Does anyone know how to tell the sex of a pajama cardinal fish? I have one now and wanted to get another of the opposite sex. Are they like clowns or do I need to look for a particular sex?
Supposedly the length of the dorsal filament--the males' tend to be longer. However, I do not consider this to be definitive or that reliable. Beyond that, there really is no external difference.
honestly i've never seen a pj with a long dorsal filament in the lfs's. the one i got didn't have one at all but it started growing not long after purchase and is quite long now. it may be hard to sex these fish in the store if that's what you use to determine gender.
It is hard to determine in the store primarily because they are juveniles. Larger individuals may lack them due to some damage during shipping. Like I said, I don't really consider it an effective means due to too much variability (it doesn't always hold true, either).
I heard that if you have an older male just place the new fish in with him and he'll either attack or mate, I guess that's full proof, but I just don't know what I have.
Mine (Banggais) have distinctively different dorsals. The males is larger. Plus the fact I watched HER produce the eggs and HIM catch them in his mouth. Guess you can't always guarantee that scenario though