How Do I Tell the Difference in a Male and Female Blood Red Parrot Fish?
- 1). Examine the dorsal and anal fins. If the fins are rounded, the fish is a female, says Petfish.net. If the parrot fish has pointed dorsal and anal fins, the fish could be either a male or a female.
- 2). Look at the other body characteristics of the fish. The website fishkeeping.co.uk says that blood red parrot fish males often have a more pronounced separation between the head and the body. Females may have smaller gill plates and any lip deformities may be less prominent than in male blood red parrot fish.
- 3). Examine blood red parrot fish when spawning. The Animal-World website indicates that the male is more colorful during spawning, displaying more pink on the throat and behind the gills.
- 4). Observe the behavior of the fish. Petfish.net reports the male of a mated pair will dig a nest in a gravelly bottom, while the female patrols the perimeter of the nest. Once eggs are laid, the female will occupy the nest and the male will protect it from outside.
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