how do I tell the sex of my goldfish?

Question

i want to know so i can breed my goldfish.

Answer 1

It is extremely difficult to tell the difference between male and female goldfish when the fry are less than a year old; however the females are likely to be bigger than their counterparts of the same age.

Here are some clues that might help you sort out the Goldfish boys from the Goldfish girls:

* The female Goldfish are slightly bigger than the males and look even heavier in the abdomen when they are full of eggs.

* Male Goldfish develop white spots on their gills and pectoral called "breeding tubercles" during spawning time.

* Males have midline ridges on their undersides beginning from the back of their pelvic fins and ending at their vent opening. This feature can be absent or smaller in females.

* Males have firm abdomen while in females; the area between the pelvic fins and the anal fins is more pliable.

* Male Goldfish have longer and pointed pectorals as well as stiff fin ray, while females have more rounded pectorals and shorter, finer front fin rays.

* Male goldfish have smaller and more oval anal openings and the anal fins are not as thick as that of the female goldfish who has a larger and rounder anal opening with a slight protrude. The anal fin is also thicker.

* The spawning time is the easiest time to distinguish the boys from the girls. The female opening will look larger and more swollen as the eggs begin to ripen. She would look big and heavier. Since fish reproduce through external fertilization, you can make out when a male is ready by the white breeding tubercles and you can actually push out the milt through his ventral opening by running a gentle finger along his sides.

* There is one more obvious, but kind of time taking way to make out which one of your fish is male and female. Find out who is chasing who - the chaser will be the male and the chased and tired out one will be the female!(just like the common factor in our human world) It's the natural tendency on part of the male goldfish to chase and nudge at a female's rear part.

Answer 2

How Can I Tell What Sex My Goldfish Are?

Everyone wants to know what sex their goldfish are. Some people are just curious ("did I give them the right names?") while others think they might like to breed their fish. I'll try to offer a collection of methods I have read about here. However, I'm never totally sure about my own fish until I see them in breeding condition. Until then, they all have names like Pat, Sandy, Terry, Dana ....

The classic way to sex goldfish is based on the sexually dimorphic traits they develop when they are in spawning condition. At this time, females become heavier bodied in the abdomen (and purportedly a bit asymmetric). But the big change is in the males; they develop white pimples, called "breeding tubercles", on the gill operculum and along the front rays of their pectoral fins. See some more discussion in the FAQ section.

I've noticed that males that have been through a few spawning seasons seem to retain roughness on their front pectoral rays. Usually, when someone shows me a proven pair of goldfish it is pretty obvious which is the male and which is the female. But when I try to judge the sex of my fish, I often have little confidence in the decision. I think there is a gestalt to it. I will list some of the indicators I have heard of or read about for goldfish sexing outside of the breeding season. Incidently, I would not expect any of the methods discussed here to work reliably for fish prior to sexual maturity ... say a year.

1. Midline ridge: Males develop a ridge on their undersides that starts in back of their pelvic fins and ends at their vent opening. The ridge is absent or much smaller on females. (N.B. I have observed females with impressive ridges. Hmmm)
2. Firmness of Abdomen: For my heavy-bodied goldfish, the area between pelvic fins and the anal fins is fairly pliable on the females. For the males, this area is usually very firm.
3. Vent shape: According to several books, you can sex goldfish based on vent shape. I haven't been able to figure this out yet, so I won't confuse with an attempt at explaining what I have read. However, another hobbyist, Red Arthur, has used it and he supplied the following sketch to illustrate the method. The sketch also shows the location of the breeding tubercles on the males. Thank you, Red!
4. Pectoral fin shapes: For short-finned varieties, males have longer, more pointed pectorals with a stiffer leading ray. Females have more rounded pectorals and shorter, finer front fin rays. For long-finned breeds, the fin shape is hard to judge. But the first ray length and thickness should still be somewhat different. This works pretty well.
5. Other features: Some other characteristics that I think would be very hard for beginners to make use of: males are alledgedly brighter colored, more active, and have longer fins.
6. Using a known female: Al Foster suggested introducing a fish known to be a female into a tank of goldfish of unknown sex. He says that the males will all "check out" the new female, while the females will show no interest.

Probably the best way to learn to sex goldfish is to try to get opportunities to look at adult fish of known sex. The next best is probably to try to find some place (petshop?) that has an assortment of goldfish with bodies longer than three inches. And then just try to guess their sexes, based on the indicators above, to get experience looking at goldfish.

Answer 3

Males get tubercules along the gill coverings and front edge of their fins. There is also a difference in the shape of the anal opening. You can't really tell unless your fish are about 1 - 1 1/2 yrs old and the male is in spawning condition. See photos:

http://www.bristol-aquarists.org.uk/goldfish/info/sexing-fs.htm

Answer 4

As you have six goldfish, then you definately maximum possibly have the two sexes. they do no longer with no hardship breed in an aquarium setup as they're inspired via the changing seasons, even nevertheless it may ensue. whilst they're waiting to spawn the adult males will produce little raised, white spots on the gill covers. those are reported as breeding tubercles. they're maximum possibly to seem after the wintry climate whilst spring is coming so seem out for them!

Answer 5

more than i ever wanted to know about the sex of fish wizard!