Honey Gourami Care: Lifespan, Size, Tank and Mates

The honey gourami (Trichogaster chuna) is a small, peaceful freshwater fish in the gourami family. It comes from northern India and Bangladesh, and occasionally Nepal. It is a good choice for first-time fishkeepers who have a planted tank.

It is also sold as the sunset honey gourami, red honey gourami and red flame gourami. These are color forms and trade names for the same fish.

How long do honey gouramis live? Most care guides give a lifespan of about 5-8 years in an aquarium (some say 4-8), and good water quality and diet are what get a fish to the high end. They stay small, at about 2 inches (5 cm), and one fish fits a 10-gallon tank, and a pair or small group needs 15-20 gallons, at 72-82°F.

Honey Gourami Facts & Overview

The honey gourami was first described by Hamilton and Buchanan in 1822, when males and females were mistaken for two different species, chuna and sota. It has since been moved between several genera and now sits in Trichogaster, a name from the Greek ‘thriks’ (hair) and ‘gaster’ (stomach), a reference to the long, thread-like ventral fins.

Fish in the aquarium trade are commercially bred, so you are very unlikely to find a wild-caught honey gourami. Breeders have also developed ornamental color strains, and the honey gourami is often confused with the dwarf gourami (Trichogaster lalius, long known as Colisa lalia).

How do honey gouramis behave?

Honey gouramis are peaceful and hardy. Although they are classified as benthopelagic fish, meaning they can swim from the bottom to the surface, they spend most of their time in the middle and upper levels of the tank.

They are timid and may take a while to settle in. Males show their full color only once they feel secure.

They are not a schooling fish, but they enjoy company, and Seriously Fish recommends at least 4-6 for natural behavior. Aquarium Co-op notes they can also live alone or in a pair. In a group, expect a pecking order: the dominant fish may chase others at feeding time, and males can harass females. Dense planting breaks up sight lines and prevents bullying. In a small tank, keeping only one male limits fighting.

Honey gouramis also catch prey in an unusual way. They can spit water droplets at insects resting on overhanging leaves to knock them into the water, a behavior shared with archerfish (Toxotes).

Like other gouramis, they have a labyrinth organ that lets them gulp air at the surface, so they cope with poorly oxygenated water.

What do honey gouramis look like?

Honey gouramis have a slim body, small dorsal and anal fins, and narrow, thread-like ventral fins. Young fish and females are silvery gray to light yellow, with a brown stripe from behind the eye to the base of the tail. Females keep this color for life.

Males turn honey-yellow to reddish-orange, and the face, throat and belly darken to blue-black when courting. Like with most fish, males and females differ in color.

Honey gouramis are the smallest of the Trichogaster gouramis. Males are about 1.5 inches and females about 2 inches. The recorded maximum is about 2.2 inches (55 mm), and rarely 3 inches.

Can you tell a honey gourami from a dwarf gourami?

Yes. They are close relatives but different species. Dwarf gouramis are larger (about 3 inches), and the usual colors are red or blue with diagonal stripes. Honey gouramis are smaller, plainer and more orange, and they are generally calmer. Dwarf gouramis can be territorial, especially males kept together in tight quarters.

Don’t confuse them with the sunset thick-lip gourami, which is larger (about 4 inches) and more orange.

What tank setup do honey gouramis need?

Honey gouramis are native to the freshwaters of South Asia. They live in rivers, lakes, ponds, ditches and sometimes flooded fields in India and Bangladesh, in thick vegetation with slow-moving, soft water. The seasonal variation due to monsoons is high between June and October, and the fish live at low altitude. River and lake beds in this region have sandy bottoms with some rocks and debris.

Matching this habitat keeps stress down and brings out their colors. Since they swim in the middle and upper water, plants are the most important part of the setup.

What water conditions do honey gouramis need?

Honey gouramis are hardy, warm-water fish that tolerate small changes in water chemistry. They prefer slow-moving water and soft to moderately hard water. Keep these parameters:

• Hardness: 2-15 dGH
• pH: 6.0-7.5
• Lighting: moderate
• Temperature: 72-82°F (22-28°C)

Because of the labyrinth organ, the air above the tank should not be much colder than the water. If your room is cool, use a heater to keep the temperature steady.

They are shy and feel safest in thick vegetation and floating plants. Leave some open surface so they can reach the air. Do at least a 25% water change every week, and use a gentle filter, since strong currents tire these small fish.

What size aquarium do honey gouramis need?

A single honey gourami needs at least 10 gallons. A pair or small group does best in 15-20 gallons. Seriously Fish gives a minimum footprint of 24 x 12 inches (about 14 gallons) for a pair or small group.

How many honey gouramis can you keep per gallon?

Plan on a 10-gallon tank for the first fish and about 5 extra gallons for each additional one.

What are the best tank mates for honey gouramis?

The honey gourami is slow-moving and shy, and Seriously Fish warns that it is easily intimidated and outcompeted for food. Avoid active or aggressive fish such as cichlids, oscars, silver dollars, pacus and large catfish.

Good tank mates are peaceful, similar-sized fish:

• Cyprinids such as harlequin rasboras, danios, and small Pethia and Puntius species
• Peaceful barbs, but not fin nippers such as tiger barbs and clown barbs
• Small loaches such as the coolie loach and relatives
• Small catfish such as corydoras and otocinclus
• Small rainbowfish
• Snails

Adult amano and cherry shrimp are usually left alone, but honey gouramis will eat baby shrimp, so expect to lose shrimplets. Always provide plenty of cover, since weaker fish get bullied.

Can honey gouramis live together?

Yes. Honey gouramis can be kept as a single fish, a pair or a group. They are not a schooling species, but they enjoy each other’s company and show better color in groups of four to six. A bonded pair will often swim together.

What do honey gouramis eat?

In the wild, honey gouramis are omnivores that eat small invertebrates, insects and zooplankton, and graze on plants now and then. Choose sturdy plants for this reason.

They are not fussy eaters. Feed flakes or pellets as the core diet, and add small live or frozen foods such as bloodworms, brine shrimp and daphnia. Vegetable tablets add variety. Their mouths are small, so choose small foods.

Feed once or twice a day, only as much as they finish in 2-3 minutes. Remove uneaten food.

How do you keep honey gouramis healthy?

Even though they are hardy, weekly water changes of at least 25% protect them from poor water quality. Disease is usually not a problem in a well-maintained tank.

Poor care can cause:

• Velvet disease, a parasite (Piscinoodinium pillulare) that infects the gills, skin and mouth and leaves a golden or brownish dust over the fins and body
• Ich (white spot disease), caused by Ichthyophthirius multifiliis and common in poor water conditions
• Hole in the head disease or hexamitiasis, caused by Hexamita protozoans
• Bacterial infections and constipation

Signs that a honey gourami is sick include clamped fins, dust or white spots on the body, hiding all the time, refusing food, and gasping at the surface. Test the water first, then treat the specific problem.

Many commercially bred gouramis from Asian farms have had health problems linked to dyed, hormone-treated and virus-carrying fish. Quarantine new fish for a few weeks before adding them to a community tank. Also avoid adding substrate or plants from an unknown tank to an established one, because they can bring in disease.

Common mistakes include keeping them with aggressive or fast fish, using a bare tank with no plants, and housing two males in a small tank.

Can you breed honey gouramis?

Breeding is straightforward if you provide the right conditions. They build a bubble nest, often under a leaf, and pairs form a temporary bond.

Use a 10-20 gallon breeding tank with 6-8 inches of water, a temperature of about 78-82°F, and a gentle air-powered sponge filter. Many floating or surface-reaching plants help, because the nest breaks easily on bare water. Keep the air above the water warm and humid to protect the labyrinth organ. Well-fed females fill out with eggs.

The male builds the nest, then courts the female by flashing blue-black and leading her to it. The pair spawn under the nest. The male places the eggs in the bubble nest and keeps spitting water droplets onto it to hold them in place. The pair may spawn repeatedly.

Remove the female after spawning, since the male becomes aggressive. The eggs hatch in about 24-36 hours, and the fry become free-swimming one to two days later. Remove the male once the fry hatch. Feed infusoria or liquid fry food at first, then baby brine shrimp as they grow.

Are honey gouramis right for your aquarium?

Honey gouramis are peaceful, colorful and forgiving of many typical beginner mistakes. They do best in a densely planted tank with hiding places and calm tank mates.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long do honey gouramis live?

Most care guides give 5-8 years, and some say 4-8. Stable water, regular water changes, a varied diet and peaceful tank mates all help a fish reach the upper end.

What is the recommended tank size for a honey gourami?

A single honey gourami needs at least 10 gallons, and a pair or small group does best in 15-20 gallons. Seriously Fish gives a minimum footprint of 24 x 12 inches (about 14 gallons) for a pair or small group.

Can I keep 2 honey gouramis in a 10-gallon?

It is better to use 15-20 gallons for two. A 10-gallon suits one fish, and a pair has more room to avoid each other, which matters because males can chase each other or harass females. If you try a pair in a small tank, keep only one male and plant it densely.

Are gourami good community fish?

Honey gouramis are, as long as the tank mates are peaceful. They are among the most peaceful gouramis, but they are shy and easily outcompeted for food, so avoid active or aggressive fish such as cichlids and oscars.

What fish pair well with gouramis?

For honey gouramis, peaceful, similar-sized fish such as harlequin rasboras, danios, small peaceful barbs, small loaches, corydoras and otocinclus work well. Avoid fin nippers such as tiger barbs and clown barbs. Adult amano and cherry shrimp are usually left alone, but honey gouramis will eat baby shrimp.

Are honey gouramis aggressive?

No. They are among the most peaceful gouramis, but males can chase each other or females in cramped tanks. Dense plants and one male per small tank reduce fighting.