Female & Male Fish Differences

As curious as some fish owners might be to learn the sex of their pet, determining the differences between male and female can be challenging --- and in some cases impossible. With the myriad species of fish, which all have different methods in determining sex, there are several sets of challenges. However, there are a few factors that will assist you in the process.

  1. The Vent

    • The most universal way in determining the gender of a fish is to examine its vent. The vent is located between the anus and the anal fin. It is an opening that releases either eggs or sperm for reproduction purposes. Depending on the species, some male and female fish will have a slightly different color vent. With species like the julidochromis regani, males have an elongated vent that starts out wide on the top and becomes narrow at the bottom. With mouthbrooder fish, the female has a much larger vent than the male as it lays bigger eggs than many fish its size.

    Anal Fin

    • Males that are livebearer fish like guppies and swordtails have a modified anal fin called a gonopodium, used for reproduction, which distinguishes them from their female counterparts that have a triangular anal fin. For male cichlids, their anal fins significantly larger than the female anal fin.

    Lumps and Bumps

    • In some species, like the New World cichlids, the male fish have a large bump on the top of their head. During mating season, male goldfish also develop smaller bumps on their heads, denoting their sex. These bumps will be gone by the end of mating season. Don't mistake them for an illness or a parasite. As well as these little bumps, male goldfish can also be characterized during mating season by gill plates and pectoral fins that disappear by the end of the breeding season.

    Size

    • In some cases, female and male fish can be differentiated by their size, and koi are one of these species. Female koi are generally much larger than the male koi.

      Find out when your fish will be spawning, and notice the girth of their abdomens. A female fish will have a swollen belly if she is full of eggs.