Males Look Different?

[MeganL3985]

So this has been on my mind for the past 7 or so months that I've had my dwarf gourami's......both are suppose to be male....but they're both different shapes. One is rounder with longer fins...and the other one is more a rectangle shape, with shorter fins. Is it normal for male gourami to look different? I've also noticed the red male, thats rectangle shape, kinda has a odd shaped head. I think I have pics to post to show. Let me dig them up.
The blue one was POTM runner up for June....so some of you may have seen it already.

[Mvjnz]

The female usually has shorter and differently shaped fins, and a lot of the time will be a pretty boring colour compared to the male.

[DragonGoby]

For what I've read on dwarf gourami, the female have lighter color than the male... More like silver or golden color... and on some pics I've seen their bellies are more triangle shape than the male...
Perhaps one of your male is younger than the other?

[MeganL3985]

I dunno....the blue one is a blue/silver color. So I'm not sure. I think they're around the same age also....I got them from the same tank, at the same time and they both haven't grown any since I've had them. Who knows. I guess it'll be one of those mysteries :) lol

[Gemini]

Maybe it's because they are different colours? Is the Dwarf Gourami one species with two colours? Well I looked it up and yes they are: "Wild type coloring will have a blue and red diagonally striped body including the fins. Color variants have been selectively bred from powder blue to bright red, with many variations in between. The body is oblong-round, with a rounded face."
And everything I have read says that females are a lot greyer, paler, plainer and smaller. One article I read says that males have more pointed dorsal fins, females more rounded. Going by all that I'd say you have two males.

[pes142]

i would assume that, just like people, there is some variation in size and shape. Not every person looks the same, or every golden retriever. i always love to look at the slight body variations in bettas, some have larger humps in their backs, some have thicker builds, the slight differences fascinate me.