Where To Find The Elusive Female Dwarf Gourami

[Phrag]

New to the forum, so first off I'd like to say hi to everyone.

I've been looking for the females everywhere. I saw them at Petsmart like three weeks ago, but now they aren't there anymore and the staff are telling me they might've gotten themas a mistake. I've also called two local fish stores in the area, and they don't seem to carry them either.

The first one I called said something about how the gouramis they have are all mixed so I should be able to find a female (dope, bad sign), and the second one said no but that I could try a special order.

I'm in Orange County if anyone knows if any good LFS in the area I'd like to know.

 

[nmonks]

When trying to find "difficult to find" fish, your best bet is to find the local aquarium club in your area. They will have a good handle on what's about, and especially if there are any local breeders. The back pages of TFH magazine (if I recall correctly) have a listing of many aquarium clubs, but a few minutes on Google would probably be just as helpful.

Good luck!

Neale

 

[Torrean]

I got my female dwarf's from my lfs. Just tell them you are looking for some and you we're wondering if they could special order a couple for you. I looked and looked and looked and looked...So ofcourse the first person I asked said "yeah we'll order them for ya no problem"

 

[jasonskillz]

all types of gouramis are so common around here
hope you find your fish

 

[Phrag]

Thanks for the help people. I'm going to go browse some fish stores tomorrow (including Walmart *sigh*). It's kind of funny, since actually the best luck I've had with fish came from Petsmart

all types of gouramis are so common around here
hope you find your fish

 

[Torrean]

not trying to insult your intelligence but can you id a female dwarf...it's really really easy if you've seen one before, but if you haven't you may look at a male and make a mistake

 

[Nevergone815]

New to the forum, so first off I'd like to say hi to everyone.

I've been looking for the females everywhere. I saw them at Petsmart like three weeks ago, but now they aren't there anymore and the staff are telling me they might've gotten themas a mistake. I've also called two local fish stores in the area, and they don't seem to carry them either.

The first one I called said something about how the gouramis they have are all mixed so I should be able to find a female (dope, bad sign), and the second one said no but that I could try a special order.

I'm in Orange County if anyone knows if any good LFS in the area I'd like to know.

first off there are many orange counties in the US. is it in NY? if so i am familliar with that area then i can help you more. the petco in middletown, NY tends to get them in pretty frequently accidntally. along with walmarts in middletown, monroe or newburgh. i don'tlive there anymore but i did at one point not too long ago and visit back periodically so i know they still have them.

if you didn't know how to sex "correctly" here is a good link for that:

http/freshaquarium.about.com/od/fishqa/f/faq2060.htm

as for the girls. i know of a petshop that carries females, but you have to buy a pair (1m,1f) in order to getthe female it's like $4.50 for the pair. if you are in NY and don't mind a 2 hour drive from OC let me know and i will tell you more.

the reason that many places don't carry females of most species is that they "aren't as pretty". though they are become more popular female bettas were notsold at one point in most lfs i saw, it will be hard ot find female rams along with the guoramis of course. this is all because females don't have those "pretty fins" or aren't as "colorful" as the males, so the average Joe-shmoe who knows nothing of fishkeeping will buy ontl the ones that "look good".

it's sad that the sale of fish has resulted in this, though females are being sold mroe and more though since the demand is rising along with knowledge of aquarists from the internet research and forums like this one.

 

[Torrean]

female dwarf gourami's are easier than comparing dorsal fins...

here's a couple pics

female

male

see easy

 

[Phrag]

Orange County, California.

Yes, I know how to sex them. The problem is that the area I live in is next to the ocean and has a bunch of rich people so most of the LFS here cater to marine aquariums. That and property values are really high so LFS usually can't afford the rent because they don't make enough. As a result I have a bunch of Petsmarts + Petcos here but no large fish store.

 

[nmonks]

Just a comment: if you are going to do a special order from your local fish store, or buy online, consider thick-lipped gouramis (Colisa labiosa) instead of dwarf gouramis. Though bigger (around 8-10 cm) they are MUCH hardier and longer-lived. They have a very similar look, though with a bit more red, a bit less blue. One nice thing is that the female is quite nicely coloured, whereas female dwarf gouramis are very plain indeed.

Cheers,

Neale

 

[Nevergone815]

i have noticed a trends thoug around here that the best way to tell is bythe dorsal as both makes and females are starting to look alike. dwarfs are so imbred near me that the males are all washed out in color for the most part and don't carry that nice red/blue colr but a dull gray/blue instead. i don't know why this is, but i go by dorsal for this reason. i don't know if its the same elsewhere but i'm noticing the color wash in a lot of lfs around me.