# Are these FEMALE Pearl Gouramis?



## manami (Feb 4, 2012)

Hello all!

A got new fish today at a different petco and one of them are two supposedly FEMALE pearl gouramis, but I'm not so sure since they are a little small and one of them is being chased by my original gourami.

here's the pics


----------



## BettaMummy87 (Jul 26, 2014)

Is it the one on the left in the first picture that is being chased? The wash of red/orange on the belly and anal fin *could* be an indication that this is a young male.


----------



## manami (Feb 4, 2012)

The original gourami chase both of them if he sees them in front of him = /
He leaves them alone sometimes but if the two little gouramis decides to follow the original gourami he will follow them and bite their tail fins.


----------



## manami (Feb 4, 2012)

The two little gouramis like to swim together and right now I saw the little gourami with the darkest orange at the bottom fins to dominate the little gourami with lightest orange at the bottom fins. 

Could the one with the darkest orange at the bottom fins be male? Or has it happen before that female pearl gouramis dominate the weakest female?


----------



## n25philly (Dec 5, 2013)

I'm certainly no expert and pearls and very difficult to sex when they are young, but if I were to put money on it, my money would go on it being two females. From what I've read the best way to sex them is by the dorsal fin as on males it will go to at least the base of the caudral fin. Short dorsal fins are females, but since you just got them they are likely very young, so it's not 100% clear cut.


----------



## manami (Feb 4, 2012)

I kinda hope that's true. But like you said they are too young so it's hard to tell. But my wild guess (and the help of my original gourami) it looks like one of them is a male = /

He bugs the "probably" male MORE THAN the "probably" female. Also the "probably" male seems to spread it fins wide and go in defense mode when my original male gourami comes near it. I'm also noticing that the "probably" male gourami is trying to dominate the supposedly female gourami. I don't know if females gouramis like to dominate a weaker female gourami, but that's what I'm noticing now.


----------



## BettaMummy87 (Jul 26, 2014)

Never kept multiple female gourami, but female betta splendens definitely have a hierarchy, and they are relatively closely related. 

That said, I cannot think of a single social animal/fish that don't have one. Squabbles always happen in groups of any kind.


----------



## Laki (Aug 24, 2011)

Gourami are anabantids and they have hissy fights to determine who leads the group. I keep honeys (supposedly the most peaceful and social of all the gourami) and they chase each other all the time and appear to be 'kissing' each other on the sides of the body so I imagine it's a dominance thing. 

In all the hours I spent looking up how to sex gourami it seems the males all have longer pointier dorsal fins (though in my yellow honeys it's nearly impossible to tell the difference). Also, sometimes females will have the more vibrant colors which we think only makes have and blow bubbles while males can be paler and never blow a bubble in his life. It's so frustrating at times trying to sex the types in which males and females are mostly the same color! 

Also, stores usually sell them before they're sexually mature so you might just have to keep your eye on them and have a backup plan to separate if needed (I had to buy a whole new tank to separate my overly aggressive wild type male which was annoying).


----------



## manami (Feb 4, 2012)

It looks like I got a male and female. After days passed they started to get a little more color and showing dominance and one of them have a deeper dark orange at the bottom fins just like my first male gourami. While the other has more paler color at the bottom fin ( I think that's the female) and my original gourami seems to chase more the "male" gourami than the female. 

I'm gonna have to call the petco store I went to and ask if I can return it to them. So far they are not killing each other or have bitten tails, but maybe it's because he's too young? And he doesn't seem frightened by bigger male gourami.


----------



## jadaBlu (Feb 14, 2013)

I saw this yesterday on how to keep them on how to keep them:

Honey Gouramis are best suited for well-planted setups with plenty of floating cover. Water movement should be kept to a minimum as these fish are found in stagnant ponds ditches and flooded fields. Keep them in groups of at least six to allow for the natural foramation of heirarchies within the group.
*Distribution: *Ganges River in northern India to it's floodplain and delta in Bangladesh; Brahmaputra system in the states of Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, and Arunachal Pradesh
*Habitat: *heavily-vegetated, sluggish waters including ponds, ditches, beels, and flooded fields
*Diet: *will accept most dried foods, supplement with daphnia, moina and frozen foods to see their best colors
*Maximum Standard Length: *45 - 55mm
*Temperature*: 72 – 82°F (22 – 27°C)
*pH*: 6.0 – 7.5.
*Hardness*: 2 – 18°H (36 – 268 ppm)


----------



## manami (Feb 4, 2012)

I have pearl gouramis, but thank you for the info! I already ordered a bunch of plants. I need to beat the algaes!


----------



## jeaninel (Aug 24, 2007)

Pearl gourami are one of the easier to sex. But it is harder when they are young. Females have a rounded dorsal and males have a longer, more pointed dorsal. I've had females who've had reddish orange in their fins but the males develop a deep reddening in their throat area as well. You may need to let yours grow out a bit more before you can determine their sex.


----------



## manami (Feb 4, 2012)

Yep. Time will tell. Thank you!


----------

