How to distinguish female gourami from male?

Beginning lovers of aquarium fish always pay attention to pretty gourami who attract not only with their beauty, but also with a calm, peaceful disposition. Seriously thinking about breeding such fish, many people have a question how to distinguish gourami by sex. But in fact, it turns out that determining the sex of the fish is pretty easy. Now let's talk about everything in more detail.

The question, a boy in front of you or a girl, becomes especially relevant at the moment when the breeding season of these cute creatures begins. While the fish are still small, it can be very difficult to distinguish a female from a male. But already at the age of 6-7 months, gourami show obvious signs of gender differences.

There are several ways to distinguish a female from a male. Let's start with the external differences. Take a close look at your pet. If he has a long dorsal fin, which reaches almost to the tail, then this indicates that you have a male. In addition, in boys, this fin has a more pointed shape. In girls, the dorsal fin is much shorter and has an even rounded shape.

And you can also distinguish them by the anal fin. If the anal fin of a fish has a round shape and small size, then this indicates that you have a girl in front of you. In males, it is slightly longer and its tip also has a pointed shape, as in the case of the dorsal fin.

Even the male from the female can be distinguished by size. Boys are several times larger than females. But it should be noted that in size they can be distinguished only after the pets are at least 6 months old.

Next, pay attention to the color of the fish.Typically, the characteristic color appears in the gourami immediately before spawning. Pay attention to the color of the abdomen of your fish. In males, it turns bright red or orange. This applies to those fish that initially have a bright color.

If in front of you is a pet of a pearl shade, then a barely noticeable red stripe appears on his abdomen during this period. In males of a different color, for example, in “honey”, either a red stripe appears, or the abdomen becomes a darker shade. In spotted males, small spots on the fins become more saturated and bright in color, and the body is slightly darker than usual. The stripes turn almost black.

It is worth noting that in color, a female can be distinguished from a male not only during the breeding season.

During their active growth, females gain mass much faster. As a result, the body of the female becomes more dense and full. Males, growing up, remain more “slender”.

In the event that you still doubt whether the male or female is in front of you, then you can find other differences between them. For example, they still differ in liking. If you carefully observe the behavior of your aquarium fish, you will soon be able to understand that gourami also differ in character. Males are much more active and mobile.

Gourami boys can show a real masculine character if you carefully monitor their behavior. And although they are peaceful and friendly fish, but when an opponent approaches, they begin to behave very aggressively and actively defend their territory. That is why experts recommend acquiring a large aquarium in order to provide them with more comfortable conditions. If several males live in a small aquarium, they will constantly fight for territory.

Before spawning, not only the color changes, but also the behavior of the fish. EIf you notice that your pets have started chasing each other in the aquarium, then pay attention to who is trying to catch up. Usually, it is the males that pursue the females, thereby attracting their attention.

If such a “race” does not occur during the spawning period, then, most likely, the males chase each other. Usually, their behavior indicates that they cannot divide the territory.

How to determine the sex of gourami is described in the next video.