Lyretail changing sexes: signs?

[chimmike]

What are the telltale signs of a lyretail female making the transition?

How long before one determines dominance in the aquarium?

Maybe there should be a sticky for this kind of info for all anthias

 

[namxas]

She will take on a pinkish hue, altho she won't necessarily go as pink as a primary male, and she'll develop a dorsal spike.

It depends on the dynamics and size of your group of fish. Sometimes there's clearly a dominant fish, sometimes, there are more than one contender.

"Before"

After

 

[chimmike]

thanks, nice pics!

 

[MrTuskfish]

What are the telltale signs of a lyretail female making the transition?

Making frequent trips to S.F.

 

[Amoore311]

The dorsal spike has always been the first sign I caught.

 

[29reef]

Doral spike, darkening coloration, followed by a complete new look.

FWIW- Greg, I find your second photo of a "male" a bit misleading as I've seen females in a harem that looked almost identical to your fish. IMO the fish you've shown is still making the transition.

 

[Alex T.]

Mine is in the same transition. The dorsal spike is the first sign...then an overall move toward pink and purple sets in at the completion of the change. Mine has been changing for over a year since my male died. Smaller female has not changed one bit.

 

[Apercula]

I purchased a trio, 1 male, 2 females. One of the females came with an extended first dorsal spike. My male died a couple months later, and about 2 months after he died the female with the extended dorsal began to change to male, first getting the spots on the pectoral fins, then full color change. It took her about 3weeks to fully change, then the color deepened over the next few months.
Here is a link to my thread with pictures at the time she was changing.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1531326&highlight=lyretail