Is anyone able to tell me what sex my 3 Angelfish are? And possibly their age?

[Elliebow]

It might be hard to tell the age, but if it's any help, that's a balloon molly in the second image for a size comparison they're not very big at all, I've had them for maybe 4/5 months now? Just curious TIA!

 

[Ichthys]

Nobody can tell you what sex they are. You’ll only know that if they breed or a female puts her breeding tube down.
Age is very hard to tell without knowing the length of the fish.

 

[Elliebow]

Nobody can tell you what sex they are. You’ll only know that if they breed or a female puts her breeding tube down.
Age is very hard to tell without knowing the length of the fish.

Huh, all the diagrams I've looked at said there's distinct differences between male and female, e.g
Males have forked front fins, large circular bodies and thick bumped foreheads, whereas females have a smaller angular body, smooth front fins and a smooth forehead. But all mine look alike so I've nothing to compare them to. The age was a stab in the dark really, I'd I had to guess, the length is probably 5-6 inches

 

[Ichthys]

the length is probably 5-6 inches

I’m gonna guess that’s the height rather than the length.

A lot of people think they can sex the domestic Angel varieties but they can’t, because they’re hybrids between two species, one that has a concave head and one which has a convex head. This makes the domestic Angel shape quite variable, and the “male getting a hump on the head” thing doesn’t apply. If you grew a few of either pure species you’d be able to tell male from female once they started to mature, and if you grew several domestic ones up together the females would usually be fatter in the belly when they’re mature and growing eggs, but with immature fish you simply can’t tell. Even with mature fish it’s just guessing.

The only sure way is to see a female’s egg tube fully extended, or eggs, to be sure you have a female, and you can only tell if you have a male if the eggs are fertilised (often two females will ‘spawn’ together, with one just going through the motions with a breeding tube that looks like a male’s because it isn’t fully extended).

 

[Elliebow]

I’m gonna guess that’s the height rather than the length.

A lot of people think they can sex the domestic Angel varieties but they can’t, because they’re hybrids between two species, one that has a concave head and one which has a convex head. This makes the domestic Angel shape quite variable, and the “male getting a hump on the head” thing doesn’t apply. If you grew a few of either species (wild caught) you’d be able to tell male from female once they started to mature, and if you grew several domestic ones up together the females would usually be fatter in the belly when they’re mature and growing eggs, but with immature fish you simply can’t tell. Even with mature fish it’s just guessing.

The only sure way is to see a female’s egg tube fully extended, or eggs, to be sure you have a female, and you can only tell if you have a male if the eggs are fertilised (often two females will ‘spawn’ together, with one just going through the motions with a breeding tube that looks like a male’s because it isn’t fully extended).

It's hard to get an accurate measurement on the length, but I'm 99% sure they're 5/6 inches long, and maybe 8/9 inches in height? That sounds about right.


That's super interesting, I didn't know that! Thanks for explaining it to me. Guess I'll have to wait and see if they breed at all

 

[Ichthys]

They’re immature fish. They can’t be more than 2-3”(?)

 

[Ichthys]

I’m not an Angel breeder but I’d say they’re about 1.5” at about 4 months old.

 

[Elliebow]

They’re immature fish. They can’t be more than 2-3”(?)

Nope, you're right, I was stupidly using CM instead of inches, my bad!

 

[Ichthys]

I thought either that or they have ridiculously long extensions that you were including.

 

[Ichthys]

I’ll find out how quickly the fry grow in a bit when I get home… unless someone posts before that.

 

[BigJfish12]

I have heard around 7 to 8 months is when you can tell their gender. With mine I had some years ago I wouldn't have even known I had a male and a female till they bred, so as @Ichthys said it is near impossible to tell until they breed or if you are lucky and they have obvious signs of their gender you won't be able tell for another 3 to 4 months probably.

 

[GaryE]

I knew a couple who were professional breeders of fancy domestic angels. They were both brilliant at spotting pairing off behaviour, but both told me sometimes the fish they thought was male produced the eggs, and their expected female fertilized them. These were people who sold several thousand angels every month, and had row after row of breeding tanks.

People online keep telling me they can sex domestic angels from photos, and 50% of the time, they may be right.

 

[Ichthys]

I couldn’t find the info I was looking for. So I’ll say they’re less than a year old, about 8-10 months if you bought them at about 1.5”. Best guess.

 

[lottabubbles]

i don't know either but they sure look pretty.

 

[TwoTankAmin]

Both males and female have tubes. The female's is more blob shaped and the male's is more pointed. Below is a male with his tube down.

Here is a thread on aquariumcoop site with pics of both a female and a male with their tubes out Angel Tubes