The Honey Gourami ( Trichogaster chuna ), also known as the Sunset Gourami or Honey Dwarf Gourami, is a captivating freshwater fish cherished for its peaceful nature, vibrant colors, and ease of care. Originating from the slow-moving waters of India and Bangladesh, this species has become a popular choice for both beginner and experienced aquarists. Honey gouramis are calm, slow swimmers that prefer the mid to upper levels of the tank. They belong to the Gourami family and are known as air breathers. Gouramis are a group of fish in the families Osphronemidae, Helostomatidae and Anabantidae. They have a labyrinth organ that acts sort of like a lung, which allows them to breathe air at the surface. In nature this adaptation enables them to live in shallow, stagnant, oxygen-poor water. Several species have been selectively bred for different colors and fancier fins.
Natural Habitat and Adaptability
Gouramis are found throughout eastern and southern Asia, from Pakistan through Thailand, Vietnam, the Malaysian Archipelago, China and as far north and east as Korea and Japan. They live in slow-moving rivers, swamps, marshes, canals, wetlands and temporary pools. Honey Gouramis, or Trichogaster Chuna, are commonly found in Bangladesh, Nepal, and Northern India. In the wild, they can be found free swimming through slow moving water.
Many gouramis are found in soft, acidic water in the wild, however the majority of aquarium species sold today are raised commercially in water that has a higher pH and alkalinity than their native environments, so they are very adaptable. The Honey Gourami is used to living in a wide range of conditions. Because of the seasonal monsoon rains, its habitat experiences sudden fluctuations in water chemistry, making it a hardy pet that is great for beginners.
Appearance and Lifespan
Color is the first and most obvious thing to mention when it comes to the appearance of honey gouramis. The entire body of adult males is primarily a light orangeish yellow. Their throat area is a blueish silver and disappears quite quickly once it reaches their head or belly. Males are usually more vibrantly colored, often showing a bright honey or orange coloration with black on their throats and underbellies. Male honey gouramis often darken, particularly around the throat and belly, during mating displays or periods of dominance. This color change is normal and healthy if the fish is otherwise active and eating. Females are primarily silver with a very light gray on their fins. The female Honey Gourami has a more rounded belly compared to male honey gouramis. One of the clearest ways to tell the sexes apart is the dark blue throat of the male honey gouramis when they are interested in mating. As mentioned before, the female is also typically larger than her male counterparts.
Both males and females have a very similar body shape. The fins on the sunset gourami are right from the standard gourami mold. They have tiny little pectoral fins that are quite hard to notice (especially on the females). Honey gouramis typically grow to about 2 inches (5 cm) in length. The Sunset Honey Gourami is a smaller fish that grows up to 2-3 inches in length. Males may appear slightly larger and more streamlined compared to the rounder, smaller females.
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The average honey gourami lifespan is 4 - 8 years, depending on how well taken care of your fish is! With proper care, Honey Gouramis can live for 2-5 years in captivity.
Tank Setup and Water Parameters
The recommended tank size for the honey gouramis is 10 gallons for one fish. A minimum of 10-gallon tank is required for the Honey Gourami to live its best life! Aim for 2-inches of fish per gallon of water, which also means you could add a few other small fish as well. The formula to follow is 10 gallons for one fish, 20 for two, and then 5 extra gallons for each fish after that. Though honey gouramis are relatively small, they appreciate space to swim and explore. A 10-gallon tank is the bare minimum for a pair, but a 20-gallon tank is highly recommended if you plan to keep multiple individuals or add tank mates. This extra space helps prevent stress and territorial disputes, especially among males.
Most gouramis are surface oriented, so having tall plants or ones that float at the surface help make them feel at home. They will be less stressed and show their best colors in a well decorated aquarium. They prefer living in an environment similar to their native homes, so if you keep floating plants in their aquarium, they can live with comfort. No honey gourami tank is complete without a fair number of plants. Plants like hornwort and water wisteria are both solid options that are recommended. Aquarium plants are not just beautiful - they’re practical too. The aquarium should be densely planted with species like Anubias, Java fern, or Cryptocoryne, which provide shelter and hiding spots. Sunset gouramis are likely to feel unsafe and stressed in aquariums without plants. This can have an impact on their overall health and lifespan. Make sure you don’t overplant your tank though, especially on the surface. You can also include other hiding places and decorations to add some variety to their tank as well. Keep a secure lid on the aquarium to prevent them from jumping out.
Honey Gouramis are a hardy fish that can tolerate a wide range of water conditions, such as pH of 6.0-8.0, temperatures between 74-82°F (23-28°C), and soft to hard water hardness (or GH). Water temperature for Honey Gourami should be 71 - 82°F. The water temperature for breeding should be 78 degrees. The pH level of the tank of the fish should be 6.0-7.5, which is a little bit acidic, similar to their native waters in south Asia. Water hardness should be kept between 4-12°dGH. Most importantly, ensure the stability of your water parameters to keep these fish healthy. pH should be between 6.8 and 7.8, alkalinity between 3° and 8° dkH (50 ppm to 140 ppm) and water temperature should remain between 75° and 80° F. If the aquarium is kept in rooms below 75°, use an Aqueon Aquarium Heater to maintain the correct temperature. Maintain good filtration and change 10% of the water weekly or 25% every 2 weeks using an Aqueon Aquarium Water Changer or Siphon Vacuum Gravel Cleaner. Do not forget to treat tap water with Aqueon Water Conditioner before refilling your tank.
Honey gouramis thrive in moderate lighting. Too bright, and they may hide. Honey gouramis prefer gentle water flow.
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Diet and Feeding
Most gouramis are omnivorous. Honey Gouramis are omnivorous fish in nature and eat a lot of insects in their natural environment. The Honey Gourami is an omnivorous species that thrives on a varied diet. So, endeavor to add protein-rich foods to their diet. They will readily accept commercial fish food such as flakes, granules, or pellets. Algae-based flakes are a good consistent source of nutrients that many owners use. To keep them healthy and vibrant, it's essential to supplement their diet with live or frozen foods like bloodworms, brine shrimp, and daphnia. Adding vegetable-based foods such as spirulina flakes or blanched spinach and peas ensures a well-balanced diet. Some freeze-dried options like bloodworms, tubifex, and brine shrimp are all great. Food variety is also a good source of enrichment as well.
The Honey Gourami are small fishes that grow to a maximum length of 3 inches, which means they have a little stomach. Feed them small amounts 2-3 times a day. For best results, rotate their diet daily and feed only what they can consume in under 2 minutes, once or twice a day. Avoid overfeeding them by monitoring how much food is being eaten during feeding time. The general feeding schedule that most honey gourami owners tend to stick with is twice per day.
Behavior and Compatibility
Honey Gouramis are peaceful fish that do well in community tanks with other calm species. Avoid keeping them with aggressive or fin-nipping fish. Honey Gouramis are typically peaceful fish, especially compared to dwarf gouramis. They are peaceful community fish that get along with everyone. Their agreeable personalities mean that they get along with similar-sized community fish. Their classic yellow color really stands out in a lushly planted aquarium with schooling fish of a contrasting color, such as green neon tetras or blue neon rasboras ( Sundadanio axelrodi ‘blue’ ). They also do well with bottom dwellers like cory catfish, rosy loaches, and kuhli loaches. Larger tetras, livebearers other than fancy guppies, peaceful barbs, most danios and angelfish, can all be good choices.
Honey gouramis are calm, slow swimmers that prefer the mid to upper levels of the tank. They are known to swim near the surface of the water, but also spend time in the middle of the water column. For the most part, these fish will stick to the top half of the aquarium. This is because they’re labyrinth fish that need to visit the surface periodically to get oxygen.
As Honey Gouramis tend to be peaceful fish, there are many suitable tank mates to keep them with. Some favorites include other peaceful fish such as cory catfish, dwarf gouramis, and assorted livebearers.
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Honey gouramis are shoaling fish which means they enjoy the company of their own species. This is why it is recommended to pick up a few of them if you’re thinking about getting this fish. It is best to keep honey gouramis in pairs or small groups of three to five. While Honey Gouramis can be kept alone, crowding can be an issue with these fish, so it is best to keep at least four of them in a group. Gouramis are peaceful species but the males can attack each other especially if they are of the same species. Other small breeds like the dwarf gourami are likely the best kings to keep them with. When keeping more than one male, ensure the tank is large enough (at least 20 gallons) and has plenty of hiding spaces to reduce the chance of territorial behavior. In general, the kind of behavior your sunset gourami exhibits will be significantly impacted by their habitat. If you have them alone in a tank with large aggressive fish (not a good idea) then they will be very shy and nervous. The best honey gourami tank mates are non-aggressive fish of a similar size. The first is that large fish might accidentally view your honey gourami as a snack. Aggression of any type is also not a good trait (no matter the size). Honey gouramis are very gentle and don’t want to fight. If another fish is picking on them they simply won’t defend themselves.
Always consult an aquarium expert before buying any new fish for your aquarium.
Breeding Honey Gouramis
Breeding Honey Gouramis is quite easy. Honey gouramis are fun fish to breed, especially if you have never bred bubble nesters before. There are many different ways to breed honey gouramis, but the first step is to ensure you have at least one male and one female. Like the closely related Betta, Honey Gouramis are bubble nesters. During breeding, the male constructs a bubble nest at the surface of the water, usually among floating plants.
Try to use a breeding tank because you’ll need to remove the females at some stage of the cycle. It’s smart to use a breeding tank because you’ll need to remove the parents at various stages of the cycle. A 15-gallon tank or a larger one will be needed. We prepared a 10-gallon aquarium with approximately 6-8 inches (15-20 cm) of water, a heater set to 82°F (28°C), and a gentle sponge filter with minimal surface agitation. Add plenty of floating plants like water sprite and water wisteria so the male has good places to anchor his bubble nest. Add a male and female pair of honey gouramis to the breeding tank, and feed lots of frozen foods and live foods like baby brine shrimp to condition them for spawning. Setting the water temperature slightly higher than normal is a good way to initiate the process. To encourage breeding, maintain warm water temperatures between 26-28°C (78.8-82.4°F) and provide soft water with a slightly acidic to neutral pH (6.0-7.0). A more shallow water level can be helpful as well. Since honey gouramis are bubble nesters you’ll need to have plants in the tank as well.
Honey Gourami does not get pregnant, they become gravid - they swell with eggs. To confirm, check for swelling in the female’s belly, they grow bigger as they grow. Another way of confirming is to check for bubble nests in the tank. After the male makes a suitable bubble nest and courts the female, he will embrace the female multiple times and collect the eggs she drops with his mouth, carefully placing them in the bubble nest. The male will create a nest and then start trying to impress the female. If his attempts are successful she will release her eggs for him to fertilize. Once this process is finished you’ll need to remove the female from the tank.
Depending on the temperature of the tank, the eggs may hatch after 24-36 hours and the fry become free swimming after another 1-2 days. Post-spawn care: Remove the female to prevent aggression. Once the newborns leave the bubble nest, it is safe to remove the father from the tank as well. Honey gouramis can lay hundreds of eggs, but there is usually a high fry mortality rate within the first two weeks. The babies are very tiny and require constant access to miniscule foods like infusoria, vinegar eels, and powdered fry food. Live food is best, we suggest infusoria, liquid fry food, and baby brine shrimp. Feed fry infusoria or liquid fry food. Around the 2-week mark, they should be big enough to eat live baby brine shrimp as their primary food, which we highly recommend due to its densely nutritious content. (And unlike betta fish breeding projects, there is no need to separate the juveniles into individual jars or containers because of aggression issues.)
Common Health Issues
You don’t need to worry about any species-specific diseases with honey gouramis, but that doesn’t mean they can’t get sick. Always take some time to monitor them and look for anything out of the ordinary. Lethargic or unusual behavior is a common symptom of an illness.
Distinguishing Honey Gouramis from Dwarf Gouramis
While they are often confused with the dwarf gourami, honey gouramis are actually a different species! Is a honey gourami the same as a dwarf gourami? No, the dwarf gourami is a different species called Trichogaster lalius that grows to 3 inches (8 cm), whereas the honey gourami is smaller in size and stays around 2 inches (5 cm). This is one of the main differences in the honey vs. dwarf gourami comparison.
Varieties of Honey Gouramis
What are the different types of honey gouramis? The most common kinds are wild type, yellow gold, and red. Sometimes the latter type is called “sunset honey gourami,” but that common name is often confused with the sunset thick-lipped gourami ( Trichogaster labiosa ).