fanta

Question
I have 4 fantails in a 30gal tank. Today I noticed that one is bloated.Still has nice color. Could it be pregnant? Still moving around the tank. Also how do you tell a male from a female.

Answer
Fanta,                                                       Your goldfish are egglayers. Your female might be eggbound. The only way to sex goldfish is that when the males reach sexual maturity in 1 to 3 yrs . They get white pimples around their gills often mistaken for ick. If she does lay eggs and you have a male to milt them(spry sperm on them). They are notorious egg eaters and very cannibalistic. So give them lots of hiding places and feeding is easy. They love egg yolk. Boil an egg and take the yolk out put it in a 4 by 4 inch cloth and sqeeze it into the area the fry are. Then put it back nto the fridge. Make a new one every few days. You can also feed them brine shrimp fry. Go to your local pet shop and purchase brine shrimp eggs. They are what we used to call sea monkeys when I was a kid . Good luck, Tina