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I just got a pair of filamentosus. I’m hoping it’s a male and female.
How can you identify the gender?
I looked at the site and didn’t get too much information on identifying the gender or gender differences. Pictures of the genders would be nice too but not much was found. Unless I am looking in the wrong places.
Thanks
You are right, – its most often the males that are shown in the photos, – but we will try and make this better.
There are a few photoes of females in the species sections (nagyi, linkei and filamentous)
There are two photoes of filamentosus female, so maybe that can help you ?Generally in young age it is really difficult to tell the difference between sexes. Both male and female with most species have the same neutral colouring of black and white stripes along the body. Only males have additional colour bands in the different fins, – again depending on the species. Once they are adult and coloured up, you are not in doubt, but before that it can be really difficult.
To me its a question of rather a long experience which sometimes makes me think I can determine whether its male or female by the shape of the body, but 🙂 .. not really 100 procent. Some species are easier than other, f.inst. I find that P.parvulus shows differences from quite early, whereas species such as P.nagyi and P.harveyi looks the same untill you start being able to see the colour band in the tail, – this you only see with the males.
The best way I think often is to provide good conditions for the fishes, add caves to the tank. This will make the fish colour up, and then you might be able to see what is what. However of course, more males in a tank, might make subdominant males look ‘female’ almost, but most often you will – depending on the species – be able to see a little bit of the colour marking in the tail fin.
A male without a female in the tank – will probably never really show deep colours. He might show some aggression colour, but this will be less ‘sparkling’. A male will react to a female by being interested and ‘tolerant’ 🙂 and charming 🙂So it’s kind of safe to say that when I was “trying” to identify the gender I was using some what the most “correct” method of identification?
The pair I picked where pretty stressed out and there were some definite males but they were sluggish and not very active. They just got them in that morning, so I chose the most active fish which I think was a male, it was pretty small and pale but I could see a light banding in the caudal fin.
As for the possible female, I picked the most active without any noticeable banding.
The LFS also had P. Parvalus, I think since it was called Red Spotted Pygmy Licorice Gourami, but they all looked very similar. Some had a little more color at the fins but most were just a transparent/pale color. Maybe my brother can pick up that species.
Helene, how would you sex the P.Parvalus since you stated that they were a little easier to sex? It might actually be easier in a week or two once they have had time to settled down and color up.
With adult fish it is extremely easy. Males are much more colourful. In some species females can also be nicely coloured(in quindecim females are shiny and sparkly too) but mostly their fins are transparent and colourless.
With parvulus I have just found that the small males show this very almost iridescent seam of colour around the edges of the fins from a very early time. And the females seem to me to be a little longer 🙂 But parvulus also is the paro which in my experience takes the longest time to become mature.
I’ve been looking online and throughout the site. All the pictures i have come across of female filament gourami’s have a caudal filament. Can i get clarification on this? Does female p.filamentosus all have filaments at the caudal fin or is it possible that i might have have a different female species since mine has no filament?
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