Female gourami

[CraZ4fiSHieS]

Hello all~ B)

Im not planning on purchasing one at the moment, but I was just curious: Where do you find female gouramis? I have never ever seen one anywhere! Not even at our "rare" fish store. This'll sound dumb, but what do they look like? What is their personality, like with males and other fish, etc...? Im just curious. Later alligators~

 

[juliethegr8t]

Female gouramis aren't around here either - seems to be that way in many places. They're not as bright as the males, so I think many lfs don't want to stock them since they are probably slow sellers compared to the more exciting males. It's a bummer, since I'd love to have a female dwarf to go with my boys! Anyways, as for dwarf gouramis - females are slightly smaller and much duller in color - mostly silverish/bluish grey. I'm not too sure on the other types of gouramis - all I know is that the males have larger and pointed dorsal fins whereas the females have rounded ones. As with most female fish, they're less aggressive than males, but since they are related to bettas, I wouldn't put it past even females to fight. (My males had to be seperated due to territorial disputes.)

 

[Inchworm]

I've noticed that there is a shortage of female gouramis too. But, I don't think it's because they are not as colorful as the males. After all, there are plenty of female guppies for sale and they are certainly nothing to brag about compared to the males.

You are right about the difference in the dorsal fins, but an even easier way to tell the sex is by looking down at them from the top of the tank. The female will be much wider than the male. If there are both sexes in a tank you will see the difference immediately.

I suspect that the shortage of females might have something to do with keeping the newer varieties from being bred by us hobbiests. That's just a guess, but I can't think of any other good reason. I'd really like to find out.

With the older varities of gouramis (three spot, pearl, moonlight, gold, opaline, snakeskin, etc.), I find plenty of females for sale.

 

[aernympha]

plenty of female dwarf gouramis in my favourite lfs... its about a 50:50 ratio

 

[Kossy]

I have a huge lfs (biggest in southern hemisphere) and its full of marine/freshwater fish and you bet theres male/female everything. Its around 6 rooms big (Big rooms)

 

[aernympha]

kossy ur so dam lucky!!!!

 

[Alien Anna]

I've never noticed a deficiency of female gouramis round here, but I have noticed a major deficiency in female guppies. You can't get much variety either, and many of the fish apparently common in other places (such as SAEs) are virtually unheard of round here.

I'm buying online in future - that way, at least I don't have to drive all the way to the LFS, only to discover they've nothing in stock.

 

[nene]

You can order a variety of female gouramis from petfish.net.

 

[nene]

Whoops!. Correction- That is AquariumFish.net that you can order female gouramis from.

 

[Inchworm]

I have a huge lfs (biggest in southern hemisphere) and its full of marine/freshwater fish and you bet theres male/female everything. Its around 6 rooms big (Big rooms)



Kossy- If I could just shop at your lfs I'd think I died and gone to heaven!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[platypus]

I'm buying online in future - that way, at least I don't have to drive all the way to the LFS, only to discover they've nothing in stock.

That is AquariumFish.net that you can order female gouramis from.

Have either of you had problems with online ordering in the past? I have no LFS for miles around me, and have to take any purchases home on the tube which can't be nice for them, would definitely buy online in future if I thought it was reliable.

 

[nene]

Actually I have never ordered fish online, only plants. The one I recommended, Aquariumfish.net., has a very informative web site and go into great detail as to how they pack and ship etc. and all the care they take. If I were to order fish online in the future, I would feel confident ordering from them.

 

[juliethegr8t]

Actually I have never ordered fish online, only plants. The one I recommended, Aquariumfish.net., has a very informative web site and go into great detail as to how they pack and ship etc. and all the care they take. If I were to order fish online in the future, I would feel confident ordering from them.

I totally agree - I've read practically every page on that site. It was the first one I found when I decided to start a fish tank, and lemme tell ya - they saved me from doing a million newbie mistakes (though I still found some to do anyway). I have considered, and still do, ordering from them.

 

[Inchworm]

Since this discussion has turned to the subject of buying fish online, an important topic for many of us, I've opened a thread under Tropical Chit Chat so that fish folk who are not into bettas and gouramis will see it and perhaps give us the benefit of their experience.