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swordtails
- Thread starter barneyboy
- Start date
Steve Smith
Member
Are you sure they're females, and not juvenile males?
ghostsword
Member
barneyboy said:
Hi this is normal. Swords and Platies do that. If just females on a tank, one will turn male.
Ed Seeley
Member
That's not strictly true. There have been cases of swordtails seemingly switching sexes but they are often old females that start to show male characteristics as they age and stop being fertile females or young males that have developed late. Swordtails and platies have their sex determined by chromosones so they aren't like cichlids where temperature, pH or the balance of sexes in a tank can effect the sex.
They certainly aren't asexual as that means they don't reproduce sexually and if anyone's ever seen a male livebearer sex comes just before food in the list of priorities!
They certainly aren't asexual as that means they don't reproduce sexually and if anyone's ever seen a male livebearer sex comes just before food in the list of priorities!
ghostsword
Member
Hi Ed... strictly true or not I have had young swords turning into males half way thru their development, they were without gonopodium then after a while they turned. 
Like zombies... 
Like zombies...
Ed Seeley
Member
ghostsword said:Hi Ed... strictly true or not I have had young swords turning into males half way thru their development, they were without gonopodium then after a while they turned.
They are just late developing males. They were never female they just didn't show secondary male characteristics at an early age. Often you find that the early developing males will be smaller and much less impressive than the later developing ones that commit more energy into growth before becoming sexually mature.
ghostsword
Member
Ed Seeley said:ghostsword said:Hi Ed... strictly true or not I have had young swords turning into males half way thru their development, they were without gonopodium then after a while they turned.
They are just late developing males. They were never female they just didn't show secondary male characteristics at an early age. Often you find that the early developing males will be smaller and much less impressive than the later developing ones that commit more energy into growth before becoming sexually mature.
That is possible, it matches with what I saw. The [fe]males became much bigger and with better colours as well..
Ben M
Member
- Joined
- 1 Sep 2009
- Messages
- 662
chris1004 said:Ed Seeley said:
Hi Ed,
I love that line and it doesn't just apply to livebearers either.
Regards, Chris.
too right, you should have seen the 2 sea gulls on the roof when we were in English. the teacher had to put all of the blinds down to stop everyone staring at them instead of working.
although i'm not sure that's what you meant...
Garuf
Member
As a divergence, are there any swords that are suitable for a 60cm tank? I've always had a soft spot for them.
