How to identify dwarf gouramis?

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I am planning on returning the new dwarf goummi that I got and replace
it with a female, because my old goummy is very stressed right now and
sometimes it just lays on the bottom on its side...
Its a sad view and I don't want that to happen anymore.

I don't see signs of disease, but being a newbie can't say for sure.


Now how can I tell if a dwarf goummy is male or female?

Thanks

[sophiefishstuff]

In message . com>,
" > writes
>I am planning on returning the new dwarf goummi that I got and replace
>it with a female, because my old goummy is very stressed right now and
>sometimes it just lays on the bottom on its side...
>Its a sad view and I don't want that to happen anymore.
>
>I don't see signs of disease, but being a newbie can't say for sure.
>
>
>Now how can I tell if a dwarf goummy is male or female?
>

the females are very different to the males. If you see a tank full of
dwarf gouramis identical in shape, they are all male. In a good shop the
staff should be able to tell you.

There are some good pictures here:

http://www.aquariumfish.net/catalog_pages/gouramis/dwarf_gouramis.htm

(it's a selling site, but it's only the pictures I'm pointing you at.)

Returning the new fish to the shop sounds like a good idea, but I
honestly wouldn;t replace it yet. wait until your tank is established. A
pair of gouramis can be a problem for the female, and a male will be
perfectly happy on his own.

--
sophie

www.freewebs.com/fishstuff
(under construction. ish.)

[[email protected]]

Thanks,

I only have two gouramis now and as it seems both male.
I had one that died because of popeye.

So two days I got another one to make company to my other gourami which
was feeling miserable because he was just standing there in the corner
doing much of anything.
This new gourami is way too much agressive and picks at my poor gummy
and I don;t if he is sick or just stressed but now he just lays at the
bottom sometimes on its side and sometimes he just looks normal but
always in the corner...

Thats why I have to do something... I will put the new guy in the
hospital tank and see how my gummy reacts.

[Gill Passman]

"sophiefishstuff" > wrote in
message ...
> In message . com>,
> " > writes
> >I am planning on returning the new dwarf goummi that I got and replace
> >it with a female, because my old goummy is very stressed right now and
> >sometimes it just lays on the bottom on its side...
> >Its a sad view and I don't want that to happen anymore.
> >
> >I don't see signs of disease, but being a newbie can't say for sure.
> >
> >
> >Now how can I tell if a dwarf goummy is male or female?
> >
>
> the females are very different to the males. If you see a tank full of
> dwarf gouramis identical in shape, they are all male. In a good shop the
> staff should be able to tell you.
>
> There are some good pictures here:
>
> http://www.aquariumfish.net/catalog_pages/gouramis/dwarf_gouramis.htm
>
> (it's a selling site, but it's only the pictures I'm pointing you at.)
>
> Returning the new fish to the shop sounds like a good idea, but I
> honestly wouldn;t replace it yet. wait until your tank is established. A
> pair of gouramis can be a problem for the female, and a male will be
> perfectly happy on his own.
>
> --
> sophie
>
> www.freewebs.com/fishstuff
> (under construction. ish.)

[Gill Passman]

> wrote in message
ups.com...
> Thanks,
>
> I only have two gouramis now and as it seems both male.
> I had one that died because of popeye.
>
> So two days I got another one to make company to my other gourami which
> was feeling miserable because he was just standing there in the corner
> doing much of anything.
> This new gourami is way too much agressive and picks at my poor gummy
> and I don;t if he is sick or just stressed but now he just lays at the
> bottom sometimes on its side and sometimes he just looks normal but
> always in the corner...
>
> Thats why I have to do something... I will put the new guy in the
> hospital tank and see how my gummy reacts.
>
OK my experience of Gouramis is as follows....

I had three 3 spot blue Gouramis - turned out two males and one
female...they hassled the female almost to the point of death...got two more
females...alpha male killed off the other male...he now has 3 girls to chase
so the stress is less. No inclination to breed - maybe for him it is the
chase that counts - lol

In another tank we have two Pearl Gouramis - one male one female...they love
eachother to bits...it's like watching one of those movies where you think
this is too sickly to believe....but no action...Probably similar to that
genre of movie - lol

Have no experience with dwarf gouramis...

The difference is in the dorsal fin...with the two species that I have the
females have shorter..the males are more flamboyant....it is longer/

Based on my experience I would never have more than one male in the tank but
the girls (blue 3 spot) can be quite feisty too to one another....maybe a
case of alpha female as well....probably trying to impress the man....lol
(no comment)

Research the flavour of Gourami that you have as to how they adapt to one
another....


BTW I believe that fish can get depressed (very much IMHO)...if the
conditions dictate they will give up and from what I have seen this relates
to pecking order (might be very off mark here)

[[email protected]]

Thanks for the reply... I got one of those breeding tanks and put the
agressive gummy in there to give the other a lit bit of leeway to
regain confidence. :)

I hope they will get used to each other and live along fine...

[IDzine01]

I have 4 dwarf gouramis in my tank now. One male and three females and
they get along beautifully.

I just wanted to mention, if you plan on returning a male for a female
you may need to make special arrangements with the LFS. Most don't cary
females because they are so plain looking compared to their male
counterparts. I had to have them order females especially for me and
they would only order them in pairs with the males.

[Tedd Jacobs]

"IDzine01" wrote...
>I have 4 dwarf gouramis in my tank now. One male and three females and
> they get along beautifully.
>
> I just wanted to mention, if you plan on returning a male for a female
> you may need to make special arrangements with the LFS. Most don't cary
> females because they are so plain looking compared to their male
> counterparts. I had to have them order females especially for me and
> they would only order them in pairs with the males.

i can concur with this. all three of the LFSs i use here rarely carry
female dwarf gouramis (i only know this because i stop and look at them
every time i'm in there, they're one of my wish list species for when i
upgrade). it's one of those situations where you have to let them know in
advance and *maybe* they'll comply, depending upon how well they know you or
how long you've been a customer- just to assure that you're a serious
aquarist and they're not going to get left holding the bag.

tedd.


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