determining the sex of a fish

Question
QUESTION: Hi, I have 6 Malawi African ciclids. I read that it is important to have the right ratio of male to females so that they do not fight too much. How do I go about determining which ones are male and which are female? Is color a factor? Three are yellow, one is orange, one is blue and one is striped blue. Are these fish easy to breed once they are mature enough?

ANSWER: Hmm...
Do you know what species you have? Without knowing the species of Malawi cichlids its difficult.

Perhaps if you aren't sure, try taking pics of your fish and sending them in. It would help a lot! :)

Most african cichlids are easy to breed by the way.

Karen~

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: one is a red zebra, 3 electric yellows, other 2 are possibly blue cobalt zebras.

Answer
Hi Heather,
Red Zebras typically are distinguished by the males being larger than females and becoming paler on the lower sides of their bodies while the female will usually be deep orange extending to the tips of her fins and the females may also show less "egg-spots"

Without more than 1 red zebra to compare this might be a bit difficult.

In Electric Yellows, it can be difficult. Males are said to have more black on their fins than females.

If the other two are Cobalt blue Zebras...this type does well with one male to several females. Males are said to be brighter blue and have more pointed dorsal fins.

This isn't always reliable due to the many hybrids of african cichlids out there though making it even more difficult!

I hope this helps!
Karen~