Sexing Goldfish

[Helen 8,511]

i just giggled at the topic tags

ok.. much has been asked about how to sex goldfish. this is my view on how to tell male from female and visa versa..

male:

breeding stars on pectorial fins as well as on gill plates, around eyes and sometimes all over the head. the pectorial fins of a male, on top are rather thick so they can carry their manlihood with pride

this guy, he's got breeding stars only on pec fins. sometimes breeding stars can be seen on his gill plates, but most often, he displays them only on his pec fins:

the vent of the male goldfish:

notice that it's smaller and taller.

the female.

her pectorial fins on top are thinner and there are no breeding stars:

the female goldfish vent:

notice how it's wider, stretched like more of a circle or in this instance, kinda like a triangle or diamond?

you can also tell the difference between a male and female goldfish when they're turned upside down by their bellies between the ventral fins and how they are attached to their bodies.

normally on the male goldfish, the space between the ventral fins is slightly more concave. on a female, it's quite full and round. the male in that area tends to be thinner where the female can carry a rather lovely and smooth belly. if you go back to the belly pictures i posted above you will notice the difference i mention here.

hope this helps a few members to be able to sex your goldfish with ease

happy sexing!

Click here to view the article

[MissColonel 256]

Very nicely done I love how beutiful and detailed the photos are and the facts Castor is my only undicided and I am starting to leah towards girl since certain angles look like a outtie vent lol.

[dnalex 13,633]

Nice work, Helen!

[haley_tichonuk22 1,157]

This is awesome Helen!! This would have helped me out so much when I was first trying to sex my fish lol. Its always hard to tell just by what people are telling you. Pictures always make it easier. Great post

[Sharkbait3 310]

guess what I just did Helen??....I held my gold fish to sex them..............and YEP...........both are girls...............

when button gets a lot bigger.............I will sex h/she too !!

[tithra 4,917]

good post! we should pin this one

[shakaho 6,312]

Thanks.

Off topic, but that first fish is gorgeous.

[Helen 8,511]

Very nicely done I love how beutiful and detailed the photos are and the facts Castor is my only undicided and I am starting to leah towards girl since certain angles look like a outtie vent lol.

thanks hun

Nice work, Helen!

thank you Alex

This is awesome Helen!! This would have helped me out so much when I was first trying to sex my fish lol. Its always hard to tell just by what people are telling you. Pictures always make it easier. Great post

aawww thank you!, i have been meaning to do this for a while. i am the kind of person that needs pics to learn too

guess what I just did Helen??....I held my gold fish to sex them..............and YEP...........both are girls...............

when button gets a lot bigger.............I will sex h/she too !!

glad this helped hun! and i am so happy you were able to handle your fish.. squirmy little buggers eh?

[Helen 8,511]

good post! we should pin this one

thanks hun!.. i will check with shay if it's worth pinning as there are other topics of the same

Thanks.

Off topic, but that first fish is gorgeous.

i really like him too!.. he has a disability tho.. the poor thing cannot rest upright. he's always flat on his side in the tank and only comes up good for food or if there is something happening.. so i snap photos of him when he's active. eats and swims well, but he just can't stay upright. this happened just after the first spawn. i wonder if he injured himself during the big chase.. silly boys

[scrappinjaime 86]

That was so awesome, very helpful. Thank you

[Helen 8,511]

That was so awesome, very helpful. Thank you

You're very welcome hun

[pandamanda111 150]

Helen, this is wonderful!! Great job, thanks a ton for making this! I will Try to determine the sex of Bert and Norton today (though I think both are girls fail. )

[Helen 8,511]

Helen, this is wonderful!! Great job, thanks a ton for making this! I will Try to determine the sex of Bert and Norton today (though I think both are girls fail. )

no problems hun.. i wish healthy gendering to your goldies and a lot of naaawww, dawwww.. oooooh... aaaaahhhh's

[shellbell4ever 1,381]

Very well done Helen next w/c I will be flipping my fish lol

[mjbubbles 211]

Very HELPFUL! I went over to check my fish, and they saw me and all started doing to feed me dance. I'll have to wait until after breakfast I guess. Thanks,Helen.

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[Helen 8,511]

Very well done Helen next w/c I will be flipping my fish lol

how did you manage shelly? have you determined genders yet? thank you for your compliments

Very HELPFUL! I went over to check my fish, and they saw me and all started doing to feed me dance. I'll have to wait until after breakfast I guess. Thanks,Helen.

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thank you MJ! i hope you find what you initially expected! total goofballs!

[LovelyChaos 869]

So if the vent is right up in between/ closer to the anal fins, would that indicate girl?

[Helen 8,511]

typically yes. but there have been threats of gender benders.. so we go more for the shape of the vent and wether they have thin or thick pectorial fins mainly.

[SGcvn69 23]

On 8/15/2012 at 8:07 PM, Helen said:

i really like him too!.. he has a disability tho.. the poor thing cannot rest upright. he's always flat on his side in the tank and only comes up good for food or if there is something happening.. so i snap photos of him when he's active. eats and swims well, but he just can't stay upright. this happened just after the first spawn. i wonder if he injured himself during the big chase.. silly boys

Maybe he's just being a male and is "exhausted" and playing that up LOL!