It was shipped Monday where the temp was only in the low 20s at night and during the day it was only 30s. If it wasn't for the 6 heat packs I would have 3 dead fish.

The one on top is 3" and the bottom one is 2 3/4". I'll work on getting better pictures later.

 

[flameangel88]

This is the best picture I got with the male

Does the female still look stressed or more normal?

After intro they got separated on opposite end but they're about 24" apart now and I hope they'll find each other soon.