Honey Gourami Turning Black

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JB123

Aquarium Advice Newbie
Joined
Mar 5, 2018
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8
I bought my two red honey gourami a few weeks ago and asked for a male and female. My LFS said that the fish chosen were his “best guess” in regards to sex.

The last couple of weeks one gourami has started to turn black, specifically on the bottom and fins of the fish (pictures attached). This gourami spends a lot of time in the corner, as pictured, and is quite aggressive to the other one - often chasing it from the other end of the tank. It appears the other one has a few missing scales. I’ve also witnessed the aggressor attempting to make a bubble nest in the same corner.

Is this just the gourami’s breeding colour? I know they turn black on their belly but all pictures I’ve seen appear different to mine.

Any advice would be much appreciated!
 

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Tough to say ? With the attempted bubble nest and aggression it could be breeding color.
The fish looks healthy. If the other one does not have noticeably shorter fins then I would guess they are same sex and the one in picture is the alpha.
 
Tough to say ? With the attempted bubble nest and aggression it could be breeding color.
The fish looks healthy. If the other one does not have noticeably shorter fins then I would guess they are same sex and the one in picture is the alpha.

If that is the case, do you think I should rehome one of the fish or would getting two females help to solve the problem?
 
If they are both male re home the passive male.
Looking for a female try for smaller, fatter with shorter fins [dorsal and anal]. Often looking from top can make it easier on the fatter part . I always like when there are enough to compare one to others. Not all are easy to see but in groups often a couple show different or more clearly.
The only reason I would not get 2 females is gouramis are rough on each other and even with mates the alpha will rule and likely his mate[the alpha female] also .
 
That's just their breeding behavior!! I have the same type and one of the males turned really dark and is building huge bubble nests, it's just them sexually maturing and getting ready to breed. Nothing to worry about as long as the aggression doesn't kill the other ones
 
Our Flame Gourami

Our little guy has turned quite dark too. I found this thread wondering if he might be sick, but lo and behold, he is also hanging in the corner with the plants, making a bubble nest and quite valiently guarding it. Our blue Gourami is doing the same just a few inches away. Now someone's going to need to break the news to them. We don't have any female gouramis.
 

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I use to have a pair in my community tank, but I had to rehome my male because he was getting too aggressive during mating/while protecting his bubble nest/territory. But he would turn black just like that.
 
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