How to Tell...

[Reefing Newbie]

I have had two female pylei fairy wrasses for two weeks now, almost three. I was curious as to how I can tell if one is on its way to becoming male? These were collected from Vanuatu if it makes a difference from the other locations. Thanks!

Edit: I just took some pictures of them, I think I can tell which one is dominant after watching them for 10 minutes. Should turn male, but not sure how to tell when it is starting to.

Dominant(at least I think) Female:

Submissive(I think) Female:

 

[cmaxwell39]

The male will lose the black tail spot, the colors will become deeper with more and more yellow becoming apperent, especially when displaying, and the biggest thing is that the pectoral fins will become very elongated, reaching to nearly the cadual fin of the fish.

Nice pair by the way. When I had a pair, the male was very aggressive, nearly killing a male exquisite within a day and a half of being introduced to the display where the exquisite was already established.

 

[Reefing Newbie]

Thanks! I will keep my eye out for these things! I was hoping to get three other fairy wrasses for my tank; rhomboid(pair), lineatus, and a flame(if there is no pair of rhomboids. I may go with some of the more aggressive fairy wrasses if these two get grumpy.

 

[reefjunkie42]

Honestly I love my pylei, btw the other poster forgot to mention that we will develope a blue, almost metalic quarter inch edge on the caudal fin. Also I personally think when the vanuatu variance has much more beautiful "display" colors. My male recently lost his female but before that happened , every day around dusk he would be going Nuts trying to force we to spawn

 

[Reefing Newbie]

I am still in awe with the metallic blue on the pelvic fins of the dominant female. I am looking forward to the change. I wasn't able to see the male that the LFS had when I picked these two up. The pictures the owner sent on my local club forum were really cool!

As of now I think I am working through the kinks in their relationship. The more dominant female is doing more chasin now that they settled. Should be temporary though.

 

[cmaxwell39]

Here are a few pics of my pair back when I had them. I think my male was still pretty young, but was definitely male.

First off the female, just like the ones you posted.

Then the male:

Finally a couple of the male displaying, was an absolutely gorgeous fish.

Hope that helps you know what to look for and what to look forward too with your new pair. Good luck.

 

[Reefing Newbie]

The males that the LFS had didn't look like yours so I wonder which one the dominant female will look like. I like them both, but like the ones the LFS had a little more.

 

[cmaxwell39]

I would guess that if they were brought in together, your female that is turning male will take on the coloration of the male that came in with them. Either way, they are a beautiful fish and I am sure you will enjoy it.

 

[Reefing Newbie]

I like them quite a bit! One of my favorite fish so far actually. Just waiting for a male so I can see him display for the female because the pictures you have make him look amazing!

 

[Reefing Newbie]

Good news for the dominant female! Her black spot near the tail is nearly faded(very obvious compared to the submissive female). The tail is starting to come in will a brighter yellow in the area where the male I posted above has it. I also noticed thin blue stripes coming in when I fed a few minutes ago(only visible at the right angle right now). I have a feeling that when they get to my DT they will look really good with the more blue colored lighting!

 

[cmaxwell39]

Congratulations. You definitely have a female changing to male. It should be fun to watch. Mine always seemed to display more at feeding time and close to lights out. Keep an eye on the pair during those times to see if you can catch it showing off.

Sent from my SGH-i917 using Board Express

 

[Reefing Newbie]

It definantly flashes more during feeding time. Not close to lights out though. At this point is is an aggression thing I think. It will chase the other female. Anyways I saw the to-be make show off for my eventual male clown(clown isn't mature yet). It was cool to see! Clown was a little freaked though!

 

[Reefing Newbie]

Updating with some pictures to show progress. There is just a little bit that will show up with phone pictures. Wish I could afford a nice DSLR camera to take pictures. I am a little worried about the submissive female possibly starting to turn male. The spot near the tail seems to change in intensity depending on mood and time of day. Normal? What do you guys think based on the pictures?

Female--> Male

Submissive Female