🐟 Honey Gourami Overview

🔹 Basic Info

• Scientific name: Trichogaster chuna (formerly Colisa chuna)

• Common names: Honey Gourami, Sunset Gourami, Red Honey Gourami

• Family: Osphronemidae

• Origin: India and Bangladesh (slow-moving rivers, ponds, and rice fields)

• Size: 2–2.5 inches (5–6 cm)

• Lifespan: 4–8 years

🌿 Tank Requirements

• Minimum tank size: 15–20 gallons for a pair (larger for a small group).

• Water temperature: 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)

• pH: 6.0–7.5

• Hardness: 4–15 dGH

• Filtration: Gentle flow (sponge or low-output filter preferred).

• Lighting: Moderate.

• Aquascape:

  • Dense plants (especially tall and floating types like water sprite, hornwort, or Amazon frogbit).

  • Open swimming areas.

  • A dark substrate and driftwood help bring out their colors.

🍽️ Diet

Honey Gouramis are omnivores. They’ll happily accept:

• High-quality flakes or micro-pellets

• Frozen or live foods: brine shrimp, bloodworms, daphnia, mosquito larvae

• Vegetables and algae-based foods occasionally

Feeding small, varied meals 2–3 times daily enhances color and health.

🧬 Behavior & Temperament

• Exceptionally peaceful and shy, ideal for community tanks.

• Males become more colorful and territorial during breeding but rarely aggressive.

• Prefer calm tank mates and a serene environment.

• Often swim near the surface, occasionally gulping air with their labyrinth organ.

🐣 Breeding Honey Gouramis

💧 Setup

• Separate breeding tank: 10–15 gallons, shallow (6–8 inches of water).

• Temperature: 28–30 °C (82–86 °F).

• pH: 6.5–7.0

• Add floating plants (important for nest support) and gentle filtration.

• Use a tight lid to maintain warm, humid air for developing fry.

♂️ Courtship & Nesting

• The male builds a small bubble nest beneath floating plants or in a corner.

• When ready, he displays intense orange or reddish coloration and courts the female.

• Spawning involves the male wrapping around the female, collecting the eggs, and placing them in the nest.

♀️ After Spawning

• Remove the female post-spawning to prevent stress or harm.

• The male guards the eggs until they hatch (~24–36 hours).

• Remove the male once fry are free-swimming (2–3 days later).

🐟 Fry Care

• Start feeding infusoria or liquid fry food.

• After a few days, transition to baby brine shrimp or finely crushed flakes.

• Maintain excellent water quality and warm temperatures.

🤝 Good Tank Mates

✅ Peaceful Companions

• Small tetras (ember, neon, glowlight)

• Rasboras (harlequin, chili, lambchop)

• Corydoras catfish

• Otocinclus

• Small shrimp (Amano, cherry) — though young shrimp may be eaten

• Kuhli loaches

• Other small peaceful gouramis (avoid males of the same species in small tanks)

⚠️ Avoid

• Aggressive or fin-nipping fish (barbs, large cichlids).

• Fast-moving fish that outcompete them for food.

• Large or boisterous species.

🌸 Fun Facts

• The male Honey Gourami changes color during breeding, turning bright orange-red with a dark blue throat and belly.

• Their gentle personality makes them one of the best gouramis for community tanks.

• They thrive in soft, slightly acidic water with plenty of plants and calm conditions.