[JAYAONLINE]

Hi, I have just bought these two Honey Gourami's from my LFS and I'm wondering whether they are male and/or female? Fish 1 wouldn't keep still so I have several shots of him/ her.

Fish 1:







Fish 2:


Also here is a video of them both if the pictures aren't clear enough:

Are my Honey Gourami's male and female? - YouTube

 

[fish monger]

My best guess from the photos is that you have two females. I say that because I don't see any real difference in the dorsal and anal fins. Usually, males will have longer, pointier fins in those areas.

 

[JAYAONLINE]

My best guess from the photos is that you have two females. I say that because I don't see any real difference in the dorsal and anal fins. Usually, males will have longer, pointier fins in those areas.

Hi, doesn't fish 2 have a pointed dorsal fin? More so than fish 1 anyway?

 

[fish monger]

I don't see anything obvious. I could be wrong. A lot depends on the age and maturity. Typically, the male dorsal and anal fins will be farther down the tail fin than that of the female.

 

[jaysee]

It was really difficult to tell by the pics and video... At least on my phone it was.


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[JAYAONLINE]

Clearer Images

Here are a few clearer images if this helps - I believe Fish 1 is female and I think fish 2 is male am I correct?


Fish 1:







Pair:





Fish 2:

 

[jaysee]

I would say that you are correct - there is a noticeable difference between the two.

 

[Byron]

I think they are the same, but whether male or female I can't tell.

As it notes in our profile, the difference between male and female in this species is not the fins (which are basically the same) but size (in mature fish females are a bit larger) and colour (males more intense). I don't see any difference in either trait here.

To the video, this could be instructive if the fish were not stressed, but their erratic swimming indicates they have not settled down yet so their interactive behaviours are not showing. Two females would probably not interact much at all; two males certainly would, and a pair would make that obvious. But they are under some stress and fish under stress rarely exhibit normal interactive behaviours.

I'm assuming they are new additions to the tank, hence their stress. One thing I would certainly do is get some floating plants; all gourami must have a cover of floating plants, and this will calm them much faster. Water Sprite is ideal for this, but some stem plants allowed to float also work well.

Byron.

 

[JAYAONLINE]

I think they are the same, but whether male or female I can't tell.

As it notes in our profile, the difference between male and female in this species is not the fins (which are basically the same) but size (in mature fish females are a bit larger) and colour (males more intense). I don't see any difference in either trait here.

To the video, this could be instructive if the fish were not stressed, but their erratic swimming indicates they have not settled down yet so their interactive behaviours are not showing. Two females would probably not interact much at all; two males certainly would, and a pair would make that obvious. But they are under some stress and fish under stress rarely exhibit normal interactive behaviours.

I'm assuming they are new additions to the tank, hence their stress. One thing I would certainly do is get some floating plants; all gourami must have a cover of floating plants, and this will calm them much faster. Water Sprite is ideal for this, but some stem plants allowed to float also work well.

Byron.

Thanks for your help and advise, I will give them a few more days for them to settle down then I shall create another video. Whilst I was at my LFS, one was slightly darker than the other which is kind of noticeable in the 'pair photos' (see post #6).

Regards to floating plants, I currently have two Anacharis floating at the top of the aquarium. It is difficult to find water sprite or any other floating plants in any of my LFS as they hardly stock them.

 

[Bongox3]

Very beautiful fish...and love the planted tank...+1 for floating plants...gouramis spend a great deal of time breathing at the surface and are largely found in swamp areas where surface vegetation is abundant ...it provides them not only shelter from predators but a sense of natural habitat....also, my eye are kinda bad these days, but are we sure those are honeys? oh, maybe flame honeys!!! Nice!!! Regardless, very pretty!!! :-D. Ok, and lastly, keep in mind plants are temp sensitive too...anacharis tends to do well in less than tropical climates...ok, best wishes, best regards, and well done! -mike

 

[Byron]

Thanks for your help and advise, I will give them a few more days for them to settle down then I shall create another video. Whilst I was at my LFS, one was slightly darker than the other which is kind of noticeable in the 'pair photos' (see post #6).

Regards to floating plants, I currently have two Anacharis floating at the top of the aquarium. It is difficult to find water sprite or any other floating plants in any of my LFS as they hardly stock them.

There needs to be a lot more floating plants. Brazilian Pennywort, a stem plant, can be left floating and makes a nice cover if you can't find Water Sprite. Wisteria can also be left floating. Hornwort may fallaprt at tropical temperatures, so keep an eye on it; it can be messy if it does.

Byron.

 

[JAYAONLINE]

Very beautiful fish...and love the planted tank...+1 for floating plants...gouramis spend a great deal of time breathing at the surface and are largely found in swamp areas where surface vegetation is abundant ...it provides them not only shelter from predators but a sense of natural habitat....also, my eye are kinda bad these days, but are we sure those are honeys? oh, maybe flame honeys!!! Nice!!! Regardless, very pretty!!! :-D. Ok, and lastly, keep in mind plants are temp sensitive too...anacharis tends to do well in less than tropical climates...ok, best wishes, best regards, and well done! -mike

Thanks Mike. I've contacted my LFS and they are getting a delivery of plants next week so hopefully I'll get something that floats.
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[JAYAONLINE]

Guys!! I have uploaded a new video of my Honey Gourami's. Can you have a look to see if that helps please?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwYyBly-LBc&feature=youtube_gdata_player
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[thekoimaiden]

One certainly looks like a female. The other one I can't tell. Might be male, might be too stressed to tell. Like Byron said, I'd give them some more time to calm down. But as to two females not interacting, they most certainly will. My two female honey gourami do not like each other. They have territory lines and if they are crossed a lot of chasing results.

I also second the notion of floating plants. Mine love the frogbit. My male moves it around to anchor his nest.

 

[Bongox3]

Hello....just saw ur vid and kudos to you, u can tell a great deal of thought and effort has gone into this...also cheers for the vested interested in ur fish, they're lovely...can't tell the genders of ur fish from the images, but they seem to interact nicely and from the coloration they show, appear healthy. Not to beat a dead horse, but with the addition of floating veg, you'd probably see even more striking colors as stress would be considerably lessened... I noticed the java moss ball, java moss can be a very simple, cheap, and effective floating vegetation...not sensitive at all, if u can keep it out of ur filtration it maybe worth considering...anacaris, (which i believe I also see in there) if you can get it to do well within ur tank (temp is key here) also provides this very nicely as well...you are definitely on your way, and I'm very happy for you and ur little pals.... Cheers!!!

 

[JAYAONLINE]

Hello....just saw ur vid and kudos to you, u can tell a great deal of thought and effort has gone into this...also cheers for the vested interested in ur fish, they're lovely...can't tell the genders of ur fish from the images, but they seem to interact nicely and from the coloration they show, appear healthy. Not to beat a dead horse, but with the addition of floating veg, you'd probably see even more striking colors as stress would be considerably lessened... I noticed the java moss ball, java moss can be a very simple, cheap, and effective floating vegetation...not sensitive at all, if u can keep it out of ur filtration it maybe worth considering...anacaris, (which i believe I also see in there) if you can get it to do well within ur tank (temp is key here) also provides this very nicely as well...you are definitely on your way, and I'm very happy for you and ur little pals.... Cheers!!!

Thanks. Do you know whether water hyacinth will grow well my aquarium?
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[thekoimaiden]

Thanks. Do you know whether water hyacinth will grow well my aquarium?
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Probably not. I have it in my pond, and it needs at least 6 inches of clearance between the surface of the water and the top. It just isn't practical in a normal aquarium. Water sprite is a better choice. Frogbit will work, too.

 

[Bongox3]

Water hyacinth i believe is native to south america, so if your temp and water conditions reflect that - it should.....only issue most face with this plant is that it grows upward from the waters surface and thus may cause problems with hooded tanks and lighting that is placed directly on top of the tank...it's mostly used in ponds - but the root structure really looks pretty as it comes down from the surface, and does much to provide hiding places and nesting locations for some tropical fish.... just keep it's size (going up) in mind and growth rates.... I've used it before with some luck, but my tank wasn't at it's water capacity as I was keeping frongs and fish in the same tank.... it grew back then, and i didnt have a clue yet as to what i was doing, so its a pretty hardy plant....