tamtam
Aquarium Advice Addict
Honey Gourami
Submitted by - Tamtam
Scientific name: Colisa chuna
Synonyms: Colisa sota; Trichopodus chuna, Trichogaster chuna
Common Names: Honey Gourami, Red Honey Fire Gourami, Fire Honey Gourami, Flame Honey Gourami, Gold Honey Gourami, Sunset Gourami, Sunburst Gourami
Category: labyrinth fish
Family: osphoronemidae
Suborder - Anabantid
Origin: India and Bangladesh
Main Ecosystem: Areas with dense vegetation. Inhabits a wide range of sluggish moving waters like ponds and ditches and areas of flooding during seasonal fluctuations, also found in rivers and lakes.
Salinity: freshwater
Temperament: over all peaceful, displays timid behavior but can also show acts of aggression common with gourami, particularly when housed with other males or over crowded. Also should not be kept with fish with long flowing fins such as Betta or Guppy.
Diet: Omnivore. Will take prepared foods. Pellets or flakes offer a good staple but substituting with live,frozen or freeze dried options along with fresh veggies will be best for the fish.
Care: The honey gourami is best added to an already established tank with limited water current that is well planted. Hiding spots and floating plants will make this fish feel more at ease. The Honey gourami is one of the smallest gouramis available and it's size allows this fish to be kept in smaller aquariums than many other Gouramis. Should be kept with other peaceful fish. Avoid larger, more aggressive fish and known fin nippers. When housing more than 1 male be sure to provide a large enough tank allowing plenty of cover and territories for each fish to claim. As with all fish a varied diet will provide optimal nutrition.
pH: 6.0 - 8.0
Temperature: 72-80 F, 22-26 C
Hardness: Soft to moderately hard water. Consistency is most important as they will adapt to most water chemistry. Although captive bred fish will fare well in most ranges of hardness the more rare wild caught fish must be kept in soft more acidic water
Potential size: 2 inches(5cm) is the average though they can be slightly larger or smaller. Females are generally larger than males
Water Region: As with most Labyrinth fish they occupy the top level of the tank, allowing easy access to breathing from the surface, though when stressed or not provided with proper cover they will stick to lower levels where cover is provided.
Activity: Diurnal
Lifespan: It is not uncommon for this fish to reach 4-5 years and can even go beyond that.
Color: There are several color morphs of the honey gourami. Typically they are variations of yellow, red and orange as the main body color. It's common to see the additions of blue or brownish colors as well depending on the color morph. Males are more colorful than females of the species and will display more pronounced colors during spawning, females often have more brownish colors and will in some "types" display a darker stripe running the length of the body on their side. Wild caught fish do not display the same vibrant colors you see most often in aquariums.
Sexing: Sexing gourami can be difficult to some. There are some key observations that can assist however. As mentioned females of the species are often larger and do not share the same vibrant color of the males. For this reason females can often be hard to come by. Females also have a more rounded dorsal fin where the males is more pointed.
Acclimation: As with other fish the drip method is best but standard floating of the bag with addition of tank water will do. Float the bag in the tank for 15-20 minutes and slowly add small amounts(roughly 1/4 of a cup) on tank water every 5 or so minutes. Repeat the procedure until you've double the volume in your bag. Net out the fish and add to tank, discard water from the bag.
Breeding: Much like Betta the Gourami is a bubble nest builder. The male will build the nest for the eggs, he will collect the eggs after laying and move them to the nest for safety and will then protect it until the eggs are hatched, this is usually around 24-36 hours and they will be free swimming in another 24-48 hours. The female should be removed after spawning and the male can be removed shortly after hatching. A tight fitting lid is important, fry need access to the warm humid air to help development of the Labyrinth organ. Overall breeding can be easy if the pair are willing and proper conditions are provided. Providing lots of floating plants or long stem plants reaching the surface is important as well as gentle filtration that will not cause too much surface movement. You do not want it to break up the bubble nest or possible suck up the fry. The fry are sensitive to water chemistry so care should be taken while doing water changes.
Comments: Colisa Chuna are often confused with the similar Colisa Lalia. While similar in size there are differences between the two. When comparing the body shape the Dwarf Gourami(lalia) has a more rounded or plump appearance where the Honey Gourami has a more elongated slim appearance much like a Blue Gourami and the anal and dorsal fin are less pronounced in the Honey than the Dwarf. In my experience the Honey Gourami is more timid and mild mannered than the dwarf though this of course varies between individuals.
Gourami are one of my personal favorites. I've owned a few of the Honey Gourami color morphs and I've enjoyed every one of them for different reasons. Each has their very own personality in my experience and it's very interesting to see your specific fishes personality come out. They make a great center peace fish and add a unique splash of color to the tank. I currently have a Sunset gourami. He is an excellent addition to my community and shows no signs of aggression or poor behavior. I sometimes wonder if he believes he's a platy because he spends a good portion of his time chumming around with my platy. He hasn't claimed an area, despite owning him for months, in fact he often shares his grouping of plants with the platy at night to sleep.
Uncommon with other gourami I have actually heard several successes where Honey gourami have been kept in groups successfully in the same tank and seem to actually enjoy the company of the other Honey Gourami exhibiting slight "schooling" behavior. Ultimately I believe a great deal of this success comes down to the tank setup and appropriate size and proper cover. I have kept pairs in the same tank with success but have no hands on experience to add to this theory otherwise.
Over all they are great fish and I highly recommend them to almost anyone.
Sources:
Honey Gourami (Trichogaster chuna) Profile
Trichogaster chuna – Honey Gourami — Seriously Fish
Honey Gourami, Colisa chuna aquarium tropical fish from Tropical Fish and Aquariums
Honey Gourami - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Honey Gourami - Trichogaster chuna
Submitted by - Tamtam
Scientific name: Colisa chuna
Synonyms: Colisa sota; Trichopodus chuna, Trichogaster chuna
Common Names: Honey Gourami, Red Honey Fire Gourami, Fire Honey Gourami, Flame Honey Gourami, Gold Honey Gourami, Sunset Gourami, Sunburst Gourami
Category: labyrinth fish
Family: osphoronemidae
Suborder - Anabantid
Origin: India and Bangladesh
Main Ecosystem: Areas with dense vegetation. Inhabits a wide range of sluggish moving waters like ponds and ditches and areas of flooding during seasonal fluctuations, also found in rivers and lakes.
Salinity: freshwater
Temperament: over all peaceful, displays timid behavior but can also show acts of aggression common with gourami, particularly when housed with other males or over crowded. Also should not be kept with fish with long flowing fins such as Betta or Guppy.
Diet: Omnivore. Will take prepared foods. Pellets or flakes offer a good staple but substituting with live,frozen or freeze dried options along with fresh veggies will be best for the fish.
Care: The honey gourami is best added to an already established tank with limited water current that is well planted. Hiding spots and floating plants will make this fish feel more at ease. The Honey gourami is one of the smallest gouramis available and it's size allows this fish to be kept in smaller aquariums than many other Gouramis. Should be kept with other peaceful fish. Avoid larger, more aggressive fish and known fin nippers. When housing more than 1 male be sure to provide a large enough tank allowing plenty of cover and territories for each fish to claim. As with all fish a varied diet will provide optimal nutrition.
pH: 6.0 - 8.0
Temperature: 72-80 F, 22-26 C
Hardness: Soft to moderately hard water. Consistency is most important as they will adapt to most water chemistry. Although captive bred fish will fare well in most ranges of hardness the more rare wild caught fish must be kept in soft more acidic water
Potential size: 2 inches(5cm) is the average though they can be slightly larger or smaller. Females are generally larger than males
Water Region: As with most Labyrinth fish they occupy the top level of the tank, allowing easy access to breathing from the surface, though when stressed or not provided with proper cover they will stick to lower levels where cover is provided.
Activity: Diurnal
Lifespan: It is not uncommon for this fish to reach 4-5 years and can even go beyond that.
Color: There are several color morphs of the honey gourami. Typically they are variations of yellow, red and orange as the main body color. It's common to see the additions of blue or brownish colors as well depending on the color morph. Males are more colorful than females of the species and will display more pronounced colors during spawning, females often have more brownish colors and will in some "types" display a darker stripe running the length of the body on their side. Wild caught fish do not display the same vibrant colors you see most often in aquariums.
Sexing: Sexing gourami can be difficult to some. There are some key observations that can assist however. As mentioned females of the species are often larger and do not share the same vibrant color of the males. For this reason females can often be hard to come by. Females also have a more rounded dorsal fin where the males is more pointed.
Acclimation: As with other fish the drip method is best but standard floating of the bag with addition of tank water will do. Float the bag in the tank for 15-20 minutes and slowly add small amounts(roughly 1/4 of a cup) on tank water every 5 or so minutes. Repeat the procedure until you've double the volume in your bag. Net out the fish and add to tank, discard water from the bag.
Breeding: Much like Betta the Gourami is a bubble nest builder. The male will build the nest for the eggs, he will collect the eggs after laying and move them to the nest for safety and will then protect it until the eggs are hatched, this is usually around 24-36 hours and they will be free swimming in another 24-48 hours. The female should be removed after spawning and the male can be removed shortly after hatching. A tight fitting lid is important, fry need access to the warm humid air to help development of the Labyrinth organ. Overall breeding can be easy if the pair are willing and proper conditions are provided. Providing lots of floating plants or long stem plants reaching the surface is important as well as gentle filtration that will not cause too much surface movement. You do not want it to break up the bubble nest or possible suck up the fry. The fry are sensitive to water chemistry so care should be taken while doing water changes.
Comments: Colisa Chuna are often confused with the similar Colisa Lalia. While similar in size there are differences between the two. When comparing the body shape the Dwarf Gourami(lalia) has a more rounded or plump appearance where the Honey Gourami has a more elongated slim appearance much like a Blue Gourami and the anal and dorsal fin are less pronounced in the Honey than the Dwarf. In my experience the Honey Gourami is more timid and mild mannered than the dwarf though this of course varies between individuals.
Gourami are one of my personal favorites. I've owned a few of the Honey Gourami color morphs and I've enjoyed every one of them for different reasons. Each has their very own personality in my experience and it's very interesting to see your specific fishes personality come out. They make a great center peace fish and add a unique splash of color to the tank. I currently have a Sunset gourami. He is an excellent addition to my community and shows no signs of aggression or poor behavior. I sometimes wonder if he believes he's a platy because he spends a good portion of his time chumming around with my platy. He hasn't claimed an area, despite owning him for months, in fact he often shares his grouping of plants with the platy at night to sleep.
Uncommon with other gourami I have actually heard several successes where Honey gourami have been kept in groups successfully in the same tank and seem to actually enjoy the company of the other Honey Gourami exhibiting slight "schooling" behavior. Ultimately I believe a great deal of this success comes down to the tank setup and appropriate size and proper cover. I have kept pairs in the same tank with success but have no hands on experience to add to this theory otherwise.
Over all they are great fish and I highly recommend them to almost anyone.
Sources:
Honey Gourami (Trichogaster chuna) Profile
Trichogaster chuna – Honey Gourami — Seriously Fish
Honey Gourami, Colisa chuna aquarium tropical fish from Tropical Fish and Aquariums
Honey Gourami - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Honey Gourami - Trichogaster chuna
