sexing the moonlight gourami

fishbase: moonlight

I have never seen such coloration on moonlights as per se aquariacentrals description of them... could be a breeding only coloration I don't know

another moonlight link

this link says they get to six inches.... how big are yours? could be immature yet

edit another link

breeding pair pict here

hope this helps

funny that you posted this...when i got my 3, i assumed that you'd tell via the dorsal fin like pearls and 3spots. turns out, you can sort of tell through this examination, but it's not quite the same. the male's dorsal fin is longer, but it really doesn't come to such a distinct point. anyway, it turns out...i'm pretty sure i actually have 2 females and 1 male, and i'd originally believed i'd purchased 3 females.

when one of mine started showing some pectoral-fin coloration, and it was an orangish color, i did some research online. most sites suggest that females have yellow-orange coloration on these fins (the "feelers") and that males have red-orange coloration. i now believe this to be misleading, and the females essentially lack coloration of the pectoral fins (it's the same, basically, as the rest of their body), while the males show an orangish tint on these fins. the picture linked above showing the breeding pair seems to further support this theory.

i'm correct, based on my experience, male moonlight gouramis seem to be even more docile than male pearls.

all of three of mine are right around 6", i've had them for over a year, and they've doubled in size since their purchase.