male and female Dwarf Gourami

[elmo]

How do you tell the difference between male and female Dwarf Gourami's.
I'm not trying to breed them just interested.

 

[sylvia]

Males are the colorful ones. Females are general silvery without the stripes and bright colors. Males also have longer and more pointed dorsal and anal fins and have a more stream-lined appearance. Females are deeper-bodied and look wider when viewed from above.

 

[elmo]

Sounds like I have 1 female and 2 males. Is that a bad ratio? Will the males annoy the female if they want to breed?

 

[sylvia]

If you have room for them, I'd add at least 2 more females. Yes that is a bad ratio The males are territorial fish and, besides chasing and attacking each other occasionaly, they willd effinately chase and harass the female. BTW, male gouramies always want to breed so the problem is constant. How big is your tank?