sexing angels
- Thread starter Wrench
- Start date
the easyest way to pair angels is get about 6 juvenials and let them grow and pair on there own. Angels are hard to sex unless they are spawning. The tank will have to be large enough for the other angels/fish to get away b/c the breeding angels will be very aggressive.
Experienced angel breeders can tell the differences... but that is mostly experience. There is no definite way to tell the difference except through the papillia, which, by then, you already will have the m/f pair.
The other option is to buy a breeding pair online.
As N8 said, getting a goup of 6 (I would say half-dollar sized) fish is your best bet. As soon as you are sure you have a m/f pair (watch them, they like to pair off with same sexes sometimes!). As soon as you're sure you have a pair, you can remove the others and return them to the fish store or keep them if you have other appropriate set-ups.
HTH
Puma
The other option is to buy a breeding pair online.
As N8 said, getting a goup of 6 (I would say half-dollar sized) fish is your best bet. As soon as you are sure you have a m/f pair (watch them, they like to pair off with same sexes sometimes!). As soon as you're sure you have a pair, you can remove the others and return them to the fish store or keep them if you have other appropriate set-ups.
HTH
Puma
Found the article below at http://www.aquahobby.com/gallery/gangelo.html
Scott
Sexing Freshwater Angelfish: For most hobbyists, sexing angels is imposible before the fish are physically mature (though sexual maturity happens before the fish reach full size). Angels typically reach sexual maturity around 6-8 months of age in good water conditions, slightly later if the conditions are less than ideal. Trauma, overcrowding or illness can also delay the process. For those unaware of their fish's age: angels usually reach sexual maturity when their bodies (excluding fins) reach approximately 5 cm in diameter (roughly the size of a silver dollar, for those in the U.S.).
There are several ways of sexing angels, but the only foolproof ones are looking at their breeding tubes or getting them from a breeder or LFS who KNOWS the fish's sex. The second method costs more, but has the advantage of surety. I recommend paying extra and buying from a breeder if you know that you already have, say, a female, and need a male to go with her (though just having one of each sex does NOT guarantee a breeding pair - trust me).
If you're just curious or want to try and pick them yourself - the best, and only sure way is breeding tubes. Angels show breeding tubes when preparing to mate, or sometimes when other fish in the tank are doing so. The breeding tube extends down out of the fish's anal opening. Tubes begin to descend a few days before the fish breed, and can disappear within hours thereafter. Females' tubes are about the size and shape of a ball-point pen tip. Males' tubes are much smaller and more pointed in shape. Often, when one fish in a tank shows its tubes, others will also "tube" - suggesting there's a chemical element to mating, although this theory is, to my knowledge, as yet unproven. You may need to make several trips to the LFS to find "tubing" angels - but as I mentioned, this is the sure way of detecting their sex.
A female angel who's showing a tube will generally be full of eggs, making her appear more "fat" (viewed from the front) than a male angel - but check BEFORE they're fed! Afterward it can be hard to tell. Ordinarily, I would not recommend picking "females" because "they look fatter" - this is not generally a good way to pick angels. Some breeders can guess an angel's sex by their relative body thicknesses, but this can be difficult - especially if you're really interested in breeding them, because a "thin" male isn't really the best breeder choice. I prefer to select by tubes so I can get the largest, fattest males and females I can.
Actually, if you're looking for a pair, the best way to get one (and what I favor, if you have room) is to start with 6-8 young fish (quarter size at most) and raise them all in one tank (at LEAST 150 L) until they pair off naturally. The disadvantages of this method are fairly obvious: First, it takes time (up to 3-4 months from quarter size). Second, you'll need separate tanks (80 L at least) for each breeding pair you have, which can get expensive unless you're willing to part with the remaining fish once you've gotten a breeding pair from the group of 6-8 you began with. If you're just trying to sex fish you have, look for tubes.
Some people will try to tell you you can tell by looking for a "lump" on the male's crown (his forehead) - however, this isn't really accurate. I have seen lumpy females as well (though they're definitely more rare) and many, many males without the "lump". In fact, I personally do not breed lumpy-headed males, because I personally find them much less attractive than the males with nice rounded crowns. There seems to be no difference in terms of health - it's merely a cosmetic choice. Some people may also try to tell you you can sex angels by behavior. In a word...NO. I have had extremely aggressive males AND females, and have had very gentle males and females. It varies by fish, not by sex.
Contributed by Susan Ross (Jinlong)
Scott
Sexing Freshwater Angelfish: For most hobbyists, sexing angels is imposible before the fish are physically mature (though sexual maturity happens before the fish reach full size). Angels typically reach sexual maturity around 6-8 months of age in good water conditions, slightly later if the conditions are less than ideal. Trauma, overcrowding or illness can also delay the process. For those unaware of their fish's age: angels usually reach sexual maturity when their bodies (excluding fins) reach approximately 5 cm in diameter (roughly the size of a silver dollar, for those in the U.S.).
There are several ways of sexing angels, but the only foolproof ones are looking at their breeding tubes or getting them from a breeder or LFS who KNOWS the fish's sex. The second method costs more, but has the advantage of surety. I recommend paying extra and buying from a breeder if you know that you already have, say, a female, and need a male to go with her (though just having one of each sex does NOT guarantee a breeding pair - trust me).
If you're just curious or want to try and pick them yourself - the best, and only sure way is breeding tubes. Angels show breeding tubes when preparing to mate, or sometimes when other fish in the tank are doing so. The breeding tube extends down out of the fish's anal opening. Tubes begin to descend a few days before the fish breed, and can disappear within hours thereafter. Females' tubes are about the size and shape of a ball-point pen tip. Males' tubes are much smaller and more pointed in shape. Often, when one fish in a tank shows its tubes, others will also "tube" - suggesting there's a chemical element to mating, although this theory is, to my knowledge, as yet unproven. You may need to make several trips to the LFS to find "tubing" angels - but as I mentioned, this is the sure way of detecting their sex.
A female angel who's showing a tube will generally be full of eggs, making her appear more "fat" (viewed from the front) than a male angel - but check BEFORE they're fed! Afterward it can be hard to tell. Ordinarily, I would not recommend picking "females" because "they look fatter" - this is not generally a good way to pick angels. Some breeders can guess an angel's sex by their relative body thicknesses, but this can be difficult - especially if you're really interested in breeding them, because a "thin" male isn't really the best breeder choice. I prefer to select by tubes so I can get the largest, fattest males and females I can.
Actually, if you're looking for a pair, the best way to get one (and what I favor, if you have room) is to start with 6-8 young fish (quarter size at most) and raise them all in one tank (at LEAST 150 L) until they pair off naturally. The disadvantages of this method are fairly obvious: First, it takes time (up to 3-4 months from quarter size). Second, you'll need separate tanks (80 L at least) for each breeding pair you have, which can get expensive unless you're willing to part with the remaining fish once you've gotten a breeding pair from the group of 6-8 you began with. If you're just trying to sex fish you have, look for tubes.
Some people will try to tell you you can tell by looking for a "lump" on the male's crown (his forehead) - however, this isn't really accurate. I have seen lumpy females as well (though they're definitely more rare) and many, many males without the "lump". In fact, I personally do not breed lumpy-headed males, because I personally find them much less attractive than the males with nice rounded crowns. There seems to be no difference in terms of health - it's merely a cosmetic choice. Some people may also try to tell you you can sex angels by behavior. In a word...NO. I have had extremely aggressive males AND females, and have had very gentle males and females. It varies by fish, not by sex.
Contributed by Susan Ross (Jinlong)