It breathes air, and it is not a dwarf gourami
A honey gourami is a small anabantoid that comes to the surface for air, builds a nest out of bubbles, and is sold beside a fish it is constantly confused with. Every honey gourami care sheet we read recommends it to beginners, and none of them agrees with the others about the tank. Two of those three facts are settled. The nest is not.
Seriously Fish gives the anatomy: like others in the suborder Anabantoidei this species possesses an accessory breathing organ known as the labyrinth, which allows the fish to breathe atmospheric air to a certain extent. Aquarium Co-Op says the same in plainer words, that they have a special labyrinth organ that allows them to absorb oxygen directly from the air. Our betta record is the other fish on this site with that organ.
The confusion worth clearing first is the dwarf gourami. Aquarium Co-Op is direct: the dwarf gourami is a different species called Trichogaster lalius that grows to 3 inches, 8 cm, has a greater number of color varieties, and its feisty nature means that they can be more prone to bullying other fish. A honey gourami stays around 2 inches and three of our four sources call it peaceful. The two fish are the same shape at different sizes and temperaments, and the price tags in a shop rarely say which is which.
On its own colors the sources nearly agree. Seriously Fish records a number of selectively-bred ornamental strains including red, sunset and golden, and adds that wild examples are rare in the aquarium hobby, with virtually all fish on sale produced commercially. Aquarium Co-Op names wild type, yellow gold and red, and says yellow or gold type honey gouramis are the most common variety.
Why this record was written now
- The gap
- Thirteen thousand searches a month and no page here, on a fish three of our sources recommend to beginners.
- What it changes
- It is the second labyrinth fish on this site and the first that our sources agree is a community fish, which is the argument our betta record cannot settle for its own species.
- What it does not
- Two blanks. A growth rate, because nobody publishes one, and a male to female ratio, though three sources warn about males squabbling.
The water, and a tank that depends on how many
| Source | Tank | Temperature | pH | Hardness |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seriously Fish | A base of 60 by 30 cm for a pair or small group | 72 to 81 °F | 6.0 to 7.5 | 2 to 15 dGH |
| Aquarium Co-Op | 5 or 10 gal for one, 20 for three | 74 to 82 °F | 6.0 to 8.0 | Soft to hard |
| aqua-fish | 40 liters, 10 gal, for a pair or small group | 73.4 to 86 °F | 6 to 8 | 4 to 12 dGH, 71 to 214 ppm |
| Wikipedia | not stated | 72 to 82 °F | not stated | not stated |
The tank column is three answers to two different questions. For one fish, Aquarium Co-Op will go to five gallons. For the group Seriously Fish asks for, four to six specimens, the same source wants twenty. aqua-fish puts a pair or small group in ten, and Seriously Fish's 60 by 30 cm base is a twenty gallon long by another name. The record prints 10 gallons, which is the smallest figure any source states for a group rather than for a single fish, and station 05 is about why the group is not optional.
On temperature all four bands contain 74 to 81 °F. Both sources that discuss breeding push it higher: aqua-fish to 78.8 to 82.4 and Aquarium Co-Op to a heater set to 82 °F.
On pH the three published bands share 6.0 to 7.5, and the two that reach 8.0 come back down to breed: aqua-fish asks for soft water at 6.0 to 7.0 to spawn them. That is the same shape our chili rasbora record found, where the keeping range and the breeding range point in different directions and only the breeding advice agrees across sources.
On hardness two sources publish a figure in the same unit, which is rarer on this site than it should be. They overlap from 71 to 214 ppm.
A planted tank with a quiet surface
Every source describes the same tank, and it follows directly from where the fish lives. Seriously Fish on the habitat: low altitude, heavily-vegetated, sluggish waters including ponds, ditches, beels, and flooded fields. Wikipedia on the tank: in captivity, the species is typically maintained in aquaria with dense vegetation and structural features that provide cover, which reflects its natural preference for sheltered environments and helps reduce stress, as honey gouramis can be relatively timid.
aqua-fish names the plants, and two of the four are records here: Anubias, java fern, Cryptocoryne, and floating plants like Salvinia or Pistia. It gives the reason for the floating ones in the same sentence, that they help mimic the subdued lighting conditions honey gouramis prefer. Java fern is written here and runs 72 to 82 °F, which contains this record's 74 to 81 exactly. Anubias is now written and Cryptocoryne is still in the queue on our plants silo.
The floating plants do a second job that only becomes obvious in station 08: they are where the bubble nest goes.
On flow, nothing our sources say is subtle. Seriously Fish calls the fish slow-moving and warns that tankmates must be chosen with care because of it. A fish from a ditch is not a fish for a strong filter, and our tank setup page collects the same requirement from four other records.
The full record
| Field | Recorded | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum tank | 10 gal | Three sources and two answers, separated by how many fish are in the tank. aqua-fish: a minimum capacity of 40 liters, 10 gallons, for a pair or a small group. Aquarium Co-Op splits it: a single honey gourami can live in a 5 or 10-gallon tank, and a group of three gouramis would do better in a 20-gallon aquarium. Seriously Fish gives no volume and asks for an aquarium base of 60 by 30 cm, 24 by 12 in, or equivalent, which it says is sufficient to house a pair or small group. That footprint is a twenty gallon long. The row prints 10 gallons because that is the smallest figure a source states for the group this fish is supposed to live in, and the twenty gallon figures are what two of the three sources reach for once there are three or more. |
| Temperature | 74 to 81 °F | Four bands and 74 to 81 °F is the span every one of them contains. Seriously Fish is the coolest at 22 to 27 C, 72 to 81 °F. Aquarium Co-Op gives 74 to 82 °F, 23 to 28 C. Wikipedia says the species is commonly maintained at 22 to 28 C, 72 to 82 °F. aqua-fish is the widest by a distance at 23 to 30 C, 73.4 to 86 °F, and it raises the figure again for breeding, to 26 to 28 C, 78.8 to 82.4 °F. Aquarium Co-Op reaches the same place from the other direction, asking for a heater set to 82 °F to breed them. |
| pH | 6.0 to 7.5 | Three sources publish a band and the row prints the span all three contain. Seriously Fish: 6.0 to 7.5. Aquarium Co-Op: 6.0 to 8.0. aqua-fish: 6 to 8. The two that go to 8.0 both come back down for breeding: aqua-fish asks for soft water with a slightly acidic to neutral pH of 6.0 to 7.0 to spawn them. That is the same pattern our chili rasbora record found, where the keeping range and the breeding range point in different directions. |
| Hardness | 71 to 214 ppm | Two sources publish a figure and for once they use the same unit. Seriously Fish gives 2 to 15 dGH, about 36 to 268 ppm. aqua-fish gives 4 to 12 dGH and converts it itself to 71.43 to 214.29 ppm. The two overlap from 71 to 214 ppm. Aquarium Co-Op says only soft to hard water hardness, which is the whole range. The other gourami on this site stops at the same figure. Our sparkling gourami record publishes 89 to 214 ppm from two sources that share 5 to 12 dGH, so the two records have the same hardness ceiling to the ppm and differ only in how low each will go. |
| Adult size | 1.6 to 2.2 in (40 to 55 mm) | Four figures inside two thirds of an inch of each other, and two of them are not the same measurement. Seriously Fish measures it at 55 mm standard length, 2.2 in, which is nose to tail base and excludes the caudal fin. Wikipedia gives 5.5 cm total length, 2.2 in, which includes it. Read strictly, the Seriously Fish fish is the longer of the two. Aquarium Co-Op: it stays around 2 inches, 5 cm. aqua-fish gives the usual size in fish tanks as 4 to 6 cm, 1.57 to 2.36 inches, which is the only source that describes a tank fish rather than a maximum. The row prints the span those four support. |
| Diet | Omnivore, and an insect eater in the wild | Seriously Fish: likely to prey on insects and other small invertebrates in nature, and it asks for small live or frozen foods such as Daphnia, Artemia or bloodworm regularly. Aquarium Co-Op describes the same wild diet, small bug larvae, crustaceans and other invertebrates, and says they will willingly eat an omnivore diet of flakes, nano pellets, Repashy gel food, freeze-dried foods, frozen foods and live foods. aqua-fish calls the species omnivorous and adds the vegetable half nobody else does, spirulina flakes or blanched spinach and peas, with feeding once or twice daily and only as much as they can consume within a few minutes. |
| Water column | Mid water, and it surfaces to breathe | No source states a layer in the words our other records use, and all of them describe the same fish: a slow, top-heavy anabantoid in a densely planted tank. What decides the surface half is the anatomy. Seriously Fish: like others in the suborder Anabantoidei this species possesses an accessory breathing organ known as the labyrinth, which allows the fish to breathe atmospheric air to a certain extent. Aquarium Co-Op says the same in plainer words, that they have a special labyrinth organ that allows them to absorb oxygen directly from the air. A fish that breathes air is a fish that must be able to reach the surface, which is why aqua-fish asks for floating plants and why the bubble nest in station 08 is built up there. |
| Lifespan | 2 to 5 years | One source publishes a figure. aqua-fish: with proper care, honey gouramis can live for 2 to 5 years in captivity. Seriously Fish, Aquarium Co-Op and Wikipedia publish no lifespan at all between them, which is worth knowing before a shop quotes one. Two to five years is at the short end of what this site holds: only the guppy at 2 to 3 and the ember tetra at 2 to 4 are shorter. |
| Growth rate | Not recorded yet | No source publishes a rate or a developmental stage. The nearest anybody comes is aqua-fish giving the fry as free-swimming after about 3 days, which is a hatching timetable rather than a growth figure. |
The same nine fields for every animal on this site are in the A to Z index.
Where our sources disagree
Every record here names a disagreement. On this one it is about a structure the fish builds, and it is the kind of claim anybody whose fish spawns can check.
Seriously Fish
Unlike those of some related species the bubblenest does not include pieces of plant material.
Wikipedia
During the breeding period, males construct floating nests composed of air bubbles, often incorporating plant material.
What we record: we print both and take neither. Seriously Fish is making the narrower and more specific claim, that this species differs from its relatives in exactly this respect, and a claim that names its own exception is usually the one that has been looked at.
Wikipedia is making the general statement most anabantoid nests would satisfy. They cannot both be right about the same fish. aqua-fish sits alongside without settling it, saying the male constructs a bubble nest at the surface of the water, usually among floating plants, which is a statement about where the nest is rather than what it is made of.
If your pair spawns, this is the rare disagreement on this site that a keeper can resolve by looking.
Not a schooling fish, and not a solitary one either
Seriously Fish states this more carefully than most sources state anything, and the care is the point: though not gregarious in the sense of schooling fishes it does seem to require interaction with conspecifics and displays more interesting behaviour when maintained in numbers, meaning the purchase of no less than 4 to 6 specimens is recommended
.
Read that against Aquarium Co-Op, which says a single honey gourami can live in a 5 or 10-gallon tank. Both can be true: one fish will live, and four to six will behave like the animal the sources describe. The record carries 4 to 6 because it is the only figure stated as a recommendation.
The part every source hedges
Three of the four raise male aggression and not one of them gives a ratio. Wikipedia: males may display territorial aggression toward one another, particularly in confined conditions. Aquarium Co-Op: honey gouramis sometimes squabble amongst themselves. aqua-fish files the temperament to its own species as peaceful and says nothing about males.
So a keeper buying four to six is told to expect squabbles and given no way to reduce them. That blank is on this record rather than filled in, and it is the same gap our betta record has in a sharper form, where one source will not put the fish in a community tank at all.
What it can live with
Wikipedia: best housed with small, non-aggressive species, including non-fin-nipping tetras and barbs, corydoras, platys, and other similarly sized fishes. aqua-fish names four by binomial, and two of them are ours: Hyphessobrycon amandae, our ember tetra, and Corydoras panda, which our corydoras record covers alongside the pygmy and habrosus species. It also allows other peaceful gouramis, provided the tank is spacious.
The warning that matters more than the list is Seriously Fish's: tankmates must be chosen with care since this species is slow-moving and will easily be intimidated or outcompeted for food by larger or more vigorous tankmates. That is the third record on this site to carry outcompeted at feeding time as the real risk, after the chili rasbora and the otocinclus.
Honey gourami male vs female, and only in season
Seriously Fish gives the most precise account on the record and it comes with a condition attached.
- Females: adult females are brownish in color, noticeably larger than males.
- Males out of season: non-nuptial males possess a similar lateral stripe but the base body color is slightly orangish.
- Males in season: in nuptial individuals the body and opercular region become bright orange with the head, the anterioventral portion of the body, and the spiny rays of the anal fin colored dark blue to black.
And the sentence that undoes it for most buyers: Seriously Fish records that these changes do not occur in males of the various ornamental strains. The gold and red fish in the shop are the common ones, per Aquarium Co-Op, and they are the ones whose males will not do this.
So on a wild type pair the male tells you what he is by turning orange and black. On a gold strain, which is what most shops stock, the size difference is what is left.
What the other three sources add
Wikipedia is the only source that gives a difference that does not depend on the season or the strain: The male also has longer fins, with a pointed dorsal fin and extended anal fin rays.
It agrees with everyone else that males are the more colorful sex.
On the female the two care sheets do not quite match. A female honey gourami is brownish per Seriously Fish and, per aqua-fish, paler and more silver in color. aqua-fish also states the limit plainly, that sexing honey gouramis can be challenging, especially outside of the breeding season, which is the same conclusion Seriously Fish reaches by naming the exception.
An insect eater that will take flakes
Two sources describe the wild diet the same way. Seriously Fish: likely to prey on insects and other small invertebrates in nature. Aquarium Co-Op: small bug larvae, crustaceans, and other invertebrates, and it adds the comparison that makes the point, that this is similar to betta fish.
The honey gourami diet in a tank
In a tank all three care sources converge. Aquarium Co-Op: they willingly eat an omnivore diet of flakes, nano pellets, Repashy gel food, freeze-dried foods, frozen foods, and live foods. Seriously Fish asks for small live or frozen foods such as Daphnia, Artemia or bloodworm regularly. aqua-fish adds the vegetable half nobody else mentions, spirulina flakes or blanched spinach and peas, and gives the only schedule on the record: once or twice daily, only as much as they can consume within a few minutes.
The feeding instruction that actually matters is not on the food list. It is Seriously Fish's warning that a slow fish will be outcompeted by more vigorous tankmates. A honey gourami in a tank of fast fish is a well fed tank with a hungry gourami in it.
The bubble nest, and what it is made of
The disagreement
Seriously Fish: this species is a bubblenester which forms temporary pair bonds, and unlike those of some related species the bubblenest does not include pieces of plant material.
Wikipedia: during the breeding period, males construct floating nests composed of air bubbles, often incorporating plant material.
Those are opposite statements about the same species and station 04 prints them side by side. aqua-fish describes where rather than what: the male constructs a bubble nest at the surface of the water, usually among floating plants, which is compatible with either.
This is the rare disagreement on this site a reader can settle themselves. If your pair spawns, look at the nest.
Honey gourami breeding, and where the sources nearly agree
Aquarium Co-Op describes the spawning: the male will embrace the female multiple times and collect the eggs she drops with his mouth, carefully placing them in the bubble nest. aqua-fish: once the female lays her eggs, the male takes responsibility for guarding the nest and tending to the eggs until they hatch.
On hatching, two sources give the same figure and one is slower. Seriously Fish: the eggs hatch, usually in around 24 to 36 hours. Aquarium Co-Op: eggs may hatch after 24 to 36 hours. Wikipedia: eggs generally hatch within approximately two days.
Then the fry, and the reason our brine shrimp guide exists. Seriously Fish: the fry become free swimming in another 24 to 48 hours and are very small, and they should be fed infusoria or liquid fry food for the first week, after which they are large enough to accept brine shrimp nauplii or microworm. aqua-fish puts free swimming at about 3 days and starts with newly hatched brine shrimp or microworms.
The gap between those two fry instructions is a week of food you cannot buy in a shop, which is the problem our breeding page exists to name.
Strains and honey gourami colors, and the names nobody defines
Half our sources name color strains and half do not, which is the first thing to know before paying a strain premium in a shop.
| Source | Strain names it uses | What it says about the wild fish |
|---|---|---|
| Seriously Fish | red, sunset, golden | Wild examples are rare in the aquarium hobby, with virtually all fish on sale produced commercially |
| Aquarium Co-Op | wild type, yellow gold, red | Yellow or gold type honey gouramis are the most common variety |
| aqua-fish | names none | Describes males as bright honey or orange with black on the throat and underbelly |
| Wikipedia | names none | Describes the body as orange, with bright orange around the throat |
What the names do and do not tell you
A red honey gourami and a sunset honey gourami are both named by Seriously Fish as selectively-bred ornamental strains, alongside golden. A wild type honey gourami is what Aquarium Co-Op calls the unselected fish, and it says the yellow or gold form is what shops usually stock. Nothing our sources publish attaches a different tank size, temperature, or diet to any strain, so every figure in station 04 applies to all of them.
One trade name appears in none of our four sources. A red gold honey gourami is a name shops and search boxes use, and not one of the pages this record is built from defines it, prices it, or says which of the strains above it belongs to. We are not going to invent a definition for a label our sources do not use.
There is one consequence of buying a strain fish, and it is not about color quality. It is in station 06: the seasonal color change that tells a male from a female happens on wild type fish and, per Seriously Fish, does not occur in males of the various ornamental strains.
Honey gourami tank size, by how many fish are in it
This is the question the sources answer least consistently, so it is worth putting the three published figures next to the two group figures they have to satisfy.
- One fish: Aquarium Co-Op will keep a single honey gourami in a 5 or 10-gallon tank.
- A pair or a small group: aqua-fish asks for a well-planted tank with a minimum capacity of 40 liters, 10 gallons. Seriously Fish asks for a base of 60 by 30 cm, which is the footprint of a twenty gallon long.
- Three fish: Aquarium Co-Op says a group of three would do better in a 20-gallon aquarium.
- Four to six fish: which is what Seriously Fish recommends, and no source states a volume for it.
How many honey gouramis in a 10 gallon tank
Two sources will put a pair or a small group in ten gallons and neither of them says how many fish a small group is. Aquarium Co-Op’s own arithmetic argues against filling it: if three fish do better in twenty, three in ten is the tank it is comparing against. Our reading is a pair, in a planted ten gallon with a gentle filter, and the honest answer to the number is that our sources do not publish one.
How many honey gouramis in a 20 gallon tank
Twenty gallons is where the group Seriously Fish asks for and the volume Aquarium Co-Op asks for meet: four to six fish, in the 60 by 30 cm footprint Seriously Fish specifies. Wikipedia adds the reason the extra water helps, which is not filtration but floor space: in larger, well-structured tanks, males may establish separate territories and coexist more successfully. In a small tank, per the same source, males may display territorial aggression toward one another, particularly in confined conditions.
What the volume does not fix
Two things, and both are about water quality rather than water volume. The flow has to stay low, because every source describes a fish from sluggish water and Seriously Fish calls it slow-moving. And the surface has to stay reachable, because the fish breathes air. Our stocking page explains why this site will not use the one inch per gallon rule to answer any of this, and our stocking calculator works from the published minimum for each record instead. Neither replaces the group figure: a tank can hold the water for six fish and still be the wrong shape for them.
What this record will not answer
What the nest is made of
One source says no plant material and another says often plant material. Station 08 prints both. We are not going to pick between a specialist reference and an encyclopedia on a detail either could have checked.
How many females per male
Three sources warn that males squabble and not one publishes a ratio. A keeper buying the four to six the record asks for is told to expect the problem and given no way to reduce it.
A growth rate
Nobody publishes one. The only timescales on this record are hatching times and the age at which fry take brine shrimp.
How long it lives
One source out of four gives a lifespan, 2 to 5 years, and the three most technical ones give none. That is thin for a figure buyers ask about, and the row carries it with the count attached.
Whether the ornamental strains behave differently
Seriously Fish records that the nuptial color change does not occur in males of the ornamental strains, which is a fact about appearance. Whether a gold strain fish is otherwise the same animal is not something any of our four sources addresses.
Honey gourami questions, answered from the record
What size tank does a honey gourami need?
Ten gallons for the pair or small group two sources describe, and the record carries that. Aquarium Co-Op will put a single fish in a 5 or 10-gallon and asks for 20 for a group of three. Seriously Fish gives no volume and asks for a base of 60 by 30 cm, which is a twenty gallon long. Since Seriously Fish also asks for four to six fish, the twenty gallon figures are the ones that match the group.
How many honey gouramis should I keep together?
Four to six. Seriously Fish: though not gregarious in the sense of schooling fishes it does seem to require interaction with conspecifics and displays more interesting behaviour when maintained in numbers, meaning the purchase of no less than 4 to 6 specimens is recommended
. A single fish will live, per Aquarium Co-Op, but no source describes it as the better option.
Are honey gouramis aggressive?
Three sources call the species peaceful and three of the four warn about males with each other. Wikipedia: widely regarded as a peaceful community fish, though males may display territorial aggression toward one another, particularly in confined conditions. Aquarium Co-Op: they sometimes squabble amongst themselves. Nothing we read gives a male to female ratio to reduce it.
What is the difference between a honey gourami and a dwarf gourami?
Size and temper. Aquarium Co-Op: the dwarf gourami is a different species called Trichogaster lalius that grows to 3 inches, 8 cm, against about 2 inches for a honey gourami, has a greater number of color varieties, and its feisty nature means that they can be more prone to bullying other fish.
What water parameters do honey gouramis need?
74 to 81 °F, pH 6.0 to 7.5, and 71 to 214 ppm hardness, which are the spans the published bands share. Both sources that discuss breeding raise the temperature, to 78.8 to 82.4 or a heater set to 82 °F, and lower the pH, to 6.0 to 7.0.
Do honey gouramis breathe air?
Yes. Seriously Fish: like others in the suborder Anabantoidei this species possesses an accessory breathing organ known as the labyrinth, which allows the fish to breathe atmospheric air to a certain extent. Aquarium Co-Op says they absorb oxygen directly from the air. It is the same organ our betta record describes, and it means the fish must always be able to reach the surface.
What do honey gouramis eat?
Insects and small invertebrates in the wild, and almost anything in a tank. Aquarium Co-Op names flakes, nano pellets, Repashy gel food, freeze-dried, frozen and live foods. Seriously Fish asks for small live or frozen Daphnia, Artemia or bloodworm regularly. aqua-fish adds spirulina flakes or blanched spinach and peas, fed once or twice daily and only as much as they eat in a few minutes.
How do you tell a male honey gourami from a female?
On a wild type fish, by color in season. Seriously Fish: adult females are brownish and noticeably larger than males, non-nuptial males are slightly orangish, and nuptial males turn bright orange with the head, front underside and anal fin rays dark blue to black. The catch is in the same source: these changes do not occur in males of the various ornamental strains, and the gold and red strains are what most shops stock.
How do honey gouramis breed?
In a bubble nest at the surface. Aquarium Co-Op: the male embraces the female multiple times and collects the eggs she drops with his mouth, placing them in the nest. Seriously Fish and Aquarium Co-Op both give hatching at 24 to 36 hours and Wikipedia says approximately two days. Fry are free swimming a day or two later and need infusoria or liquid fry food for the first week before they can take brine shrimp nauplii.
Is a honey gourami bubble nest made of plants?
Our two most technical sources disagree. Seriously Fish says that unlike those of some related species the bubblenest does not include pieces of plant material. Wikipedia says males construct floating nests composed of air bubbles, often incorporating plant material. aqua-fish only says the nest is built at the surface, usually among floating plants. This record prints all three and settles none of it.
How many honey gouramis can go in a 20 gallon tank?
Four to six, which is the group Seriously Fish recommends inside the 60 by 30 cm footprint it asks for. Aquarium Co-Op reaches twenty gallons from the other direction, saying a group of three would do better in a 20-gallon aquarium. Wikipedia gives the reason the space matters: in larger, well-structured tanks, males may establish separate territories and coexist more successfully.
What colors do honey gouramis come in?
Two of our four sources name strains and two name none. Seriously Fish lists red, sunset and golden as selectively-bred ornamental strains and says virtually all fish on sale are produced commercially. Aquarium Co-Op names wild type, yellow gold and red, and says the yellow or gold form is the most common. A red gold honey gourami is a name none of our sources defines. No source attaches different care figures to any strain.
How long do honey gouramis live?
Two to five years, from the only source that publishes a figure. aqua-fish: with proper care, honey gouramis can live for 2 to 5 years in captivity. Seriously Fish, Aquarium Co-Op and Wikipedia give no lifespan at all, which is worth knowing if a shop quotes one.
Are honey gouramis good for beginners?
Aquarium Co-Op says it directly: it is a hardy pet that is great for beginners. What the other sources add is the condition rather than a contradiction. Seriously Fish asks for four to six fish, a quiet tank and careful tank mates because the fish is slow-moving and easily outcompeted, and Wikipedia calls it relatively timid. A hardy fish in the wrong tank is still a hungry one.
This record is now the species behind a family guide. Our gourami fish guide reads the whole family against this record: about 133 species in Osphronemidae per Wikipedia, ten of which our sources give a size for, from a 1.5 inch sparkling gourami to a 28 inch giant gourami. Two findings there are worth coming back for. The family pH figures, 5.5 to 7.5 from one source and 6 to 8 from another, overlap on exactly the 6.0 to 7.5 this record publishes for one species. And the dwarf gourami, the fish this record spends station 01 distinguishing itself from, is the one member of the family with a trade-borne virus named after it: a study reported around 22 percent of them infected in Australian shops, while the retailer that sells thousands says it has never seen the disease.
What a honey gourami needs that a tetra does not
Three things our sources ask for, and two of them are about the surface.
- Floating plants, or something at the topsalvinia or pistia, to dim the light and hold a nest
- A gentle filter and still watera slow fish that is easily out-competed
- A lid, and air above the waterit breathes atmospheric air through a labyrinth organ
Every item our records ask for is gathered on the tank setup topic.
Nothing here is a paid link. It is the shortfall between what this record asks for and what a boxed kit contains.
How this record was compiled
- By
- Verified
- Sources
Seriously Fish, Trichogaster chuna, Aquarium Co-Op, honey gourami care guide, aqua-fish and Wikipedia, Honey gourami
- Conflicts
Printed above: one source says the bubble nest contains no plant material and another says it often does
- Blanks
Growth rate stay empty until a source we trust states them
- Not recorded
A growth rate, because nobody publishes one; and a male to female ratio, because three sources warn about males squabbling and not one of them says how many females to put with them