Should I buy it?
Honey Gourami
Trichogaster chuna
Also known as: sunset (colour morphs)
The dwarf gourami's smaller cousin at 5 cm. Less DGIV exposure than dwarf shop imports, and calmer in same-sex groups. A fit for a 50L planted community.
Honey Gourami tank mates · 40L tank size hub
peaceful · beginner care
Sources & confidencehigh · verified · beginner: excellent
Checked against several solid care sources that mostly agree. Numbers here are a careful starting point. Your tap water, tank size, and habits decide the rest. How we evaluate.
Best for: Small planted community tanks 50-80L where a single fish or pair can be the visual focus.
Avoid if: You want bold colour like a flame dwarf gourami, or you keep boisterous mid-water shoals that crowd a slow surface fish.
Common mistakeTreating honey gouramis as beginner-bulletproof is how keepers invent sudden losses when surface air goes stale or water quality slips. They are gentler than many community fish and more sensitive than the label suggests. Plan calm surface access, stable water, and no tiger barbs or bettas at the film.
Top things that go wrong
- Shrimp & snails. Cherry shrimp and other dwarfs can coexist with peaceful small fish; baby shrimp are food for almost anything that finds them.
What most shops don't tell you
- 1.Myth: honey gouramis are indestructible beginner nano fish for any community kit. Reality: they are peaceful but sensitive to stale surface air, water slips, and rough midwater neighbours — plan calm surface access and stable water, not bulletproof marketing copy.
- 2.Mixing with male dwarf gouramis 'because they look similar'. Both species still bicker over surface real estate.
- 3.Sealed lids with no air gap above the water. Honeys breathe surface air and need that hot pocket clean.
- 4.DGIV that hits dwarf gourami stock is much less common in honey imports. A patient, easy fish for a peaceful 40L community.
About this species
Honey gouramis are small Indian labyrinth fish that breathe air at the surface. Males flush deep honey-orange in breeding mood. Females stay duller silver-tan.
- Sparkling Gourami40L min · same group, comparable tank size
- Dwarf Gourami60L min · same group, similar adult size
- Chocolate gourami80L min · same group, similar adult size
- Croaking gourami80L min · same group, similar adult size
- Pearl Gourami100L min · same fish family
- Paradise fish120L min · same group, similar adult size
- Opaline gourami150L min · same fish family
- Moonlight gourami180L min · same fish family
- Amano Shrimpalso beginner peaceful, similar tank size
- Assassin Snailalso beginner peaceful, similar tank size
- Beckford Pencilfishalso beginner peaceful, similar tank size
- Black Neon Tetraalso beginner peaceful, similar tank size
- Black phantom tetraalso beginner peaceful, similar tank size
- Bloodfin tetraalso beginner peaceful, similar tank size
- Diamond Tetra tank mateslists this fish as a safe and recommended mate
- Ember Tetra tank mateslists this fish as a safe and recommended mate
- Endler's Livebearer tank mateslists this fish as a safe and recommended mate
- Guppy tank mateslists this fish as a safe and recommended mate
- Julii Corydoras tank mateslists this fish as a safe and recommended mate
Plan grid
Key limits are above. Here: pH band, swim level, bioload, and activity.
Swim zones
Care snapshot
Quick compare before you buy. Not a score of how “good” the fish is.
- Beginner ease85
- Peacefulness90
- Community fit75
- Small-tank fit100
- Hardiness79
- Energy54
Numbers are deterministic planning indices from Fishori fields — not a scientific score of your individual fish.
Example setups
Starting points only. Run the pair checker for every fish you add.
Rough 90L+ layout: one calm centrepiece, 8–12 small tetras/rasboras, 6–8 corydoras-type bottom fish — verify every name in the pair checker before buying.
Safer directions include: Cherry Barb, Guppy, Harlequin Rasbora.
Compatibility
Tank mates for Honey Gourami
Usually safer (engine GOOD): Cherry Barb, Guppy, Harlequin Rasbora. Conditional (CAUTION — read the pair page before buying): Betta, Tiger Barb. Every name links to a live pair check — the lists are a shortlist, not a stocking plan.
Usually safer
Open a pair page with this fish as the starting point.
Needs planning
Read the blocking rule on each pair page before experimenting.
Usually avoid
Do-not-stock combinations on conservative hobby rules.
None listed. Use the pair checker before mixing.
Compare with
Run a real pair check: Honey Gourami + Cherry Barb
- Try Cherry Barb — open the pair check.
- Try Guppy — open the pair check.
- Try Harlequin Rasbora — open the pair check.
Behaviour and temperament
Honey gouramis are peaceful surface-leaning fish that stay calmer with planted cover and gentle company nearby. Males may display but rarely wreck a settled tank. Stress shows as clamping and hiding when the surface is contested or water quality drops hard.
What sets them off
- Sudden crowding
- Poor water quality
Fin nipping: Not a habitual fin-nipper; stressed or crowded individuals can still test fins.
Predation: Not a predator toward similarly sized community fish; fry and dwarf shrimp are still fair game for most species.
Territory: Not strongly territorial, but still needs room so its working space does not overlap the next fish.
Planted tanks: excellent — easy plant ideas
In the glass: typical and warning signs
- A honey holds mid-to-top water under floaters and rests among plants between feeds.
- Labyrinth breathing at the surface is normal ownership, not instant oxygen failure alone.
- Clamped fins under a sealed, stale surface mean air access and filtration first.
- Sudden decline after a neglected water change often means sensitivity, not random bad luck.
- Low malice toward peaceful nano neighbours.
- Bettas and tiger barbs at the film are poor company — flare and chase risk rises.
- Remove rough surface competitors before adding another centrepiece.
- Improve surface gas exchange before stacking more livestock.
Fish behaviour can vary between individuals and tank setups. Always observe new fish closely after introduction.
Water, food, and grouping
Hardness
soft
Diet
omnivore
Honey gouramis are small surface-leaning omnivores that take micro-pellets, crushed flake, and frozen foods at mid-to-top water. Food that sinks past them too fast leaves them thin. Offer small portions they can finish under floating cover, keep surface air honest, and avoid frantic competition at the film.
Shrimp & snails
Cherry shrimp and other dwarfs can coexist with peaceful small fish; baby shrimp are food for almost anything that finds them.
Honey Gourami is fine singly or as a researched pair — check behaviour before doubling up.
- Hold 24 to 28 °C steadily on a real thermometer, not the dial on the heater.
- Aim for pH 6 to 7.5 and a hardness you can re-test in two weeks. A one-time strip in the shop car park is not a water test.
- Footprint: short wide tanks and tall narrow tanks fish differently for the same volume. Match the tank shape to the swim pattern, not just the litre count.
- Tank volume meets or exceeds 40L published minimum for adults.
- Heater can hold 24–28°C without cooking cooler-water tank mates.
- No known fin-nippers paired with long-finned fish unless you accept documented risk.
Explore and stocking hubs
Tank-mates hub, matching guides, category peers, and litre stocking lists around this species’ minimum tank.
Plan with tools
Check mates as pairs first, then add this fish in the tank builder for the full stocking.
Filtration & heating
A 40L minimum tank needs a filter rated for at least 160L/hr turnover and a heater to hold 24–28°C reliably.
Plant suggestions
Honey Gourami does well in planted tanks. Plants compatible with 24–28°C and pH 6–7.5:
Research: verified · Confidence: high · 3 linked source(s). We do not invent citations.
How Fishori evaluates compatibility (same logic as pair and tank tools).
- Seriously Fish. Trichogaster chuna
Primary: aquarium size, water chemistry, behaviour, and compatibility (URL verified in upgrade script; recheck if site content changes).
- FishBase. Trichogaster chuna
Secondary: taxonomy, distribution, and maximum length in nature; cross-check with aquarium import lines and measured tank parameters.
- Wikipedia. Trichogaster chuna
Secondary: general species context; verify all husbandry numbers against a dedicated aquarium care sheet and your test kit, not a single table row.
Evidence notes
- The Seriously Fish profile for the binomial in this record was successfully reached as the primary aquarium reference.
- FishBase contributes natural-range size and habitat context. Translate those numbers through your heater, your water report, and your tank footprint before stocking.
- Wikipedia is only cited if the article URL returned OK. Use it for orientation, not as the only care sheet for an import.
- All compatibility text reflects typical hobby experience and the Fishori model. Individual fish, shop stress, and the order tank mates are added in can still defy a single-paragraph label.
Featured compatibility checks
Curated pair pages for Honey Gourami. Each opens a full verdict — not just a list label.
Common questions about Honey Gourami
- How big do Honey Gourami get?
- Around 5cm. Genuinely small, suits 50L or more where a dwarf gourami would feel cramped.
- What size tank does Honey Gourami need?
- 50L is the practical floor for a pair. 30L stretches it for a single fish in a planted setup.
- Are Honey Gourami aggressive?
- Honey gouramis are peaceful surface-leaning fish that stay calmer with planted cover and gentle company nearby. Males may display but rarely wreck a settled tank. Stress shows as clamping and hiding when the surface is contested or water quality drops hard.
- What is the most common mistake with Honey Gourami?
- Treating honey gouramis as beginner-bulletproof is how keepers invent sudden losses when surface air goes stale or water quality slips. They are gentler than many community fish and more sensitive than the label suggests. Plan calm surface access, stable water, and no tiger barbs or bettas at the film.
- What fish can live with Honey Gourami?
- The Honey Gourami profile lists Cherry Barb, Guppy, Harlequin Rasbora among its safer pairings (engine-checked GOOD). Betta, Tiger Barb are conditional (CAUTION): workable only with the specific conditions on each pair page. Run the pair checker for your exact water and tank size before stocking.