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Sexing Pearl Gourami

13187 Views 10 Replies 5 Participants Last post by  Byron, 
N
Hey all!

So, you may have seen my intro, but after taking Mr Blue Gourami back to the store, they outright refused a refund and gave us another Pearl instead (girlfriends grandma went as we couldn't), ideally I wouldn't have taken it but it seems to have settled well so far and the two won't leave eachother alone - in a friendly way it seems, lots of tickling and circling eachother.

So I've been trying to figure their sexes and wondering if you guys can help me!
Our first aquarium - 100 gallon Freshwater fish tank
Our original is in the back, I believe he's a male? The new one seems to have more rounded fins but sometimes they look very similar!

We also got two more rummys (even though three died from Mr Blue, they only gave her two...) and they have settles just fine, gone nice and red too!

Anyway, I really hope these two get along as I'd rather not stress them out having to return another :( I'm also concerned now that at full size we wont have space for them both? With the intention of getting one/some rams, unsure which type just yet...leaning more to bolivian than german. As well as more rummynose to form their group and maybe some guppies?

Cheers all!

-Ste
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SeaHorse
My understanding is they are very hard to sex. Even coloration, I always thought the brighter more vivid is the male... but my LFS said might not be... just depends on the fish. Then I found out that the store only gets in some fish in Males only... Like Dwarf Gouramis cause no one wants the plain old muddy brown Females when the tank full of Males are so pretty. You end up taking home several males and wonder why fish fight... right?
I'm hoping someone chimes in here cause I would like to know too!!
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N
Yeah I can see that really. It's sad though :( poor ladyfish.
I have read that you can possibly tell by the dorsal(?) and anal fins - being longer and more pointed on males?
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jentralala
The one in the back is def male, it's hard to tell on the one closer to the camera though. I'm leaning towards male as well, but a clearer shot of the anal fin would help.

Vivid orange throats are almost always males, but if they're shy or stressed they won't be colored. The dorsal fin is longer, and the anal fin 'frays' at the end, and is also longer.

Best option would be to return a male and pick up 2 or 3 females, if they stock them. They can be difficult to distinguish in a store, though.
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fish monger
NexusIcon said:
Yeah I can see that really. It's sad though :( poor ladyfish.
I have read that you can possibly tell by the dorsal(?) and anal fins - being longer and more pointed on males?
Click to expand...
That's right and the males will often have more color than the females. Additionally, the spines of the fins will often grow beyond the rest of the fin in males. At first glance, I also thought that the fish in the back was a male. We can say it is until proven wrong.
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N
They both have frayed looking edges on the anal fin. The first one has a longer dorsal fin but he is also quite larger so I guess that's not helpful!

They're not as agressive as the blue one, no one is hiding or anything, but there has been a little more chasing and nipping this evening compared to the circling and touching that was happening at first.

I guess my instinct at the moment is definitely take him back down to the store, if I can't spot any definite females maybe they will give me some more rummy noses?

Will the male be happy alone or are they best kept as a pair?

Thanks for all the help guys :)

edit--they seem to be quite camera shy, so this is as good as I can get of the newly arrived one on my phone! Can see the frayed anal fin a little more and the dorsal does seem quite long!

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Byron
They appear to be the same. Here's a photo (attached below) of a pair, it is copyright so I can't add it to our profile but I can post it here.

If both fish are males and are in a 100g tank, with sufficient plants and lots of floating plants like Water Sprite they should be OK. But individual fish may not, hard to say. But, rather than risk it, if you can get more rummys, that would be better. You can never have too many rummys, they are best in larger groups of 12 or more. I have 20 in my 115g.

Cichlids and gourami generally do not mix well. The males of both are almost identical in their territoriality. But with a 100g, this should be less of an issue with the Pearl G and the Bolivian Ram.

Byron.

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N
Hey!

Sorry my tank is 120 liters not gallon :p I didn't realise the profile had changed it! (and forget we're about the only place that uses silly measurements!)

It seems to translate to 31 ish gallons?
The tank is 100w x 40h x 30d (cm) if that helps any! We currently only have three plants none of which are floating but I'll get some of the water sprite asap!

Will aim for more rummys for sure they're amazing to watch already with only 4 :)

Being as my tank is smaller than you thought what would you recommend? Would a female ram, with a single pearl be a better choice? I am not so bothered by the colour, more the shape and awesomeness of the fish :)

Yeah I see by the picture neither of mine look close to a female.

Cheers!
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Byron
NexusIcon said:
Hey!

Sorry my tank is 120 liters not gallon :p I didn't realise the profile had changed it! (and forget we're about the only place that uses silly measurements!)

It seems to translate to 31 ish gallons?
The tank is 100w x 40h x 30d (cm) if that helps any! We currently only have three plants none of which are floating but I'll get some of the water sprite asap!

Will aim for more rummys for sure they're amazing to watch already with only 4 :)

Being as my tank is smaller than you thought what would you recommend? Would a female ram, with a single pearl be a better choice? I am not so bothered by the colour, more the shape and awesomeness of the fish :)

Yeah I see by the picture neither of mine look close to a female.

Cheers!
Click to expand...
The smaller tank makes a big difference. Stay with your original Pearl, he will be fine. Increase the rummys to at least 12. Add the floating plants, rummys will sparkle even more as they do not like overhead lighting.

I personally would not add a cichlid to this tank. I have a male Bolivian in my 5-foot 115g tank who is getting close to five years (lifespan average is around 4) and I cannot imagine him in my 3-foot 33g tank. He owns the 5-foot tank as it is...and he really does control who goes where or does what in that tank of over 100 fish.

Byron.
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N
Thanks Byron. I will definitely steer clear of the Bolivian for now then, maybe in a few years I'll be able to afford a second tank for one :)

I guess it would be the same for the smaller German rams too? Would still want to dominate the tank? And what of the guppies? Would they go peacefully with the pearl or would the share too similar a space?

Thank you for your advice :) its nice to get information without feeling like people are just trying to make a sale!

Girlfriend got home and took some amazing pictures with her fancy camera so will put them up tomorrow :)
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Byron
NexusIcon said:
Thanks Byron. I will definitely steer clear of the Bolivian for now then, maybe in a few years I'll be able to afford a second tank for one :)

I guess it would be the same for the smaller German rams too? Would still want to dominate the tank? And what of the guppies? Would they go peacefully with the pearl or would the share too similar a space?

Thank you for your advice :) its nice to get information without feeling like people are just trying to make a sale!

Girlfriend got home and took some amazing pictures with her fancy camera so will put them up tomorrow :)
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Click to expand...
Given your tank size, I would not add any cichlids with a Pearl. He is going to be the dominant fish, visually and otherwise, so let that be.

Guppies are interesting, I'm not sure. I wouldn't myself, with the rummys. I would look for other soft water but peaceful shoaling fish.
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