Common Shiner, (Luxilus cornutus) how can you tell the differences between male and female?

Question

we have 2 common shiners in our fish tank and i was wondering if there is any way to tell what sex they are. if we do have a male/female should we remove them from the tank if they lay eggs?

Answer 1

I couldn't find an quick online reference to tank breeding this species, but it's a cyprinid and as such have several traits in connom with barbs, danios and dace.

It will be difficult to sex them unless they are in breeding condition when the male gets a bit more colorful and the female gets fat and heavy with eggs. Other times the female is generally a little larger thanthe male and deeper bodied.

They are a typical egg scattering fish and you would breed them much like breeding zebra danios. Yes, you will also want to remove the adults after spawning as the give no parental care to the eggs and would in most cases eat them as soon as they spawn. Google breeding zebra danio and giant danio and set up for breeding accordingly if you want to breed this species. I would suggest that you get 3-4 more if you are interested in breeding them.

MM

Answer 2

Well - its extremely hard to tell the difference between them at that age. I suggest either calling a vet or animal specialist for some help, you could look in some books or on the internet for signs of males and females. In the male, the two openings are further apart, and they seem to have an extra opening.

Answer 3

sorry i dont know