Gouramis Male Or Female

Just wondered if it's possible to tell what sex the Honey Gouramis are, my sister bought them as male/female but reading up it sounds like a male should have some dark markings on them, neither of these do. The yellow one in pic is smaller and the large one, (sorry really bad pic) is more grey and orange, don't know if you can see fins well enough to identify?

Thanks Sue, it's a tricky one this, my sister has had them five or six months, don't know how old they are before they show any dark markings, but as yet they are both very pale. The yellow one does appear to have a more pointed dorsal fin, the other im not sure, i would have guessed female. I would maybe like to introduce some more of them but not sure what sex i should go for depending on what sex i have?

It depends which tank they are in. As Helen says, you'd have more options in the big tank. Honey gouramis are the least aggressive gouramis but they still have the potential to be nasty.

In the 90 litre I would risk only one more gourami, a female. If you have 2 males, adding a female might make them fight but you can remove one in that case. If you have 2 females adding a third won't cause problems. If you have a pair, adding a second female should be OK too - though in this last case keep an eye on the original female for any signs of picking on the new one. The only time I've had problems with honey gouramis is with 1m2f and the females fighting.
In the big tank, it depends if you have something to break up line of sight - tall plants, a tall bit of decor etc. They need to be tall as males hold territories on the surface. With this proviso, you could up the numbers to half a dozen. But get more females than males.


Honey gouramis come in three colours; natural, yellow and red. The natural colour is the fish in the profile on here. They are not common in shops as the female is silvery grey and who wants grey fish    They are the easiest to sex as they are different colours, though males can look washed out in the stress of a shop tank. The yellows are next easiest as stressed females show the stripe along their sides. With this colour, choose the ones with stripes for females and the ones with no stripe and usually a bit more orange towards the tail.
The easiest way is to take someone with you. Choose the fish you want then send your companion to get someone to serve you while you keep your eyes on your fish. When the net goes in the tank, even the males will look washed out and it will be harder to see the difference.

The yellow one does sound male. The red ( or more usually red and grey) are a lot harder. The more rounded the dorsal fin, the more likely a female. I have never bothered with the red ones simply because it is so difficult to sex them.

Since you have them in your big tank, another four should be no problem. Four females would do fine; you might even get away with 1m 3f.

Is there a size difference between the two? My female is noticeably larger than the smaller and more colourful male. I'm worried about my little guy as he throated up nicely for the first month I had him, but he hasn't had a dark throat for a while now. Could he be stressed by the busier fish. I do have a bully platy, but he only seems to harass the other platies...

Just saw that you said the other was bigger in the first post, doh! Mine are all males too and one is a fair bit bigger than the others.

Stick with the two for now and see how things go, it's better to add more fish later when you see how these two are getting on. Don't rush into anything.

I had some honey gouramis which I inherited with a second hand tank. Unfortunately they all died within a year, just "faded away" with no signs of disease, though I have no idea how old they were and it could have just been natural death.

One of the males used to chase one of the females into a corner. However, as soon as he moved away she would always shoot up behind him and biff him with her head. He used to look so surprised! I think if she had had a rolling pin she would have bashed him over the head with it 

Ha ha! That sounds hilarious Richard! They're beautiful fish, but a little shy compared to the other fish in my tank. In hindsight I think some CPD and dwarf cories might have been better tank mates.

AM - It sounds like they're enjoying the extra space in your tank. You'll be able to tell when the male is happy as his throat will darken. I'm pretty sure the red robin and the yellow honey would happily mate if they felt happy enough in the tank. You might end up with some orange babies!

Well they certainly seem a happy pair, in my sisters small tank she said the big (maybe female) used to bully the little male, they kept well apart for a day or so in mine, but now they are best of friends, so who knows, and if i get a bubble nest will that confirm male and female or could male build nest regardless?

Aww so that doesn't help with my sexing issue then  lol oh well as long as they stay as happy as they are : )