Honey Gourami male or female?

[Trebo13]

Hi everyone, this is my first time posting so bear with me. I was reading other posts about people with similar issues but I am still unsure of what kind of Gourami I have. I picked up my Gourami for my lfs last week, they said they only had one male and were waiting on getting more. When I bought the male, they said that he should become more yellow in color once he’s comfortable in my tank. It’s been a week now, and the only color change I noticed was a black stripe on his side. Is this a young male that will lose its stripe and turn yellow? Or is it a female and my fish store doesn’t know how to sex their Gourami? I appreciate any help!

 

[Essjay]

That's a female honey gourami of the natural, wild colour. She will stay that beigey color, she'll never go yellow.

Most fish store workers haven't a clue I'm afraid.

 

[Trebo13]

That's a female honey gourami of the natural, wild colour. She will stay that beigey color, she'll never go yellow.

Most fish store workers haven't a clue I'm afraid.

Thanks for the response! I wasn’t sure since the stripe doesn’t go all the way to they eye like some pictures show. If it really is a female it sounds like I got lucky since they are apparently hard to find.

 

[Essjay]

The stripe is more prominent when the female is stressed. When she's happy it is less visible.

 

[Sunnyspots]

I hate to disagree but I would say that's a male because the dorsal fin is pointy rather than rounded. Natural honey gouramis, male and female, can look very similar until the male puts on his breeding colours.

 

[Essjay]

Looking again, I think you could be right.

I had honey gouramis for years and could never see any difference in the dorsal fin. I found the anal fin showed most difference. This is a very crude drawing to show what I mean.

In a female honey the end of the anal fin attaches to the body more or less at a right angle. In a male, the end of the fin comes back on itself before it joins the body.
Now that I've looked more closely, the anal fin in Trebo's fish does look as though it comes back on itself = male. But quite a stressed male with that colouring. A newly purchased fish will be stressed.


We'll only know for sure if @Trebo13 replies and tells us if the fish did colour up like a male.

 

[Sunnyspots]

Looking again, I think you could be right.

I had honey gouramis for years and could never see any difference in the dorsal fin. I found the anal fin showed most difference. This is a very crude drawing to show what I mean.

View attachment 138952

In a female honey the end of the anal fin attaches to the body more or less at a right angle. In a male, the end of the fin comes back on itself before it joins the body.
Now that I've looked more closely, the anal fin in Trebo's fish does look as though it comes back on itself = male. But quite a stressed male with that colouring. A newly purchased fish will be stressed.


We'll only know for sure if @Trebo13 replies and tells us if the fish did colour up like a male.

Maybe he or she is really a 'they'!

 

[Avel1896]

Hey
Very often hard to sex honeys.
Something you could try : make it flare in front of a mirror. Like every territorial fish, if it's a male he's gonna flare. A female more likely won't.

 

[Sunnyspots]

Hey
Very often hard to sex honeys.
Something you could try : make it flare in front of a mirror. Like every territorial fish, if it's a male he's gonna flare. A female more likely won't.

Oooh. Interesting. I've just posted a further question for my own honey gouramis - when males display their chests is it aggression or courtship?

 

[Avel1896]

Oooh. Interesting. I've just posted a further question for my own honey gouramis - when males display their chests is it aggression or courtship?

A lil hard to say without pic or vid. Likely a bit of both.

 

[Avel1896]

Have a look :

 

[Sunnyspots]

@Avel1896
Thanks for these. It's nothing like those and I have a perfect video of him doing it to his own reflection - just can't find how to upload it . The fact he is doing it to his reflection sounds like it is aggressive, and since the other fish is now colouring I'm sure it's a male. If only the LFS were careful and closer!

 

[Sunnyspots]

Sorry @Trebo13 for hijacking!

 

[Avel1896]

Host it on Youtube then post link here

 

[Avel1896]

If only the LFS were careful and closer!

keep on dreamin'