Lineatus Wrasse Sexing?

S

stonecold

New member
I have a Lineatus for a year. I would like to add another 1 so they will pair up. However, I don't know how to determine whether mine is a male or female. Attached is a picture of the one I currently have. Sorry for the poor quality. It was taken with a point and shoot camera.:-(

What does a male and female looks like? Thank you for all your advises and help.

picture.php


picture.php
 
I suspect you have a male.

Generally speaking, females are mostly pink overall. Males should have more yellow, red and blue. Your fish has a good deal of red in the tail, a male characteristic. The ventral fins are much longer in the males than the females. Your fish definitely has the elongated ventral fins. Also, the anal and dorsal fins are much more colourful in the males...they also are a bit larger and more pointed. That's difficult to see in your photos, though the colour is certainly there.

I would say that your fish is probably male, though not exhibiting full colour right now.

A female, though not displaying her fins well:
lineatus_wrasse_1_0407_Medium_.jpg


A dominate, full colour male:
lineatus_wrasse02.jpg


Images were pulled from a Google search, they are not mine.

Hope that helps!

David
 
Last edited:
When comparing your pictures with mine, mine looks more to be a female. What will happen if I add the 2nd one and it happens to be the same sex?
 
It is not at all uncommon for a male fairy wrasse to develop subdued colouration if kept without females of his species.

With that said, fairy wrasses are protogynous hermaphrodites - all start out as female and the most dominant individuals will become male. Having been on its own for a year, it's quite likely that your fish has become male.

With two females (and no males, of course), the most dominant will become male. It is possible both will attempt to become male and start a dominance fight. Sometimes they will work out their differences without doing serious damage to one another, sometimes not.

If you add two males into the same aquarium, it is possible for the less dominant one to revert back to female...if it can survive long enough. How large is the aquarium?
 
I hate to hijack a thread, but this thread has got me wondering about my lineatus now. I always though it was a sub-dominant male, but now I'm not so sure. Looks definitely female in the context here.

At purchase, it was definitely female. It's in a 120gal tank with a M/F pair of flames, a male scott's, and a couple halichores wrasses. This lineatus is by far the most aggressive fish in the tank.

Recent pictures:
DSCN1003.jpg


DSCN0984.jpg


DSCN1147.jpg


DSCN1149.jpg


Thoughts from the experts?

I'm curious because I've found the most stunning supermale lineatus I've ever seen up for sale right now...

Should I give it a go?
 
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