Angelfish-male Or Female?

[Amina]

So I'm almost 100% positive that this is a female. But I just want to know for sure. Anyone know what kind it is btw? she was about $20.00.....the male was only about $14.00...but shes smaller than the male to.

 

[helterskelter]

These are very difficualt to sex other when their breeding, but i have to say thats a nice fish though.

I belive males will devlope a slightly rounder shape to the top of the head than a female.
Yours thougn I'm not sure about though, only coz i've not had much experance with angels.

 

[saboy]

The best way to sex is to wait when/if they lay eggs, obvious reasons watching which one is actually doing the laying. Males have a more pointed ovipositor, and females blunt rounded ovipositor.

 

[afishdude]

the only for sure way to sex an angel is durring breeding.
and never buy angels in lfs that are marked eather male or female. they will say femals are worth more so they charge like $25 then half of the "femals" are really males they just through random fish in the tank to make an extra $5.

 

[parker313]

the only for sure way to sex an angel is durring breeding.and never buy angels in lfs that are marked eather male or female. they will say femals are worth more so they charge like $25 then half of the "femals" are really males they just through random fish in the tank to make an extra $5.

Ditto that. Angels are notoriously hard to sex - the rounded forehead on male angelfish that some speak of is really only noticeable when the angel reaches full size, if even then.The best way to get a pair of angels is to get a group of juvies, let them grow up together and pair off naturally.I'm not very good at deciphering angel strains, but my guess is that it's a common/striped with a dose of the marble gene. You can read more about angel genetics at angelsplus.com or at the angelfish society's website - it's fascinating!

FWIW, here's the FAQ from angelsplus on sexing angelfish:

How can I tell the male angelfish from the female angelfish? There are some subtle differences that an experienced angelfish breeder can use to help identify mature males and females. In our experience, these differences do not exist on immature angelfish, all of the time. The only sure way to distinguish mature males from mature females is to examine the breeding tubes during spawning. The female's breeding tube is wider and more blunt than the male's. In some lines the mature male angelfish may show some othere small differences. For instance, some may have a hump on the crown and some may be larger than the females. However, this may not hold true from line to line or even within a line. There are many who say the angle of the anal fin in relation to the belly of the angelfish, will identify the sex. We have not found this to be consistent, but it does appear to have some validity in some lines. The female angelfish will generally have a near 100°-110° angle formed by the forward edge of the belly and the anal fin. The male angelfish will have a greater angle in the range of 120°-150° degrees.

From HERE.

 

[Amina]

Yes I know for sure my male is a male. The males have a larger forehead, and the females are supposed to not have that "bump" males are supposed to have redder eyes than the females.

At the fishstore. they werent marked male or female. Nor did the employee know. I had a female chosed out. but then when she brought the net over I notced her and the male in the tank were guarding eggs stuck on the back wall. And I couldnt just take her away from her eggs are her mate. (though im sure someone else will, and the store will sell them and not even care) I dont know what kind my male is either. (i'll post a pic) hes golden, with some white. and then some black markings. (he is undescribably gorgeous, and pictures give him no justice) well anyhow. there werent any more of his kind. So i had to look at the silver ones. I just chose the healthiest looking one in there.

In these pictures he is still somewhat pale from moving to a new environment. so just imagine him a bit less pale. And you can see the "bump" in which im talking about that the males have.

but I have some othere questions...

Will angelfish pair up if they are same sex? or is it only oppisite sex?

When i first brought them home they wanted nothing to do with eachother. Now you'll never see them more than 2 inches away from eachother lol, its kinda cute actually.

I've also thought about the potential of them breeding....I've fallen in love with them and theres no way i'm getting rid of one. so im kinda like... what if its a female...what if they mate... meh....hope that dosnt happen but if it does oh well might be fun. never bred egglayers before

 

[Amina]

Woops..got mad spammed the submit button..posted twice >.<...tehe just ignore this

 

[Tolak]

There are no definites when sexing angels, such as the hump, fin angle, or body shape. I have never heard the eye thing; many strains of angels have no red in the eye at all. The link to Angels Plus says it all, there is no definite way to sex angels until you observe them spawning. Steve Rybicki is one of the most knowledgeable angel breeders around; I've dealt with him on countless occasions, ordering numerous fish & supplies

If you saw the tubes, and their differences, you do have a pair. Females have been known to pair on occasion, the obvious outcome is infertile eggs. If you take the features Steve mentions as possibilities for sexing angels, and apply them to angels from the same spawn that are closing in on 10 months of age you can get around 75% accuracy in sexing, this is about the best I or anyone else has been able to do. This works best on angels that are well acclimated, and have been in their tank for some time.

The fish in your first post appears to be a silver clown, the others are gold marbles.

 

[Amina]

so..ur saying that since my angelfish have paired they are male and female?

 

[Tolak]

More than likely, though two females will form a pair, and spawn, especially in the absence of a male. If there were more than 6 or 8 adult angels in the tank the odds of a two female pair are slim.

 

[Straydum]

honestly its hard to tell the sexes of angels until they start pairing up. i wouldnt be too sure if i were u.