How can you tell a male & a female fish apart?? & how long do goldfish stay pregnant??

Question

I have a 55 gallon fish tank with 5 goldfish and I want them to mate . . . . .I have had them for about 6 months and I really want baby goldfish. . . .. .

Answer 1

It is virtually impossible to sex goldfish. The only way you can tell the difference is when a male is ready to breed, about 3 years of age. When they are ready to breed, they will get tubercles, or white pimply looking bumps on their gills and fins. Also, when the female is ready to breed, she will get a convex vent, but this is still very difficult to differentiate. Another sign is when one fish chases another, often it is the male ready to breed, but males will chase other males in the absence of a female, so you can't be certain that the other fish the male is chasing is really even female. One sign of a female is that she is larger in the body than a male, but this too can be difficult to differentiate. And then, you have to have at least one male and one female who are ready to breed at the same time. And even if they do and the eggs are lain, they don't always hatch. In other words, unless you are an experienced breeder, getting your goldies to breed will be extremely difficult. And quite honestly, I know babies are fun, but you don't have any more room in your tank for any more goldfish, so, it's probably better that they don't breed. But, just be happy with and love the ones you have! Goldies rule!

Answer 2

goldfish need to be happy with their current habitat, that is the 1st thing.. if they r not happy, then they wont reproduce. but.. since they've been together with u for 6month i could say that they have been happy.

2nd of all, how old are they? r they six months? goldfish needs to be at least 8months old to reproduce, but it's better to wait till they are 1 yr old. the older the better the fry will be.

3rd, it's hard to tell their sexes. u can tell it's a male for sure when it has white points around their fins. dont confuse the disease of white points (ich) with the tubercules. when tubercules appears on male goldfish fins means that they r ready to mate, yet.. it's hard to tell if a goldfish is a female.

Answer 3

Goldfish are very difficult to sex. Males may develop spots near their gills called tubercles, but only during mating. Females may be fatter and deeper-bodied than males. But it is still Very difficult to tell them apart.

Gold fish develop eggs when they are healthy and happy and will lay them for a male to fertilize. The eggs hatch within a week if I remember correctly.

Answer 4

goldfish are almost impossible to sex, only when they're sexually mature you can do it

here is a link on how to do it
http://www.bristol-aquarists.org.uk/goldfish/info/sexing-fs.htm

Also on how to breed goldfish
http://www.goldfishinfo.com/spawn.htm

And what goldfish eggs look like
http://thegab.org/Articles/images/Sexing/Eggs2.jpg


Hope that helps
Good luck


EB