SEXING GOURAMIS

[thellama]

i have a spare 10 gallon tank and i was told i could breed a pair in it..

a pair of honey gouramis or dwarf gouramis..

just wondering how i can sex them...

and if they are easy to breed?

 

[juliethegr8t]

Male dwarf gouramis have a pointed dorsal fin, whereas females have a rounded tip. Also, female dwarf gouramis are completely different looking - they are almost colorless, very silver. They are smaller than males, too. Unfortunately, females are hard to get ahold of - so you may have a hard time finding one.

As far as breeding - the spawn itself is probably intermediate skill level, but raising the fry is very advanced. They are just as tiny (if not more) than bettas. They require the tiniest of foods and very special care.

 

[thellama]

damn gourami fry

 

[Inchworm]

Hi thellama

juliethegr8t is absolutely right about breeding gouramis. The fry are so tiny that feeding them is the biggest problem. They also have labyrinths which require great care to be taken with the water surface, until they are developed and they can breathe air by themselves. I do not recommend them to anyone who does not, at the very least, have some experience breeding egglayers.

I don't know what kind of breeding experience you have, but if you want to try breeding an easy egglayer, I would suggest trying your hand with bronze or albino C. aeneus cory cats. They can be bred and remain in a 10 gallon tank for some time if you take care of them.

If this is something you think you might want to try, here's a link to a thread where I talk about the equipment needed:

http/fish.orbust.net/forums/index.php?ac...t=0#entry199536

If it sounds like something you might be interested in doing, I'd be happy to help you.

(I hate to see a good tank sitting empty! )