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Hey guys.

I have witnessed my one gourami stays at the top with it's mouth at the top of the water just like breathing there.

I saw him do it today, and i saw a few bubbles come out (I know they build bubble nests (at least i thought gouramis do)


I thought all of my gouramis were female (their top fin are rounded) but the one i saw do it their top fin is rounded, but it is very long, they are pretty young, so could this be a male?

Also, the one doing this is the most agressive out of the bunch.

Yep, gouramis build bubblenests. Sometimes staying at the top like your gourami is doing can be a sign of diease, etc., but I doubt it since there seems to be no other signs. So, it could certinally be building a nest.

Sometimes, it takes a little time for the fin to become pointed. What kind of color is the gourami in question? Females have very, very dull/gray coloring. If it is possible, could you post a pic? Of course, gouramis have their own little personalities, and I have found that dwarfs have a wide range of personalities. You might just have an agressive female, or a maturing male.

Last edited by solublefish at 24-Nov-2004 17:28

I cant post any pictures because im not a premium member.

Also, the gourami i saw doing it was a gold gourami.

I saw one of my gouramis doing this before, but it was behind a plant so i couldnt tell what color it was, but i will have to admit it did look like a blue one, but i could be totally wrong.

I have to say that all of my gouramis have exelent colors, and look better than all of the ones on this websites pictures of them in the profiles.

Now, these gouramis are only about 1/2 the size as they get, so i dont think they would be building a bubble nest.. or would they?

Yes, you can post pictures, just set up an account at [link=http://www.photobucket.com]http://www.photobucket.com" style="COLOR: #FFFF80[/link] and link it.

Sorry, for some reason, I thought it was a dwarf...dunno why. My honey gouramis build bubblenests every week, but they aren't full size yet. I don't see why yours can't be building bubblenests. What are they, 2, 3 inches? If they have bright coloring, your best bet is that they are male. Most stores only sell male gouramis becasue female coloring is so dull.

Set up an account and link us a pic.

http://community.webshots.com/photo/207865642/207868415LqPLOV

http://community.webshots.com/photo/207865642/207868512GUFebg

http://community.webshots.com/photo/207865642/207868808yGbWum

http://community.webshots.com/photo/207865642/207868439zegWYg

Those are the best pictures i could get.

Most of them make them look white, which they arent.

I bought them as "all female"

Thanks.

To me, they look like males. However, you should obiviously get more opinions. Hopefully people will poke their heads in here.

Here are some pics of males:

http://www.aquahobby.com/gallery/e_tricho2.php

http://www.aquariumfish.net/images_01/gold_gourami_male_w180.jpg

Last edited by solublefish at 24-Nov-2004 18:13

the pictures you gave me look like females.

Males have a long pointy fin, while females have a round short fin.

I heard it is hard to tell when they arent full grown though.

EDIT* or at least thats what i thought

Last edited by victimizati0n at 24-Nov-2004 18:26

IME, the pointed fin takes a little while to grow. I know my male pearl didn't have one, and only after several months did his fin start to get pointed.

[link=http://community.webshots.com/photo/207865642/207868415LqPLOV]http://community.webshots.com/photo/207865642/207868415LqPLOV" style="COLOR: #FFa500[/link]

[link=http://community.webshots.com/photo/207865642/207868512GUFebg]http://community.webshots.com/photo/207865642/207868512GUFebg" style="COLOR: #FFa500[/link]

[link=http://community.webshots.com/photo/207865642/207868808yGbWum]http://community.webshots.com/photo/207865642/207868808yGbWum" style="COLOR: #FFa500[/link]

[link=http://community.webshots.com/photo/207865642/207868439zegWYg]http://community.webshots.com/photo/207865642/207868439zegWYg" style="COLOR: #FFa500[/link]

Sorry about the double post.

Gold gouramis are VERY difficult to sex IMO and i don't think I could really give you a definitive answer just by looking at those pics. I would say if it's blowing bubbles at the surface or building something that looks like a nest it's probably a male.

On occasion gouramis will gasp at the surface if they're not getting enough dissolved oxygen or if your tank is high in ammonia, nitrite or nitrate. Just to be safe, I would test the water parameters and maybe add an air stone or two just to see if the behaviour stops. If everything is perfect and the gourami is healthy otherwise, he's probably just a boy.

well, the gourami didnt really make any bubbles.. well he did, but they just poped, and they were very small.

He was only at the surface for like 5 seconds doing this.

Also, this morning, i heard weard noises comming from my tank (it sounded like a fish was out of water between the water, and the lid) i honostly dont know what was going on there.

i saw my gourami doing this again.

he looks like he is at the top eating food, but there is no food there.