Pearl Gourami Question

[NOLANANO]

 

Hey Guys, I used to have a pair of Pearl Gourami that I loved and I came across some at my LFS but they were all so young that its difficult to sex them.  I got these 2 as they both had a little orange on their belly but I feel that they are both female.  If it does turn out that both are female, would I be able to introduce a juvenile male to the tank at a later date (3-6 months or so) or would these 2 females pick on him?

Also I have noticed that one of the Pearls slightly chases the other around sometimes, nothing to aggressive, I was just wondering if that might be a sign that one is a male and one a female? or do females chase each other too?

[JettsPapa]

You probably will see some chasing with just the two, and introducing another later shouldn't be a problem.  I have twelve of them in a 40 gallon breeder, and I've added anywhere from one to five at a time without any issues.

[Beardedbillygoat1975]

They can be slightly picky about their mates. I’d introduce 2 males and 2 more females to disperse the minimal breeding aggression. Do you have a schooler or dither in with them?

[NOLANANO]

I have them with:  

pair of Red shoulder Macmasteri Apistos

13 Rummynose tetra

5 Endler Livebearers

5Panda Cories

2 CPO Crawfish

[NOLANANO]

On 8/22/2022 at 12:00 PM, Beardedbillygoat1975 said:

They can be slightly picky about their mates. I’d introduce 2 males and 2 more females to disperse the minimal breeding aggression. Do you have a schooler or dither in with them?

Just curious, what happens if I add a single Male and neither female wants to pair with him? Is it like Apistos where the females will be harassed until they they die?