Sexing Pearl Gouramis

[Chris]

I got three young-ish pearl gouramis last week and am having trouble sexing them in QT. There are two that hang out together constantly, and then a third that gets picked on by one of the other two. I'm thinking that maybe the two that aren't getting along are both males, and the third is a female, but I'm not sure.
 

The two that are hanging out together:

The one that's getting picked on:

Now, if it turns out to be 2 males and 1 female, can I remove the dominant male and still have the subdominant male pair with the female? The subdominant male has much, much more color than the dominant male, although you can't see it much in the pics.

 

[Odd Alan]

I'm voting for (3) females.

Here are my Pearl Gouramis....

Left to right: F, M, F, F.

The females have rounded fins, bigger bellies, and less orange.

The male has more orange(especially below the eyes) and the fins are more "ragged" the cartilage etends out more.

 

[Chris]

Interesting - I didn't think females were typically aggressive towards eachother.

[Colu]

I agree with @Odd Alanlook like three females 

Edited December 21, 2021 by Colu

[Chris]

Alright, so with that info, how should I proceed?

They'll be going into a 50 gallon tank (40"x16"x18") with a school of 12 Black Neon Tetras, 12 Lemon Tetras, 8 Green Cories, and a Bristlenose Pleco. I had planned to probably end up with a trio (1 male and 2 females), but since I have 3 females here, should I just track down a male and have 4? Or would the current bully likely keep bullying the others?

[Colu]

I have only keeped them in pairs am not sure how the dynamic will change with 3 females and 1 male

Edited June 7, 2021 by Colu

[Chris]

Maybe I'll rehome the bully and see if I can find a male then.

[Odd Alan]

My experience with Gouramis is they chase each other establish a hierarchy that changes hourly then shoal around for awhile.

I wouldn’t rehome unless you see damage…. Do you have a place for the bullied Gourami to hide in the QT tank?

As for the the dynamic of my 4 Gouramis: shoal, chase, repeat, and eat.

[sudofish]

My pearl gourami chases my praecox rainbowfish. I think it's a female though it's very young. It hasn't developed any orange coloration at all yet.

[Mmiller2001]

[Scothson]

These are my two I feel I have a male and female, the colorful one on the left is the boy he likes to chase around the other one. what would be some things I can do to help along with the breeding process I have a HOB filter that is set to a low flow, I took out the air stone. I read somewhere that I should increase the temp of the tank to about 80 degrees. What do you all think?

[drewzero1]

@ScothsonThe first pic is definitely a male (orange throat, extended rays on dorsal and anal fins) and the second is probably female. It's possible for a young or subdominant male to appear female sometimes though. I'm fairly new to pearls and gouramis in general, so maybe @JettsPapaL(or anybody else with some experience) can chime in.

Low surface flow is good. I've read that floating plants can be helpful for pearls and that they also like plants with feathery leaves (I imagine because the leaves blend with their spotted camouflage).

[laritheloud]

I think it looks like a definite male/female pair if they're of breeding age -- looks combined with behavior seals it for me. Congratulations! 🙂 As far as breeding, reducing surface flow and raising the temp are both good. You can try reducing the water level a bit and covering the tank to make sure the air is nice and humid. Feed generously with frozen/live foods and high-quality prepared foods, and outfit the tank with floating plants and dim lighting. Fingers crossed! Sometimes gouramis take their sweet time making a perfect bubble nest.

[Scothson]

Thank You guys for the input I will give it a try, If they make the next generation I will post some baby pictures. 🙂 Thank You.

[JettsPapa]

On 12/15/2021 at 8:17 AM, drewzero1 said:

@ScothsonThe first pic is definitely a male (orange throat, extended rays on dorsal and anal fins) and the second is probably female. It's possible for a young or subdominant male to appear female sometimes though. I'm fairly new to pearls and gouramis in general, so maybe @JettsPapaL(or anybody else with some experience) can chime in.

Low surface flow is good. I've read that floating plants can be helpful for pearls and that they also like plants with feathery leaves (I imagine because the leaves blend with their spotted camouflage).

I agree.

[Scothson]

Hey got some great news!  My male has made a nest and now he is trying to get the female to be (friends) check out my pictures. How long before we can see the babies? 

I guess no water changes for a while until the fry are established?