New To Honey Gourami

[PrairieSunflower]

I have previously had other aging fish and a few others.  A few of my guppies died of age and I have managed to find homes for the other fish where they will thrive.
 
I have decided to get just 3 honey gourami for my 20 gallon tank (also 5 amano shrimp and assassin snails in there).  I bought them yesterday.
 
I have a few question.  I wanted to verify the sexing but.... they are still not willing to either be in photos or look like themselves if I do catch them.  The fish shop guy and I scrutinized them for some time and discussed all the different tell-tale signs of gender before selecting these three.
 
I believe I have a gold colored male, and two natural colored females.
 
I selected them with these criteria... the male seemed to have a more sleek body and his fin seemed to have the right bit of sharpness.  He is the smallest of the 3 gourami.
 
The two that I believe are natural colored females have rounder bodies and I think a more rounded looking fin.  One is bigger than the other.  The larger of the two has the darkest line across the middle.
 
Does that sound like I (and the shop guy) did alright sexing them?
 
 
Also, they were getting along famously until.... I put an algae wafer in there.  I feed them this morning some flakes and two of them ate (male and smaller female) and larger female turned her nose up at everything and spit it out.  I felt a bit bad so I dropped an algae wafer in there too.... Well.... she is rather protective of that algae wafer and has banished the male to the other side of the bogwood and banished the smaller female to the java fern behind the rock on the other side of the tank.  They seemed unable to work this dispute out... so finally I went and fished that algae wafer out again and broke it up and dropped the pieces farther apart... now the larger female and male and out... but the smaller female is still in hiding.
 
Is that normal behavior?
 
Oh... and what do you call those tentacle things?  I have taken to calling them arms!  Love those!

 

[PrairieSunflower]

I noticed something else that makes me think I was correct sexing them.  Now that the great algae wafer dispute is over... I've noticed something... when greedy girl and yellow boy come near each other their fins get all spikey... I thought they weren't liking each other... but then I realized that yellow boy has black coloring that comes out of nowhere on his belly and a bit of a "shadow" on his sides..... this means he is excited

  .... right?

 

[Shelster]

Hey Prairie, congrats on your honeys

I'm going to link you to a threat where I was helping Meeresstille ID hers:



http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/423291-another-honey-gourami-question/

I believe the elongated fins are known as 'feelers' or ventral pelvic fins they can taste through them, and I read in a PFK magazine that most gourami are left handed (favouring their left ventral fin over their right) before using both to taste

Let me know if I can help anymore.

BTW my male is my profile pic and female is my sig

 

[PrairieSunflower]

Still reading through the thread, be done reading shortly.
 
This is the one I feel quite certain is a female (the one that took possession of the algae wafer)

 
This one I feel quite certain is male because he even managed to turn dark like charcoal on his chest earlier when interacting with the girl above. Pretty much all that is white turned dark.

 
This is the smaller of the two natural colored ones.  It is much more shy than the others and though not showing it here as it went all pale when I brought out the camera, it has a stripe like the first one just a shade lighter.

Oh, something funny happened earlier.... I went and looked and had a panic... I thought one female's "arm" got all mangled and twisted.. then realized it was pooping!  ROFL

And one thing I don't quite understand... is that in that thread you are talking about slight bits of orange.  My two assumed females aren't the same morph as the ones in that link... but they both have a tiny edge of orange on their tails and dorsals.... does that mean something?  It is hardly noticeable, not like the male who has a sort of sunset appearance (much darker than in the photo).

 

[DreamertK]

I would say that your assessment in sexes is correct. Just keep a watch if that sassy mama is being too aggressive.

 

[PrairieSunflower]

Will do.  I shall also be adding a few more plants and floating plants to help out a bit.  Also I shall make sure to break up the algae wafer in the future so she can't guard it all.

 

[PrairieSunflower]

What constitutes aggression and what should I look for?
 
I am going to keep away from the algae wafers for now... or at least give them food that can disperse and no one can claim as their own.  The other two just got fed up with her antics and gave her a chase around the tank but everyone has calmed down now.  I think I might re-organized as to make more of a zig zag effect with my plants so they can't stare right down at each other.

 

[Meeresstille]

I'm so jealous right now.....lol...I too think you've got two beautiful females and a male. It seems I've got 3 males and one female! 

That's probably why she's hiding a lot. The three males do give a one or two second chase if they happen to meet, but they are still behaving themselves in terms of aggression. I guess what you have to look for is actual nipping at each other. I do have a 10 gallon waiting to be set up as a biotope, so if need be I will separate the yellow males onto there until I can return them.
 
I like your idea of arranging the plants in a zig-zag pattern, I may steal that idea from you at my next water change! 

 
P.S. Didn't have time to write something this morning after I read your thread before work. Glad Shelster was there to answer you!

 

[PrairieSunflower]

No nipping that I have seen.  She sort of comes up riiiiiight near the back ends and ultimately does nothing because the other will just move away and a little chase ensues until she is happy... which is generally only about 12 inches.

Also new question... does having other fish tankmates help with aggression issues (like as a distraction)?  I am wondering because I was thinking to keep it simple and only have the 3 fish in there.

 

[Meeresstille]

That's a very good question, and I think it likely could help! I've got 14 Harlequin Rasboras dithering about in there, and all that movement may also desensitize them to the movement of the other gouramies!

 

[PrairieSunflower]

I have re-organized my tank this morning, I won't need to buy any more plants after all (but will be adding floating plants)... who knew re-organizing could make it look like so many more plants!  LOL
 
Anyhow... I used to have my heavily plant covered bogwood off-center so I've moved that to the middle as a sort of tank divider and placed everything else alternating back or front of the tank for a zig-zag effect.  The only thing I didn't move was the place where shy girl likes to hide... I thought she'd be happier knowing it was still there.
 
So far, the 3 honey gourami are using this as a bonding experience and going everywhere in a line... I'm sure they will get over that soon though.

 

[Shelster]

Pics

I would also agree with you sexing from the photos. Lovely Gouramis

Their are different colour morphs, the wild are much darker, then you have variations of red and orange also.

I do have other tank mates, my Gouramis are my interesting fish in the tank, then I have glowlight tetras, neons and copper harlequin rasboras in a 180 litre set up. When I have a bit more room I intend to add some more females I suppose other tank mates do add a distraction, but if you want to keep mainly honeys, then what you've done with our plants should suffice.

When I was reading up on them before I bought mine last year, I read that they can sometimes school

 

[Meeresstille]

Oh my, now you really made me want to re-arrange my tank. Please post pics, need ideas!

 

[PrairieSunflower]

You can't really see the effect looking in from the front, it is more obvious looking from the top.
 
I think it is having some effect now.  The right side still seems to be "his side" because Miss Grumpy-pants says so... but the male has decided he doesn't have to stay there.  With the bogwood moved he now has a bigger side if he does stay there though.  But, he is insisting on exploring the girls side as well and she is attempting to deal with it.  Shy girl is still preferring to stay to her small corner though, but isn't getting targeted nearly as much.  I hope that is the beginning of an adjustment.
 
I already called the LFS and asked if I could exchange one if that one didn't work out... but now I am feeling a bit more hopeful.  Miss Grump-pants (I really need to think up real names) seems to have a sulking leaf.  LOL  When the male explores "her side" she ends up going under a specific leaf and watching from there.

 

[PrairieSunflower]

I think things are improving.  The shy one still spends a good bit in her corner but she is coming out more too, and being a bit more persistently followed rather than chased back to the corner.  The male is doing a lot more exploring for sure.
 
The bossy honey seems to have lost a scale at the top, no idea how since no one has been bothering her.