Tropical Fish Forum

Tropical Fish Keeping Help and Advice => Fish Species => Topic started by: uv on November 16, 2018, 09:01:31 AM

Title: Stocking honey gourami
Post by: uv on November 16, 2018, 09:01:31 AM
My lfs selling honey gourami and robin red (honey variant) gourami. I like both and would like to keep 2 each. Preferably all males or females but not mixed to avoid breeding and aggression during that time.

Keeping all 4 males together fight? My tank is 54l with foot dimensions 60×30 cm.

My water is not that hard as I am diluting with soft water.

Any advise or suggestions?
Title: Re: Stocking honey gourami
Post by: Sue on November 16, 2018, 09:39:02 AM
I would not keep 4 males in a tank this size. I would not even keep 2 males.

When I first started keeping fish, I had a 60 x 30 cm, 60 litre tank - same footprint as yours, just a bit taller. When I bought my first honey gouramis I did not know how to tell the difference between males and females - no internet back then, just out dated library books. From looking at drawings (no photos in those books) I chose what I thought were 1 male 2 females. 3 weeks later I got up to find two tan fish with black throats and they did not get along together.


If this was my tank I would get either 4 females or 1 male, 3 females.


Red honey gouramis are quite hard to sex, natural and yellow are easier. The safest thing would be to chose females form the non-reds, then try to get 2 red females. If one turns out to be a male, it isn't disastrous.
Red - look for the longest, pointiest fins for males, the shortest roundest fins for females.
Natural - the beige ones with a dark stripe from nose to tail are females. If there is no stripe they could still be females, but could also be stressed males. The ones with a darker throat are males.
Yellow - any with a hint of a stripe are females. Those with orange tails are males.
Title: Re: Stocking honey gourami
Post by: uv on November 16, 2018, 10:56:38 AM
Hi Sue

I am happy to get 4 females, 2 from red and 2 from yellow and I believe the females are not drab like DG. I look for those indications when choosing females.

Thank you
Title: Re: Stocking honey gourami
Post by: Sue on November 16, 2018, 12:50:18 PM
I forgot to mention that with yellows, the males do show the black throat, just not as large or intense as with natural coloured males. In shop tanks the fish are quite stressed so the black throat may not be obvious. But if any yellows do show a hint of a black throat don't buy those.
Title: Re: Stocking honey gourami
Post by: uv on November 16, 2018, 03:23:59 PM
Thanks Sue!

One weird though I got just now, Can I add one male think lipped gourami to my tank? I hard they are very good community fish and could be a center piece one.

If I can then will 2 female honey gouramies (red and yellow) still work?
Title: Re: Stocking honey gourami
Post by: Sue on November 16, 2018, 04:07:22 PM
You shouldn't mix gourami species, nor gouramis with bettas. Either get a thick lipped gourami or honey gouramis.