My oranda Ralph is still young (about 1.25 inches excluding tail) but I have noticed that "his" anal area protrudes from "his" body, does this mean he is actually girl?

Thats usually the biggest give away. Also with the fish being so small it will be hard to tell.

Yeah, at that age and size it is pretty hard to be 100% sure. The fish isn't sexually matured yet, so I'd rather wait until he is bigger before making any "marriage announcements"...

"He" (sorry, will still refer to him as a male regardless) is on his own anyway so it's not an issue. The anal opening definately sticks out though, it's like a tiny little bump. Trust me to choose such a gender-specific name as Ralph.

lol. i recently discovered that goggles was a female . her anal opening sticks out too