How can I tell if my two goldfishes are male or female?

Question

My family has just recently got two gold fish. They are no more than 2-3 inches long. One fish is a little bigger than the other one and the fish are two different colors. The fish that is the biggest is orange and the fish that is smaller is white with a little orange around its face. Any answers will be appreciated. Thanks!

Answer 1

I was told that you can tell by their tail fins..if they are long and split like a v then it's a female..opposite is a male. Good luck

Answer 2

Goldfish need to be around 3 years old to breed or to tell the difference between male and female.

My fantails are 3" long and are mature enough that I know I have a male and female.

I'm not sure what kind of goldfish you have.. But here is how I tell my male and female apart.

The male- He develops breeding tubercles or "breeding stars" that look like white pimples or Ich on his gill covers. It shouldn't be anywhere else on his body. He has a concave anal opening, meaning that his "butt" will be flat against his body or slightly curve in. His fins are more sharply angled than the female fish. Looking at him from above would show that he is symmetrical [he looks the same size on one side as the other].

The female- She doesn't have tubercles, if she develops one or two, that's alright. It isn't unheard of to have a female turn up with a couple of her own, but the male should have many more. Her "butt" is convex, meaning it will stick out away from her body. Her fins are more rounded on the edges. And looking at a female from above would show that she is asymmetrical, meaning one side of her belly should be bigger than the other. This happens when she's full of eggs.