Honey Gourami

About the species

The honey gourami has the same labyrinth breathing organ as its larger relative, the blue gourami, but is considerably smaller — growing to only about 5 to 6 centimetres — and much more peaceful. That makes it often the better choice for a smaller, calmer community tank, where a blue gourami would quickly become too large and too territorial as it matured. It comes from the slow-moving, densely vegetated waters of northern India and Bangladesh, living among submerged plants in shallow ponds, ditches, and flooded fields.

The labyrinth organ in a smaller fish

Like the blue gourami, the honey gourami regularly rises to the surface for a gulp of air, which thanks to its labyrinth organ lets it breathe even in water with lower oxygen saturation. Because the fish is smaller, this behaviour is less noticeable, but access to the surface remains an important part of its basic care.

Insects on the menu

Unlike the more generalist omnivorous blue gourami, the honey gourami in the wild feeds mainly on insects and other small invertebrates. Dry food can form the base of its diet, but regularly adding live or frozen foods — brine shrimp, daphnia, mosquito larvae, or tiny insects — better matches its natural feeding habits.

A social fish, not a loner

Although the honey gourami isn't as strongly shoaling as, say, corydoras, observations suggest it benefits from the company of its own kind. Keeping at least 4 to 6 individuals together is recommended, which encourages more natural behaviour and more intense colouration, especially in males.

A small tank, but not too small

A recommended minimum of around 54 litres applies, considerably less than for the larger blue gourami. Even so, the fish appreciates a reasonably densely planted space with calm zones, since it is a shy species that needs cover among the plants rather than just open swimming space.

Water

A sensible range is 22–27 °C, pH 6.0–7.5, general hardness (GH) around 2–15 °dH and carbonate hardness (KH) around 1–8 °dH. Gentle water movement suits it better than a strong filter outflow, since the species comes from the slow-moving waters of the Ganges and Brahmaputra river systems.

Tankmates

It pairs best with peaceful, pelagic cyprinids and less active loaches; aggressive or strongly territorial species are worth avoiding, since the honey gourami is considerably more timid than its larger relative, the blue gourami.

Colour variants

In the wild, honey gourami are a greyish-olive colour, while the intense honey-orange to reddish colour the fish is named for is mainly a trait of breeding males during spawning, or of selectively bred colour lines. The difference is cosmetic and doesn't affect basic care.

Telling males from females

Males and females are mostly distinguished by colour intensity and dorsal fin shape: a male turns distinctly more honey-coloured during spawning and has a somewhat longer, pointed dorsal fin, while a female's colour stays more subdued, a greyish brown.

An attentive nest-builder

As with the blue gourami, a male honey gourami builds a nest of air bubbles at the calm water surface, where eggs are kept after spawning. The honey gourami is considered one of the less aggressive labyrinth fish toward its own offspring, which makes breeding in a home aquarium easier compared with many related species.

A lid is not optional

Despite its calm temperament, a honey gourami will occasionally jump, especially if startled, so a well-covered tank is recommended even though the species isn't considered especially prone to jumping. A lid also keeps the air above the water warm and humid, which benefits how the labyrinth organ functions.

Pros & cons