Honey Dwarf Gourami

<p>These fish can be either silvery or yellow, they have a blue underside from the head to the abdomen and sometimes they also have an horizontal brown stripe. Honey Dwarf Gouramis may have rapid color changes depending on their mood. They are a labyrinth fish, this means they have a labyrinth organ that acts like a lung and allows them to breathe atmospheric oxygen, this is survival mechanism for when they are in polluted waters or in areas affected by droughts. Besides this special organ they also have touch-sensitive cells in their ventral fins. These fish can reach 3 inches, however, they are usually smaller in aquariums. To keep these fish in captivity, water pH should be between 6.0 and 7.0 and water temperature should range from 72ºF to 82ºF. The tank should have dense vegetation, hiding places and open areas for swimming. These fish are very peaceful and can be kept in a community aquarium, aggressive and active tankmates should be avoided . They can also be kept singly or in groups, to keep them as a single fish a 5 gallon tank is enough while for a pair a 20 gallon tank is the minimum recommended.</p>

<p>This species is omnivorous. In the wild it feeds on small invertebrates and other zooplankton. In captivity, they can be fed with flakes or pellets. Vegetable matter and live or frozen foods should also be offered to the fish to keep them at optimal health.</p>

<p>Females are brownish and larger while the males are gold and smaller.</p>

<p>To breed these fish in captivity,  the breeding tank should be of 10 or 20 gallons, water temperature should range from 80ºF to 84ºF and there should be plenty of floating vegetation, also, the fish should be fed with either live or frozen food and not flakes or pellets. The tank should also have a cover since the fry need a layer of humid, warm air to help develop the labyrinth organ. When ready to breed the male starts showing a honey coloration and will build a bubble nest, then he will display in front of a female and swim towards the nest expecting her to follow, he will repeat this until she follows him to the nest. As soon as the female releases the eggs, the male fertilizes them and puts them in the nest using his mouth and will guard them, by this time the female should be removed since the male may attack her.  The eggs take 1 to 2 days to hatch and will become free swimming after 3 days. Once they hatch the male should also be removed since he may attack the female.</p>

<p>This species can be found in Bangladesh, India and Nepal.</p>

Venomous (Change Content)