rm
Passport
- Family
- Dwarf Gouramis
- Grows to
- 5.5 cm (2.2")
- Lives
- 4–8 years
- Temperament
- Peaceful
- Care
- Beginner
- Swims
- Near the surface
- KeepSuggested
- One is fine
- Water
- 22–27 °C (72–81 °F)
IndiaBangladesh
Care requirements
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On record for Honey Gourami: adult size, lifespan, minimum tank, temperature, ph, hardness, minimum group, diet, care level, swim level, tank length.
A figure that is not on record is left out rather than guessed. One marked Suggested comes from keeping knowledge rather than a page.
- Minimum tankSuggested 38 L / 10.0 US gal
- pH 6–7.5
- Hardness 2–15 dGH
- Diet carnivore
- Tank length 60 cm minimum
Keeping notes
Slow and gentle. Fast, greedy tank mates will eat its dinner before it gets there. One on its own is fine, and so is a group of three or more; a pair is the one to avoid, because the weaker one has nowhere to go.
Care notes written from general aquarium knowledge, not from the cited sources.
About
The gourami to put in a community tank, and consistently overlooked because it looks plain in the shop. Honey gouramis are sold as washed-out silver juveniles and colour up to a deep amber over several months in a settled tank — most people never get to see the fish they actually bought.
They're genuinely peaceful, which is what separates them from the dwarf gourami they usually sit next to on the shelf. A dwarf gourami will harass its own kind and often arrives carrying disease; a honey does neither.
It's a labyrinth fish, so it breathes air at the surface.
Tank setup
Give them calm water and a covered surface. They're slow, deliberate swimmers that hang about in the upper third, so floating plants matter far more here than anything you do with the substrate.
Leave an air gap under the lid. They surface to breathe, and a cold draught on the labyrinth organ does damage.
Choose quiet tank mates. This isn't an aggression problem, it's a competition one — a honey gourami gets outcompeted for food by anything fast, and it'll simply go without rather than fight for it.
Feeding
Feed small foods, near the surface, and give them time. Quality flake and micro pellets, with frozen daphnia, brine shrimp and bloodworm.
Watch them actually eat. In a mixed community the tetras and barbs clear the surface before a honey gourami has finished deciding, and you end up with a well-fed tank containing one hungry fish.
Avoid: large pellets, and feeding at a single spot where the faster fish gather.
Filtration and flow
Keep the flow low. A honey gourami shoved around by an outflow will hide behind the filter and stop feeding, so use a sponge filter or baffle the outlet properly.
They tolerate lower oxygen than most fish because they breathe air, which isn't a reason to under-filter — the waste still has to go somewhere.
With plants
Excellent with plants and much improved by them. Tall stems and floating cover give them the broken, shaded light they show their best colour under.
They'll sometimes use fine-leaved plants and floating cover to anchor a bubble nest, which is worth leaving in place when you find one.
Health
They're far more robust than the dwarf gourami, and that's worth saying plainly: dwarf gourami iridovirus is common in farmed stock and untreatable, and the honey isn't affected by it.
The realistic risks are the ordinary ones — poor water quality, and being outcompeted to the point of going thin. A gourami that's stopped coming up for food is the sign to act on.
Breeding
Achievable, and one of the more rewarding first attempts you can make. The male builds a bubble nest at the surface, often working plant material into it, and courts with an obvious display.
Unlike bettas the pairing isn't violent, though the male will drive the female off once the eggs are laid, and you should leave him to tend them alone.
The fry are very small and need infusoria before they can take baby brine shrimp. A shallow tank with still water and humid air above the surface helps the labyrinth organ develop properly.
Tank mates
Avoid11
- Chinese Algae Eater Chinese Algae Eater is aggressive and Honey Gourami is peaceful and easily intimidated.
- Convict Cichlid Convict Cichlid grows to 15 cm against Honey Gourami at 6 cm, big enough to eat it.
- Jewel Cichlid Jewel Cichlid grows to 15 cm against Honey Gourami at 6 cm, big enough to eat it.
- Least Killifish Honey Gourami grows to 6 cm against Least Killifish at 2 cm, big enough to eat it.
- Scarlet Badis Honey Gourami grows to 6 cm against Scarlet Badis at 2 cm, big enough to eat it.
Only with care21
- Amano Shrimp Honey Gourami is a risk to Amano Shrimp: dwarf gouramis and shrimp and yabbies are a pairing to watch.
- Angelfish Angelfish is a risk to Honey Gourami: angelfish and dwarf gouramis are a pairing to watch.
- Bala Shark Bala Shark is a risk to Honey Gourami: dwarf gouramis and sharks are a pairing to watch.
- Bamboo Shrimp Honey Gourami is a risk to Bamboo Shrimp: dwarf gouramis and shrimp and yabbies are a pairing to watch.
- Betta Betta is a risk to Honey Gourami: betta (male) and dwarf gouramis are a pairing to watch.
No conflict is recorded with the other 74 species in the database, so nothing to flag. 2 species are not covered at all, so they could not be judged either way.