So I've been going merrily along thinking I had 3M 4F Yellow Labs. I had one larger M who was close to fully grown at 3"+, and two juvies. The large male has always been more of a diplomat than a fighter, though he held his own when challenged. He will break up the fights of others in true dominant male style.

My two juvenile males have been doing a lot of sparring for rank, with no apparent damage. Like the bigger male they have black on their pelvic and anal fins, which the females lack.

The two young males have both been growing a lot (to about 2.5"), especially since I went to feeding NLS, and both have developed egg spots, which my young females also lack.

But my big male has never developed egg spots, despite matching the other males in all aspects of color.

Just one of those things? Will I find "him" holding one of these days?

I've never seen a yellow lab with egg spots?!?! Am I going crazy or am I too busy looking at their colour? Hmmmm

Now I'm gonna have to figure out how to do better with my point and click camera. :blink:

I always get shivers when someone says "I've never seen" because the dreaded "H" word (hybrid) comes to mind and I bought these from a breeder, not an LFS.

Don't worry, Pseudo. A good percentage of mine have eggspots, but that does not seem to help in sexing them.. And my biggest, meanest, most dominant lab is female! She kept all the others crammed into the corners, so I had to move her out into a different tank.

All of mine, male and female, have the black on their fins.

Wow, I guess I'll just have to see who ends up holding and take it from there!

Of course, now I worry about the blood lines of the Yellow Labs who have no black on their pelvic or anal fins! :unsure:

I've read all the stories of how millions of labs all descended from a few initial specimens, but I still want to be extra careful with any fry I may put out into the community.

Males and females can both have egg spots.

My dominant female also had black pelvic and anal fins. Faint

Yellow labs are the MOST difficult to sex, IME. You can't do it by behaviour, appearance, or colouration.

If you can't vent, you won't know until you see them spawn!

Kim

Small egg spot.

Young fish. Only at about 2 inches.

The only way to sex them is wait until they spawn or vent them (which can be tricky at a small size). I have had labs with all sorts or morphs with both indefinete sexes. I have had both males and females with egg spots, or both without, aswell as the black in the fins.

I would not put my trust of sexing the fish as who is the most dominent fish in the group (as in they break up fights or often T-ing off). If you have girl that is significantly bigger then the rest, she could very well be the dominent fish in the tank, and that may upset spawning a bit. Good luck :D

Brad