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How do I tell if my tilapia is male or female?
How do I tell if my tilapia is male or female?

You can sex a tilapia with a bit of food dye.

Amy Storey avatar
Written by Amy Storey
Updated over 7 years ago

Sexing Tilapia: An Easy Way to Determine Gender

From selecting for breeding to reducing aggression, there are some great reasons to figure out the sex of your fish. Here's one easy way.

Use dark food dye (green and blue are best) to highlight the physiological characteristics.

The dye accentuates the anus and genitalia of the fish and the difference is clear.

Male tilapia have a tapered shape below the anus, whereas the females have a more rounded shape with a triangular indentation in the center.

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