Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Sexing Fish

I am trying to put together a thread on how to sex different species of fish. Preferably with 100% accuracy but I realize not many methods are that fool proof...

I am familiar with a couple different methods for a few different species, but I am looking to the Pond Boss community to break it down a little better. What method do you or have you used to sex the different species of fish you've dealt with. Perhaps list the species and the methods you have used and what you think your success rate was at being correct.

It seems a lot of us on here are always looking at adding just male or just female to our ponds when we want to control reproduction so I thought this maybe helpful to our future endeavors...

Lets start with BG. Here is the preeminent thread to see about Bill , Bruce and Cecil's PB mag article.



http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=103883&fpart=1

Now that's what I am talking about... Thanks Eric! How about other species? Cecil, I know you work with YP a lot, what are your methods?

Here is the preeminent thread on LMB with pics. Be sure to see the article Cecil posted - copied below.

http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=103583&fpart=1



These are tilapia but you can get an idea of what Todd is saying.

Male on left , female right.

Good stuff Eric! Come on, must be some others on here who have some knowledge in this area...

 Quote:

Come on, must be some others on here who have some knowledge in this area...

Girl Fish




Boy Fish

Finally a easy to understand fish sexing guide.

Just to be clear, but the marked area of the fish underside (posted by ewest) has the anus labeled. The anus doesn't tell anything of fish sex - the opening posterior to that is the uritogenital opening.

to be clear (and forgive my ignorance), the labels on this fish then are pointing to the wrong hole? Which hole is which?
Cody Note: Correct the arrows in this picture are pointing the to anal openings not the genital pores. Anal opening is anterior and genial opening is posterior on the fish. Note in this picture the genital pore of the female bluegill is larger than that of the male. Anal vents of both fish are similar size.




Now fixed in this thread and in the original thread below and that link is fixed also.


http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=103883&fpart=1

runningman an canyoncreek make good points. The most anterior opening (furthest from the anal fin and closest to the paired pelvic fins) is the anus, which functions in the passing of solid waste. The more posterior opening (closest to the anal fin) is the urogenital pore, which is where liquid waste (urine) and the reproductive gametes (eggs or sperm/milt) are discharged.
We will try to get these images corrected.


Fixed now and as noted above

http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=103883&fpart=1

Will post pics of sexing yp by urogenitile openings when I get more time. Need to get something done today. LOL

I will say there is nothing as accurate as probing for eggs or the appearance of milt. I'm convinved there are fish that are a atypical in urogenitial appearance and by itself it will never be 100 percent.

A couple years ago I religiously culled out 20 large yellow perch from a holding pond out of 100 that appeared to be textbook females and planted them in an all female yellow perch pond. Next year I did have some reproduction in that pond. Either one fish that escaped when sorting a cage was a male or at least one of those twenty fish was a male.

I no longer sex fish during times of year they are not in spawning mode by urogenital opening, nor do I raise fish in cages in the monosex pond!

I've always found the fin test very accurate in sexing fish. When you pull one in on a hook, grab it carelessly with a bare hand. If he fins you, it is a male. If she fins you, it is a female.