Male Or Female Gouramis? How Do I Tell?

[StaniFish]

I have 2 gourami's, not sure what type i think they are dwarf. Not sure how to tell whether they are male or female but can't upload any pics at the moment so can somebody tell me the signs of the gender. Thanks

 

[helterskelter]

The dorsal fin (the top fin) on males in pointed and ronded on females. Females usually have less colour as well.

 

[Davo86]

I have 2 gourami's, not sure what type i think they are dwarf. Not sure how to tell whether they are male or female but can't upload any pics at the moment so can somebody tell me the signs of the gender. Thanks

with dwarfs, the males are colourful the females are quite dull, if you have any reds or blues they are male

 

[helterskelter]

blue females do have blue colouration but not as viberant as the male, still easy to sex though.

 

[jennybugs]

If you have honey gourami they'll both be pale gold in colour but the female will have a darker horizontal stripe that shows up every now and then on her sides and the male will get a dark blue stripe from the chin down the belly when he's getting frisky

 

[StaniFish]

i have now realised they are both pearl gourami's and i think they are males, i will try and include a picture thanks for your help!

 

[Maximumbob]

Dwarf gourami female

Dwarf gourami male (cobalt blue)

hope that helps

 

[SouthernCross]

i have now realised they are both pearl gourami's and i think they are males, i will try and include a picture thanks for your help!

The difference between male and female pearls is very obvious.

Males have the orange throats and extended finnage.

 

[Maximumbob]

I've just read te post directly above mine.. I completely missed it when I posted... lol.

 

[Majjie]

It can be really difficult to tell the difference between the sexes on young pearl gouramies ... as I know to my cost!

To those of you who read the tale of Michael and Mabel/Marty, a few months ago - they are now in a 300 litre tank (as opposed to a 70 litre) with Myrtle and a new female companion: Miriam. They still don't get on - but they don't actually get into fights now. One backs off and retreats to the other end of the tank.

Southern Cross's avatar is a male - long dorsal fin, frilly anal fin and orange colouration.
My avatar is a female - rounded dorsal fin, no frills and not orange.

 

[Ragtatter]

The difference between male and female pearls is very obvious.

Males have the orange throats and extended finnage.

It's only "very obvious" in fully mature fish in breeding condition, and even then only most of the time. My (proven) female Pearl Gourami had a red throat when she was younger, though now it only shows up a bit on her bottom fins. When I first purchased her, I thought she was a male, as did my supplier (Note: I went to a warehouse that allows limited public access, so I'm not talking about some pimple-faced kid who works at a pet store on weekends).

And since the original poster initially believed the Gourami's to be dwarf, it's safe to say they're only maybe 2" long--clearly juvenile pearls, meaning sexing them could still be quite difficult.