Is my Pearl Gourami male or female?

[jeaninel]

Can someone please tell me if my new pearl gourami is a male or female? Size is about 2". Is that old enough to sex? At first I thought it may be a female. But I'm starting to wonder. The other night I watched him/her trying to build a bubble nest. Do females do that? Also starting to show color on the front of the anal fin.

Here's some vids:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=eO-Rj6QN45A
http://youtube.com/watch?v=pAUvwFZMlWc

[bettababy]

Yes females can and do build bubble nests, and that looks female to me. Even a female, when healthy, can show a lot of color. The reason I say it appears female is due to the dorsal fin. It is very obviously rounded and not pointed on the end, which would be a good indication of a female fish, even at that size/age.

[jeaninel]

Thanks, bettababy! I had thought female also because of the dorsal fin but wasn't sure if maybe it was just too young. There were probably about 15 pearls in the tank all the same size or smaller and all their dorsals looked the same. I was trying to find a male. But this female seems to have quite the personality. :D

[bettababy]

Some of my best and favorite gouramis over the years have all been female! I had 2 beautiful gold girls many yrs ago, 5 wonderful years with them before I added a small male who tore them up overnight. In most gouramis I still prefer the females, they're not quite as aggressive as most males are, and just as active and pretty in most species.