Tips on How to Determine the Gender of your Discus Fish

It’s typical for any respectable aquarium owner to breed their fishes. This not only cut down on costs of purchasing new fishes, but they also pose a good challenge in growing an aquarium. So, many breeders tend to ask how they will be able to determine the gender of their discus fish. Although this may seem difficult, many top breeders have provided different information to do so. And you may find that it is easier than you may think.   

There are a variety of methods that breeders use to know the gender of a discus fish, most of them are used when the discus fish have already grown. While they are still young, it is virtually impossible to determine its gender. Also, be warned that over handling the fish may result to its death. So you need to have a very keen observation so that you will be able to truly determine the sex. You will need to be very patient and to follow the fish well, for those who do not know the differences between the male and the female; it would be very hard to discover its gender. 

Male discus fish have thicker lips. Discus fish use their mouth to fend off any attackers. So the thicker lips are necessary for their protection and of the females as well.  

The male discus fish is more aggressive, they tend to come between the female and any intruder to protect the female discus fish. Also, the male tends to be larger and has a bigger forehead.  

In the female discus fish, the dorsal fin will seem to be rounded, while in the male, it will look more pointed. This is not distinguishable when the discus fish are still young, you can only notice this when they are in their adult stage.  

During spawning, you will notice that the breeding tube of the male discus fish tends to be smaller and sharper, with the female, the breeding tube will be rounder, and broader. The breeding tube can be found between the anal fin and the anus.  

Some breeders say that the female discus fish have a more vibrant colour, but there are fewer patterns. 

It’s never easy to find the sex of an animal when they are small, especially when they are fishes. Fishes tend to be fast and moving all the time. So this may cause a lot of problem. But, if you are determined to become a breeder, then use these tips to help you out. Determining the gender of your discus fish will help you to pair them equally. Too many male fishes and they tend to fight, and you may lose your fishes, too much female and then the pairing will be set off. But always remember, you can only successfully determine sex when the discus fish are older.