How to sex Lamprologus occelatus?

[cricha]

I purchased a trio of Lamprologus occelatus 'Gold'. They're still tiny and although I wanted 1M & 2F, the LFS couldn't be sure.

What is the best way to sex them? Is there any behavioural traits I can look for?

[trident]

Chris,
From what I know the bigger one is the male.
Yours are still young, wait for them to grow bigger
than you can see the difference. Saw them in a friend's
place, the adult male is much bigger than the female.

[Quixotic]

Adult fishes range from 1 to 2 inches in size, males are larger than females. This information can be found in one of the stickes in this forum.
http://www.aquaticquotient.com/forum...ad.php?t=33572

[cricha]

I've already read through the relevant articles. It's just that my fish are still pretty small. The dominant male is only 3/4inch long, while the other two are about 1/2inch in size.

I'm just eager to sex them as early as possible, so I don't end up with three males. I can only exchange with the LFS I bought from so long as they have stock. Once sold out I may have to wait months for the next shipment.

[Quixotic]

Considering they are still juveniles, you just have to take the chance then.

Perhaps you want to consider buying more, since they have stock now, to increase the chances of having females in the group.

[cricha]

I have been considering buying a few more but the levels of aggression from these small fellas has made me think twice.

I currently have them in a 18in long. I'm afraid if I introduce another 2 or 3, the 1st batch will beat up the newbies.

Does anyone have any experience with half a dozen L occelatus in a small tank?

[trident]

Chris,
I also think you should get at least 2 more to increase your chances.
I got 5 Lamprologus Brevis in a 2 feet tank, they will chase each other around most of the time, but generally no harm done. The key is to provide more hiding places for them, lots of shells, some caves or rocks for them to hide.