Bring vibrant warm hues and peaceful elegance to your planted aquarium with the Honey Red Fire Gourami(Trichogaster chuna). Selected for its intense, sunset-red coloration and calm temperament, this colorful freshwater centerpiece fish offers all the personality of classic labyrinth fish in a nano-friendly size. Reaching just 2 inches in adulthood, it is one of the gentlest, most beginner-friendly gouramis in the aquarium hobby.

Quick Specifications

Natural Origin & Background

Wild Honey Gouramis are native to the slow-moving rivers, floodplains, lakes, and marshes of India and Bangladesh.The Honey Red Fire Gourami is a captive-bred color variant selectively bred to amplify the fiery crimson and amber tones across its body and fins, while retaining the species' naturally calm, unaggressive behavior.

Tank Environment & Water Parameters

Honey Red Fire Gouramis thrive in a heavily planted setup with gentle filtration.

• Plants & Decor: Incorporate stem plants, crypts, Java ferns, and floating varieties like Salvinia or Frogbit.Floating greenery diffuses bright lighting and provides surface security. Driftwood and smooth stones offer natural grazing surfaces and shelter.

• Flow & Filtration: Use a sponge filter or baffle your hang-on-back filter; these fish prefer slow water movement and struggle in high-current setups.

• Air Access: As labyrinth fish, they possess a specialized organ that allows them to breathe atmospheric oxygen.Always maintain an inch or two of humid air space between the water surface and the tank lid.

Feeding & Nutrition

Honey Red Fire Gouramis are unpicky omnivores with small mouths:

• Staple Diet: High-quality micro-pellets, slow-sinking granules, and crushed flakes rich in spirulina and carotenoids to preserve their brilliant red tones.

• Supplemental Treats: Live or frozen baby brine shrimp, daphnia, cyclops, and bloodworms 2–3 times weekly to boost conditioning and coloration.

Ideal Tank Mates

Unlike territorial dwarf gouramis (Trichogaster lalius), Honey Red Fire Gouramis are exceptionally docile:

• Best Community Mates: Peaceful schooling fish such as Neon Tetras, Harlequin Rasboras, Chili Rasboras,Ember Tetras, Celestial Pearl Danios, and Pygmy Corydoras.

• Invertebrates: Safe with adult Amano shrimp, Nerite snails, and Mystery snails (very small dwarf shrimp fry may be picked on).

• Species to Avoid: Fin-nippers (Tiger Barbs, Serpae Tetras) and large, aggressive, or fast-moving species that outcompete them for food.

Breeding Behavior

Breeding the Honey Red Fire Gourami is accessible for home aquarists:

• Conditioning: Condition a male-female pair with nutrient-dense live or frozen foods. Lower the water level to roughly 6–8 inches and raise the temperature to 80°F – 82°F (27°C – 28°C).

• Spawning: The male builds a delicate bubblenest under floating plant leaves. Following an embrace beneath the nest, eggs float up into the bubbles, and the male guards the nest diligently. Remove the female immediately after spawning, and remove the male once fry become free-swimming (~48 hours).

• Fry Care: Feed newly hatched fry infusoria or liquid fry food for the first week before transitioning to baby brine shrimp nauplii.