Mary Allen
The honey gourami is a cultivated form of the blue threadfish. The Trichogaster trichopterus has its natural home in the rice fields, swamps, and moors of Southeast Asia. It was first discovered there at the end of the 18th century. Today the threadfish is a popular aquarium dweller, but it is not suitable as a beginner’s fish.
Important Retreats for the Trichogaster Trichopterus
Like all gourami, the golden gourami is territorial. With a dense planting, stones, and roots on the bottom, and various floating plants on the water surface, you can create many small hiding places for him, which he will be happy to use – among other things for building a foam nest up to 25 centimeters in size, which the male creates for the offspring and then guarded and, in case of doubt, also defended. Also, the tank should not be too brightly lit so that the Golden Gourami feels comfortable in it. Since the fish’s needs must be taken into account so that it stays healthy and adapts well to its environment, it should not be kept by aquarists beginners.
Freshwater Fish That Need a Lot of Space
The Trichogaster trichopterus prefers to live in pairs but also likes to stay in small groups. However, if you keep them in groups, you should make sure that you do not keep more than two honey gourami males in your aquarium and that they have plenty of hiding places and enough space to evade. If the space is too small, the males tend to become aggressive and rush each other. When kept correctly in a tank with a water volume of 200 liters or more, the golden gourami is a fairly easy-care fish. Incidentally, the male is slightly larger than the female, and his dorsal and anal fins are longer and not as round as their female counterparts.
When it Comes to Food, the Golden Gourami is Not Picky
Since the little labyrinth fish breathes atmospheric air in addition to gill breathing, you should cover its tank. In this way, you ensure that the air temperature above the surface differs little from that in the water. When it comes to food, the Golden Gourami is easy to please. From live to dry and frozen food to plant food, he enjoys everything. As with other fish, you should still adhere to regular feeding times so that your honey gourami do not overeat and possibly become ill as a result.