Is a female honey gourami chasing the new male?

[Marts]

I'm having a bit of trouble figuring out the dynamics between these two fish. The one that's more colourful seems to be the dominant one, always keeping the paler one in check. Not sure if I've got two females or a male and a female, but what's interesting is that the colourful one is always making sure the other stays at the back of the tank. No nipping or biting, just chasing.

[sSjey]

From my observations, fish with a dark lateral line often turn out to be females, while males typically have orange-tipped tails rather than yellow.

Looking at the photos, the fish facing left seems to match the female pattern I'm familiar with. The one facing right has a less distinct stripe, making it harder to determine the sex - it could be either a female or a stressed male. I found that fin shape isn't a reliable indicator for this colour morph.

In my setup, I usually kept a single male with a female. I did try a trio once, with one male and two females, but unfortunately, one female consistently bullied the other.