breeding fantails

Question
i know i have a male fantail, i think the other one is a girl because it is more fat and rounded than the male. i think they like each other because they always follow each other around a play together..=) do you think when it comes to the right time they will breed and when will i know its time!! how would be the best way to set up my tank eg..put in a cave or something for them to spawn in!!. i don't know if they are to young yet but they are over and inch and a half long, how do i tell how old they are?? i know this is a funny question..i hope you can answer it!!

Answer
Hi Lauren;

I think they're still a bit young but you never know. Condition them with good foods and see what happens. They need a large tank of about 30 gallons with lots of live plants or spawning mops at one end close to the surface. Once the female is full of eggs and she is ready to lay them, the male chases the female around and then she swims into the plants to lay her eggs. He follows her to fertilize them. You will have to either remove the eggs or the parents to another tank after that though. They will eat their own eggs and babies. Here are some web pages about breeding and sexing goldfish;

http://www.petshub.com/forums/showthread.php?t=11891

http://www.aqualandpetsplus.com/Live%20Food,%20Goldfish.htm

http://www.bristol-aquarists.org.uk/goldfish/info/info.htm

http://thegab.org/Articles/SexingGoldfish.html

Have fun!

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins