i need some tips on goldfish and how to tell the gender
2006-06-22 14:47:18 · 9 answers · asked by karenmp1993 2 in Pets ➔ Fish
it is almost impossible to tell on juvenile fish, and it is tricky on adult fish. they do have some sexually dimorphic traits, but they are subtle. in other words, your males won't grow beards.....
if your fish are old enough (varies by type, but at least one year old, maybe 2-3 years), the males will develop "breeding tubercles" which are small white bumps that form on the gill operculum (part covering gills) and the front rays of their pectoral fins (fins in the "arm" area). these are absent on females. females tend to get plumper as their bodies become full of mature eggs.
the males' pectoral fins may be longer and more pointed with a stiffer leading ray than females, but this kind of requires a comparison with a fish of known sex.
if you can get ahold of your fish and flip them over, or if they hold still long enough and you can see underneath... you might be able to tell from their "vent" which is a hole just in front of the anal fins (not tail fins, the anal fins are smaller and on the underside). for an inexperienced fish owner, they'll probably look the same. but if your fish holds still, you just might be able to see a difference: on the males, the vent is slightly indented and may appear larger. on the females, the vent sticks out a bit.
as for tips.....
if you are sexing your goldfish in order to breed them, get a HUGE aquarium, like 55gal, and do a lot of reading about raising the fry. they need special food, hiding places, and probably should be isolated from larger fish. if you just want to know the sex to give appropriate names..... they still need a lot of space, as they are pretty messy and grow to be quite large.
get a thermometer for your tank which stays in the water, not the outside of the tank. keep the water colder than you would for tropical fish. goldfish can survive temperatures from 40 to 80F but they are probably happiest if you keep them around 67 to 72F. using an aquarium light can help bring the temperature up, floating a frozen water bottle in the tank can help bring the temperature down.
feed your fish small amounts once or twice a day, no more than they can eat in 2-5 minutes. use goldfish food as a staple diet, but try offering them freeze dried baby shrimp (might help to crush them first) peas, small bits of cooked turkey, bloodworms (freeze dried or live), or other wholesome foods as a special treat. goldfish are omnivorous and benefit from eating a variety of foods. just remember to remove uneaten food and do regular partial water changes to keep waste from building up.
2006-06-22 19:02:39 · answer #1 · answered by ecluv7 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is almost impossible to sex a goldfish unless it is at least 1 1/2 years old. It also depends on the type of goldfish. For example : Fancy goldfish males have small white spots behind the gills. You will probably have to get a magnifying glass to see them. Also, females are bigger and fuller in the body.
2006-06-22 22:05:27 · answer #2 · answered by rayannarich@sbcglobal.net 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
im sorry i cant tell how to find out the gender of your gold fish but i do have some tips...
before you put water into the tank let it sit out. this does two things...
1.helps put oxygen into the water for the fish to breath
2.helps take out the natural clorine that can kill the fish.
also get some colorfull rocks from a pet store or some tank decorations (make sure you clean them before you put them in the tank) somtimes the colorfull surrounding can help the fish become more colorfull.
good luck!
2006-06-22 21:58:56 · answer #3 · answered by betty_crockers_punk_rockers!!!!! 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There is no true way to tell the sex. If you have a pond that is large enough for alot of fish and this one gets is old enough and gets fat, then it is a female. If it has alot of fish chasing it around, it's not a male.
2006-06-22 22:12:18 · answer #4 · answered by pauldouglashagan@verizon.net 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
pick up the goldfish and turn him over go to the pet shop ask them what to do for him
2006-06-22 21:58:05 · answer #5 · answered by Boo 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
ecluv's answer is good--when you check this way--and this is another way to tell on fan tails but I can't remember which is whic but it works-----lookin straight down on a fan tail, If I am not mistaken, it is the "male" that when looking down on it, the tail seems bent slightly to one side. I know that is the sign of one of the sexes and I think it is the males that have this oddity.
2006-06-23 23:22:52 · answer #6 · answered by gInber 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
pick up the goldfish and turn him over - take your tweezers.......
2006-06-22 21:52:51 · answer #7 · answered by Norman 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
whos the daddy? lol
2006-06-23 00:58:12 · answer #8 · answered by wolly_gator_1993 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i need help with it too
2006-06-22 23:08:33 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋