How to distinguish male thorns from female?

The thornsia is a rather unpretentious aquarium fish, which can be taken care of even by a non-professional in the aquarium hobby. Some difficulties may arise with the breeding of these pets, or rather, with how to distinguish a male from a female. However, in order to do this, it is necessary to have an idea of ​​the general appearance of this breed.

The thornsia (also known as the mourning tetra or black tetra) is a small aquarium fish, the maximum size of which can be 5.5–6 centimeters. Their body shape is diamond-shaped, slightly flattened from the sides. The color is silver, there are vertical black stripes near the head.

Despite the fact that at first glance, individuals of both sexes of this breed look almost identical, if you look closely, differences can be found to help you distinguish between them.

• First, the size: the female is always slightly larger than the male. If through the glass of the aquarium it is difficult to determine which of the fish is larger, then look from above at the back: the female will be wider, and the male, accordingly, more "flattened".
• Secondly, the color scheme. The color of the male is much brighter, the stripes near the head are clearer, and black prevails on the body. This is especially true of the tail in adults: it retains the rich black hue characteristic of young fish. The tail fin is transparent, but males have a white edging that females do not.If we talk about the stripes on the female's body, then their boundaries seem a little blurry.

Difficulties in determining gender by color may arise if you have purchased any of the colored varieties - the so-called caramels.

In this case, knowledge about the differences between the fins of males and females will help. The dorsal fin of the male is sharper and longer; in the female it can be wider and much smoother. The anal fin of the "boy" is larger; closer to the tail, it tapers. In the case of the “girl,” it is wider and resembles a kind of skirt, which remains the same width from the beginning of the fin to the base of the tail.

In connection with the fact that the “caramel” ternets were mentioned, it is necessary to consider other varieties of the tetra breed.

Veil thorns - differs from the usual mourning tetra with large fins (anal and tail), which resemble a black veil fluttering in the wind. Hence the name. The sex of this breed can be determined by size, since the female will be much larger than the male, and her fins are much larger, and by color, which will be almost the same as that of an ordinary black tetra.

In albinos, on the contrary, difficulties in identifying the male and female may arise due to the unusual color, but it will become clear from the fins which individual belongs to which sex.

Caramels are of two types. The first is genetically modified, which artificially implants the DNA of a coral, jellyfish or other creatures, in connection with which the color becomes closer to the animal whose DNA was used. They are also easy to maintain, hardy and can inherit their unusual color.

The second type of "caramels" is a fish whose color has changed due to chemical injections.

Their lifespan is shorter than that of individuals that have not been exposed to chemical injections, and over time their color becomes dull. Due to the unusual colors, it becomes possible to find out the sex of the fish only by its size and the shape of its fins.

For how to easily distinguish the male thorns, see below.