How to sex a convict?

[Trickster]

Ok, like many posts of mine have appeared of me wanting a convict, i finally picked out a perfect black convict. He is beautiful, perfect stripes and doesnt show any hostility at all. (Guessing thats cuz the only 1 inch long making him the smallest fish there)


Besides all that i want to know if its a female or male. How do i sex a black convict?

[Nameless]

The difference between the two is that the male is just plain gray and black with no other colors, they are much larger than the females, they are more long and elongated in thier body and finnage than the females and they have a little hump thing on their heads. Such as these ones: http://www.petfish.net/pix/Male_Convict_derreck.jpg
http://www.centralpets.com/critter_images/fish/freshwater_fish/FWF_0004497_20021012020158.jpg
http://tamarisk.ab.ca/~fish/bio/convictfry.jpg


However, females are smaller, a bit more rounded and shorter in finnage than males, they do not have the hump thing and they have different shades of peach, blue or red along their undersides.
Here is a picture: http://www.aquariumadvice.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=5245

In some cases the coloration is not as obvious as in this particular female, but more subtle and blended like this one:
http://port.inst.cl.uh.edu/Portfolio/NakagawaM/Assignment3/Convict.jpg


I hope this helps.

[Trickster]

O yea it helps, i think i got myself a male, i dont see any colors, he only 1" so im not sure if thats big enough to tell.

[Nameless]

I would wait a bit longer, cause I remember when I had convict cichlid fry, it was hard to tell if they were fe/male when they were that small, so just to be on the safe side I would just see how they look when the get a little bit bigger, cause it is pretty hard or a bit unaccurate to judge from its size now.

[Trickster]

Well i keep trying to sex it but its hard to tell. it dont got a colored belly, but it also dont got a pointed anal fin like most males do. Quite confusing.
(i did some research)

Anyway you seem to know alot about convicts... when you had yours how long did it take for it to get full sized?

[Nameless]

Fully grown, I don't quite remember, but don't worry they grow very fast, given enough space, the females colors were very visible in a few months, liake 2 or 3, I don't remember fully, it was a couple months back since i last bred convicts, sorry that I can't help any more than I already can, if you have anyother questions, please feel free to ask me.

Thanks.

[Trickster]

AITE WELL thanks alot, uve been a great help (and the only help) with sexing my convict, thanks.

[Nameless]

Lol! No problem, I am glad I could help.