Determing the Sex of a Gourami

[GoLdFiSh_GrL]

I want to know if my Gouramis (Kissing and Opaline) are male/ female. How can I tell?

[Hebdizzle]

the tail and dorsal fins of males are more pointed and prominent.

Aaron

[Slappy*McFish]

Also, the female will have a more rounded abdomen than the male, and will usually be less colorful.

[dethjam316]

the dorsal fin rule does not apply to kissing gouramis. they are very difficult to sex. an adult opaline/blue/gold/etc gourami is very easy to tell. females have a rounded dorsal (top) fin, while males have a distinct pointed fin. very clear if you can see one of each.

[carpguy]

Kissing Gouramis are really (REALLY) BIG fish. Or at least they should be.

Figure about a foot long and not really what you'd call a slender torpedo shape.

I'd return it.

Sex the opaline and find it a mate or two. You really don't want more than one male gourami in a tank, plus one or two females would be ideal.

If it has a pointy dorsal (top) fin that extends to at least the base of the tail its a male. Females have rounder and shorter dorsals.

http://badmanstropicalfish.com/who/mystery_july.JPG Male

http://www.feldoncentral.com/Sachs/freshwater/wishlist/OpalineGourami.jpg Female

[GoLdFiSh_GrL]

cool. I have a male Blue Gourami, but i'm not sure about my Kissing, though.... i wanna buy a mate for him, that's why.

[dethjam316]

again, it's pretty much impossible to tell kissing gouramis. i have read that the males are much more likely to be territorial and fight...ie: kissing. i never could tell with the ones i had, but i had poor luck with them, and they didn't last long. i haven't tried again.

[carpguy]

That tail thing works particularly well on any of the trichogaster (genus) gouramis. It works a little less well on the colisas (dwarf). The Kissing Gouramis are neither, and I'll take dethjam's word for it that its hard to tell. There are species where its just plain hard to tell.

You don't have room for this one, please don't get it a partner. If this one is full grown at 8 inches it may be stunted… even so its too big for a 29.

The species profile (http://www.aquariacentral.com/species/db.cgi?db=fresh&uid=default&ID=0030&view_records=1) here at AqC recommends a minimum of 55g, which I think is still much to small.

One basic rule of stocking that I've heard is that the longest fish should be no more than half the length of the shortest side. That is the tank should be at least 18-24 inches front to back. 12 is too small.

[GoLdFiSh_GrL]

what can I do with it? (my kissing gourami) if it's the only one in the tank, can it survive? (no, huh? well, it's worth asking) :(

[cdawson]

You've already asked that question and we told you the answer, return it for store credit. It won't do well or last a long time in your 29g. A kissing gourami needs about a 100g tank to do well.

[GoLdFiSh_GrL]

i researched that... and here's a link to tell you:

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?siteid=21&pCatId=968

[kveeti]

Yes, and I’m sure you could find other sites that confirm what you want to see, as well. I’m also sure in your "research" you saw just as many sites telling you a bigger tank was needed. Experienced aquarists here are telling you your tank is too small. Anyhow, even the site you pointed to says the fish grows to 10 inches. The width of your 30 gallon is 12 inches. Use logic! How is your poor fish supposed to turn around?

[Slappy*McFish]

You're wasting your breath Kveeti.

[Dapple2]

*squint* wow, that photo is like avatar-sized dude...

As a general rule of thumb websites that are trying to sell you their product (fish in this case, but also holds true on manufacturer's websites) are not the best source of info... See they'd rather we just bought whatever it is...what we do with it afterwards is our problem...according to them at least.

If you can return the darn thing, then GIVE it away or else toss it in with the oscars...

[dethjam316]

hey, maybe they're not *lying* per se. you might be able to keep one kissing gourami in a 30g tank...a 30 breeder that's 18 inches wide. a 29g is not nearly the same dimensions as the wide but relatively short breeder tanks. the 29g, we must remember, is basically a tall version of a 20 long tank. even the 30 long tanks offer significantly more surface area. but the breeder tanks take this to the max, and gouramis don't need a lot of water depth.

that said...........although, the comments on research are very correct. the internet is a powerful tool, providing means for research of perhaps greater depth than any library in the world. but that doesn't mean that there isn't conflicting information out there, and that the majority of sources will tell you that kissing gouramis get quite large and require a sizeable tank.

[Dapple2]

good point dethjam!

Although it still would be a bit...er...misleading to say the least....and they'd still need an upgrade sooner or later...

[GoLdFiSh_GrL]

yea, you're right. Only bad thing is: I didn't get my Kissing Gourami from the pet shop, so how can I exchange it???

[Dapple2]

Well, most shops probably aren't going to be interested in buying him from you, so you can call around and ask if any of them will simply take him in for free and sell him to a ggood home ;)

What about your uncle's (?) shop?

[Slappy*McFish]

Most aquarium stores will give you a percentage of the resale price in store credit for returned/unwanted fish.

[GoLdFiSh_GrL]

oh yea! i can sell him (or her) to my uncle!! Thank you!:D