# Female or Male Guppy? Weird!



## Fawnleaf (Aug 17, 2010)

Hay guys!!

I got two new guppies today! Yay!!(Also a glofish) Anyway, they are both supposed to be males, but one doesn't look like the other. Actually, he looks pregnant. All the colors make him look male, but his body shape looks completely and totally female, as in if I took a picture and took out the color, I would assume he's female. He's "bloated" and square with a fan-y tail and short dorsal fin. My other male looks like all the other males I've seen. Small, with long-ish flowy fins. But this guy looks TOTALLY female! He's even got what looks like an orange/red gravid spot! Someone help!! Oh, and if it helps, he's a red gold tuxedo guppy. lol I'll post pics:

ps. The last pic is for contrast. You can see the difference between the normal male and the questionable one.


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## Fawnleaf (Aug 17, 2010)

oh, crap! The other male is trying to mate with the weird one. That must mean she's female, right? GEEZE!!! PETSTORES, FIGURE OUT WHICH FISH ARE FEMALE AND WHICH ARE NOT!!!! I'M 13 AND I FIGURED IT OUT IN 30 MINS!!!! And i'm not even professional! GEEZE! This has happened twice!!! It's SO annoying! Now I have another pregnancy on my hands! URGH!


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## nedla (Jun 4, 2009)

It looks like a male to me. Look at the anal fin. What is it shaped like? If it is fan shaped, you have a female. If the fin is long and skinny, the fish is male.


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## Fawnleaf (Aug 17, 2010)

OMG! WAIT, NO WAY!! IS THIS POSSIBLE??? BOTH my guppies are trying to mate with each other!! Turns out my female has a pointy anal fin!!! Is it possible for one fish to be both genders? Because she/he looks pregnant and male!


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## nedla (Jun 4, 2009)

Are you sure they are trying to mate, rather than just interacting? I've never heard of guppies being both genders, but I have heard of males appearing to mate. Particularly in a tank with no females? I don't know why your fish would look pregnant. Maybe just individual appearance?


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## Fawnleaf (Aug 17, 2010)

I'm putting a video of them trying to mate on youtube... one moment


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## Fawnleaf (Aug 17, 2010)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDawJFFUrb8 here's the vid. watch closly at about 0:05 and you can see her anal fin shoot forward. is she male or female?


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## nedla (Jun 4, 2009)

He is definitely a male. It does look like they're trying to mate. I don't know why they are acting like that. Maybe someone else here does. 
Nice video by the way.


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## Fawnleaf (Aug 17, 2010)

Thanks.  I havn't a clue either!! He looks pregnant! Was he just over-fed or something? Now they are both trying to mate eachother at the same time. Weirdos


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## nedla (Jun 4, 2009)

It could just be that he is big for his kind. Another reason to call him a weirdo. lol I think a slightly dark spot is pretty common, too, even in males.


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## Fawnleaf (Aug 17, 2010)

But why does he look so much like a female? His tail and dorsal fin looks excactly like a female! Nothing like the other male! His name was Mercury but myabe I should chnage it to weirdo


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## ThatDude (Jul 10, 2010)

With all the guppies I have had he is a male for sure. Big but more than likely young due to the shortness of the tail. Maybe even a cross. As far as the video. Watch out for some fin nipping. I recently pulled all my males to stop the breeding and the oldest male with the long fin is now kinda short over one night! So watch out for some fighting if you don't have four or so females in there with them. That's a nice color though. Mine are a deep blue and the youngest is a red/blue with black spots.


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## Revolution1221 (Apr 20, 2010)

deffinetly male and males will try and mate with eachother they will also follow and chase eachother around to ensure the other doesn't mate with its females. his tail looks really chewed up did u get him this way or did it happen when he went into your tank? how many males do u have and how many females?


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## LilSums (Aug 2, 2010)

The boys are right on this one, if no girls are around they'll still try to find some lovins anyway. This does look like a male, I've had the same situation my buddy bought me what he thought was a breeding pair for my birthday, the "girl" looked pretty much the same as yours but yellow complete with what appeared to be a gravidy spot. 2 months now, no babies, he had to get me a mani/pedi (he was so convinced we bet on it), and my 2 males do the same love tango your video showed. Often fish will breed in stores & they don't take the time to really look at each fish before separating them, just go on body shape like what happened with yours & mine, male in the female tank. With 2 males now if you get an ACTUAL female, plan for LOTS of babies, those males are already rearing to go!


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## Fawnleaf (Aug 17, 2010)

I wouldn't let my fish get that bad! That would be terrible!! His tail came like that, I guess it ripped on something or was bitten off. I wasn't planning on getting any females, so I'm really happy! My dad got really mad when he found out the other guppy from the store had babies, so this would have been the last fish I'd get until I was 40. lol Thanks for the help guys!! Is is bad NOT to get a female for them to mate with? It's not harmful to them to try and mate with each other, is it? Thanks!


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

One of these fish does indeed look like it USED to be a female. Sometimes they change sex, you see, and sometimes it's because the fishfarm loaded up a bunch of females with hormones to MAKE them change, resulting in fish more easily sold.


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## ThatDude (Jul 10, 2010)

I don't think it harmful for them to do the love dance with each other. But with a lack if females the fighting will go on unless you separate them. If you have one female which it sounds like you do, it will be a fight over her and not territory.


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