Photo: Marcus Cyron · CC BY-SA 3.0
Freshwater · Beginner · 10+ gal
Trichogaster chuna
By Fishy Dave
Honey gouramis (Trichogaster chuna) are small, peaceful labyrinth fish for a planted 10-gallon solo or a 20-gallon pair or community. They are not dwarf gouramis. Shops often mislabel orange dwarfs as honey.
| Water type | Freshwater |
|---|---|
| Care level | Beginner |
| Minimum tank | 10 gallons |
| Temperament | Peaceful labyrinth fish. A single adult or a calm pair is community-safe in a planted tank. Skip stacking male gouramis in a 10-gallon, and do not house with a male betta. |
| Diet | Omnivore with a soft preference for small foods. Quality micro pellets or flakes as a staple, plus frozen baby brine, daphnia, or finely chopped bloodworms a few times a week. Small portions once or twice daily. |
| Temperature | 72–82 °F |
| pH | 6–7.5 |
| Hardness / salinity | Soft to moderately soft water suits wild-type fish; most shop stock tolerate near-neutral community water. Stable chemistry and low nitrate matter more than chasing a perfect number. |
Trichogaster chuna (still sold as Colisa chuna) is a Southeast Asian labyrinth fish that gulps air at the surface. Adults top out around 1.5–2 inches. Males color up gold to amber on the body and throat; females stay plainer. They are slower and less territorial than a male betta, which is why they work as a planted-community centerpiece instead of a solo fighter.
Keep the surface accessible. Floating plants are fine if they leave open pockets. They still need a heater and a filter. A vase or unheated bowl is not a home. Gentle flow (sponge filter or a baffled hang-on-back) matches their quiet swimming style.
One honey gourami is comfortable in a planted 10-gallon with a heater, lid, and soft cover. A pair or a real community wants a 20-gallon so each fish has room to ignore the other. Length and plants beat a tall hex. See stocking a 20-gallon tank for layouts that leave midwater space for rasboras and tetras.
Temps in the 72–82°F band work for most shop fish. Soft to near-neutral water is preferred; hard alkaline livebearer tanks are a long-term mismatch. Finish the cycle before you buy. Quarantine new fish when you can. Shop stock mixes, and gouramis are not immune to hitchhikers.
Dwarf gourami (Trichogaster lalius) is a different species. Farmed dwarfs are often sold as 'honey,' 'sunset,' or 'powder blue' color morphs. True honey gouramis stay smaller and calmer; dwarfs run larger, flashier, and more aggressive male-to-male. If the bag fish is powder blue or neon orange with a high, pointed look, you probably bought a dwarf.
Dwarf gourami iridovirus (DGIV) is common in mass-farmed dwarfs and has no cure. That is why honey is the easier pick for a peaceful labyrinth fish. If you still want a dwarf, the dwarf gourami page covers how to buy a healthy one. Buy by scientific name when the label is vague, and quarantine anyway.
Feed micro pellets or flake they finish in a minute, then add frozen a few times a week. Leftover food in a planted 10 is how nitrate climbs. Tank mates that work: harlequin rasboras, cherry barbs in a planted 20, neons or cardinals if parameters overlap, a cory group on sand, and adult cherry shrimp. Skip male bettas, tiger barbs, and packing two male gouramis into a 10.
They are timid compared with danios. Dimmer light, stem plants, and a bit of hardscape help them show color. A male will sometimes build a bubble nest. That is normal breeding behavior, not a reason to panic-medicate.
A few listings we would open for this species. Skip anything you already own that still works.
hygger sponge filter, small
Honey gouramis like gentle flow and surface access. An air-driven sponge keeps ammonia down without blasting a timid midwater fish across a 10-gallon.
Air pump and tubing are sold separately. Squeeze the sponge under water so it sinks. Skip this if a baffled hang-on-back already holds ammonia at zero. Hide it behind plants if you hate the look.
See this listingAqueon Adjustable Pro heater, 50W
A 10-gallon desk tank in an air-conditioned room drops into the 60s without a heater. Fifty watts is the right class for most 10s; step to 100W on a 20.
Put a separate thermometer on the glass away from the heater. Skip stacking two heaters. Do not run the dial hot just because a betta shares the stand.
See this listingHikari Tropical Micro Pellets, 0.77 oz
Small mouths and a slow feeding style. Semi-floating micro pellets sized for tetras and other community fish work well for honey gouramis without leaving a pile on the sand.
A pinch once or twice a day, not a pile. Skip this if you already use a quality micro pellet they finish in a minute. Frozen baby brine a few times a week still helps.
See this listingTen gallons for one adult. Twenty gallons for a pair or a small community with schoolers. A heated, filtered, planted setup beats a tall nano with strong current.
No. Honey is Trichogaster chuna. Dwarf is Trichogaster lalius. Shops often relabel orange or powder-blue dwarfs as honey. Buy the scientific name when you can.
Usually no with a male betta. Both are labyrinth fish that claim surface territory. A calm female betta in a larger planted tank is sometimes attempted; treat it as a gamble, not a default.
Yes in almost every home. They are tropical. Room-temperature tanks in air-conditioned houses often sit too cool for reliable appetite and immune function.
Next step
Plan on 10 gallons or more. Put your actual tank size into the stocking calculator and it shows what else can live alongside them.
Open the stocking calculatorBefore you buy
Keep your fishies swimming.
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Pearl gouramis (Trichopodus leerii) grow to about 4 to 5 inches and are calm enough to be the centerpiece of a community tank. Keep one in a cycled 20-gallon long, or a pair or one gourami plus a school in a 29. They want warm water at 77 to 82°F, floating plants, gentle flow, and a lid that keeps the air above the water warm.
Min. tank: 20 gal
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Bettas are labyrinth fish that breathe from the surface, but they still need a heated, filtered aquarium, not a vase. A 5-gallon tank is a minimum for a single male.
Min. tank: 5 gal
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Harlequin rasboras (Trigonostigma heteromorpha) are peaceful midwater schoolers with a black triangle on the rear body. Plan six to ten in a planted 20-gallon; a 10 is a tight floor for six, not a comfortable home.
Min. tank: 20 gal
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