Radial Filefish Gender

[Silver14SS]

Anyone able to tell what gender radial filefile this is from the pics? I'd like to add another and would like them to pair up.

Thank you!

 

[lion king]

Hard to tell from the pics, but the males have little bristles at the base of the tail. I'm not sure how big these guys have to be before you definitively sex them, but if you see the bristles, it's definitely a male. Some fish have to be more mature than others to show their sex, not sure at what size these guys show.

 

[Silver14SS]

Thanks for looking and your feedback. Will the bristles be a group of little filaments like a brush, or individual strands like whiskers? I wasn't sure if those little rasied strands in the pictures count as bristles or not, they protrude 1-2mm :)

 

[lion king]

No not the strands that are across the whole body, it's more like a group at the base of the tail. Best to see when they bend their tail, it will look fuzzy in the area between the body and the actual tail if it is a male.

 

[Silver14SS]

Based on that, I think this one is either not mature or a female. Thanks again!