my gourami

[afireinside]

well, i dont' know, but when my freind gave me some fish he gave me a rainbow gourami. but as time progresses, it seems more and more like a african cichlid. heres a picture (ignore the koi angel on the right)

so can anyone tell me?

 

[sylvia]

'Rainbow gourami' is usualy used when reffering to three-spot gouramies or to a color morph of the dwarf gourami. I can safely say that's not a dwarf so...
Is it not one of these?: http/www.aqualandpetsplus.com/Gouramis,%...ichogasters.htm
Yours would be a platinum three-spot.
Is there something wrong with it or is it the picture? It looks somewhat pale (though maybe that's its natural color) and it's tail doesn't look normal. BTW, doesn't it have two long thread-like ventral fins (kind of like those the angelfish has)? If it does, it's 100% deffinately not an African cichlid (and deffinately a gourami). How big is it now? It shouldn't get any bigger than 5-6".

 

[pica_nuttalli]

could be an albino paradise fish; half the time i see these from a distance i think they're albino kribs.

 

[afireinside]

ya, it dosen't have those little fins that dangle out like the angel. the tail is just curved in the picture and it is actually that pale, and is probably the most active fish (other than my tiger barb) in my tank.

 

[sylvia]

Does it have any ventral fins at all? Do you think you could get a closer pic with the tail and all fins visible (from the side again)?

I thought it looked too fat to be a paradisefish and I can't see its fins or anything at all but it may well be a female (albino) macropodus opercularis if it doesn't have thread-like ventrals. I can also see faint stripes which is also what makes me think that's a possibility (I originaly assumed it may just have faint opaline markings). How big is it?

I wish I could see it in person It's realy frustrating with pictures...

I have to say IMO it isn't an African cichlid. It has a slightly concave head shape like most gouramies while most cichlids have a convex profile. I'm also thinking it seems to be a fish that spends its time in the upper/middle layers more - am I right? African cichlids stick near the bottom. If it were an African, of the more aggressive types, it also would probably have attacked your angel(s) by now.

 

[afireinside]

i'd say it's around 2-2 1/2 inches long. yes it does have faint white stripes. and i can tell u, the fins look exactly like an african cichlid! and sorry, i can't get a better pic, almost all of my fish r camera shy.

 

[sylvia]

Could you get a pic where you can see the tail though? I'm settling for the paradisefish... macropodus opercularis. It appears to be an albino adult female.
Here are some pics for comparison (this site has some good pics of various fish): http/www.aqualandpetsplus.com/Gourami,%20Paradise.htm What do you think? Does it look like one of those? Scroll down for the 6th picture wich is an albino female.

 

[afireinside]

wow! it looks like that, with the color! oh this is sweet! thanx for helping.