Since Photobucket no longer allows 3rd part hosting I went ahead and edited some of the posts in this thread and removed [URL][IMG]...[IMG/]URL/] tags on a few pictures so a direct link can be clicked on to go to Photobucket and view the picture that once showed up in a thread.
WARNING: I would NOT click on the direct link to Photobucket unless you have an adblocker installed on your browser.
This might be a work around for salvaging pictures on older threads.
I have seen both males and females with yellow bellies and seen both with blanched bellies at all times of the year. There is something with carotenoids in the pond as very yellow fin tinting is also very common with golden shiners.
When we breed sunfish such as RES indoors, the feed is often supplemented with paprika. Purpose is to increase coloration of eggs. Clear-ish eggs do not appear to hatch as well. The females store the carotenoids as pigment in the skin. The pigment is mobilized each time the female matures a batch of eggs. Females pushed hard to produce multiple clutches in rapid succession get a silvery look.
Snails and the like may not be good sources of carotenoids. Crustaceans like in the plankton, which BG more inclined to eat, are better.
Last edited by Jim Wetzel; 08/20/1704:55 PM.
Aquaculture Cooperative Research / Extension Lincoln University of Missouri
Jim, these are from the last two years, stuff I had on Photobucket that is no longer accessible in this thread. I am trying out postimage.org which allows posting thumbnail images for forums. These pictures are dated coded July and August of 2015.
Thanks. I can sex RES in spring prior to breeding season at a glance by keying in characters you point out. When breeding commences the males get a smokey to black look (some get really black). After breeding season till about now sexing the RES is tougher as they are thinner and yellows less evident on females. As fall progresses they plump up and get the yellows back.
Aquaculture Cooperative Research / Extension Lincoln University of Missouri
As a general rule I don't try to sex anything under 5-1/2" as it's just too iffy. I have found that the differences in the urogenital openings are pretty consistent year round, even outside of the breeding season. The two things I look for are the coloration and size of coloration on the ear tab, then I check the urogenital opening to see if it matches.
Males have a larger and darker red coloration on the ear tab and the urogenital opening is almost the same size as the anal opening.
Females have a more orange and slightly smaller coloration on the ear tab and the urogenital opening is noticeably larger than than the anal opening, even outside the breeding season.
Every once in while I will catch a smaller one that doesn't quite match either or but most of the time it is very consistent.
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