Honey gouramis are some adorable fish for your home aquarium. Their golden yellow hue creates a warm feeling in your tank that makes it peaceful to look at.
If you’re wondering if honey gouramis enjoy tank mates, the answer is yes! Honey gouramis are quite peaceful, so they get along with many species of fish.
The best tank mates we’ve identified for honey gouramis include:
To learn more about these great honey gouramis tank mates, read on!
About Caring For Honey Gouramis
Before adding any tank mates to your honey gourami tank, you should keep in mind your honey gourami’s personality.
As previously mentioned, honey gouramis are a peaceful species. They don’t like to fight and will in fact hide away most of the day if placed in a tank with an aggressive or semi-aggressive species.
Really, all the honey gourami wants is harmony. What more is there to ask for?
Your sweet honey gouramis will do well with fish just as peaceful as they are. This means no aggressive, semi-aggressive, or territorial fish.
Plus, since this species is small, you won’t need a massive tank for it with most tank mates. It needs to be large enough for everyone to have their own space, but it’ll certainly be smaller than large-species community tanks.
Three cheers for saving space!
There are lots of potential tank mates out there for your honey gouramis. Really, the world is your oyster when it comes to setting up your home tank!
Just make sure your fish are safe, healthy, and stress-free. This will guarantee they live long, happy lives in your home aquarium.
Best Tank Mates For Honey Gouramis
Zebra Danios
- Scientific Name: Danio rerio
- Origin: India
- Size: 2 – 2.5 inches
- Temperament: Easy-going, playful
Zebra danios are great, simple fish to add to your honey gourami tank. This small species is known for its quick swimming and easy-going personality.
In general, zebra danios are peaceful and playful fish. They won’t cause any issues with your honey gouramis and in fact may interact well with them.
Since they’re a schooling fish, you should plan to get at least six zebra danios at a time for your tank. Too few fish and you run the risk of having some anxious, stressed zebra danios.
Guppies
- Scientific Name: Poecilia reticulata
- Origin: South America
- Size: 1 – 2 inches
- Temperament: Peaceful, social
If you want a small tank mate for your honey gouramis, guppies are the way to go. Guppies only grow between one and two inches in length, so you won’t need a massive setup for them.
Guppies are fun because they are known for giving live birth instead of laying eggs. However, they are also prolific when it comes to reproduction.
Though sweet, having guppies means having babies pretty often, so keep that in mind before bringing this cute species home. If you’re concerned about your guppies over-breeding, you may do better with another species for your tank mates.
Mollies
- Scientific Name: Poecilia sphenops
- Origin: Mexico
- Size: 4 – 4 ½ inches long
- Temperament: peaceful, active
Mollies can make great companions for your honey gouramis. This species comes in a variety of colors for you to choose from, so you can find the most attractive colors to match your honey gouramis.
Mollies, on average, end up growing to 4 inches in length, though they can be longer or shorter than that in some cases. Since your mollies are bigger in size compared to your honey gouramis, you’ll want to make sure you upgrade your tank size so everyone has enough space.
Just because they’re all peaceful species, doesn’t mean they’ll like feeling cramped!
Mollies are active, so you can expect to see them swimming around and interacting with your gouramis frequently. Remember that mollies are a schooling species, so you’ll need around four in your tank for them to feel comfortable enough to socialize.
Sparkling Gouramis
- Scientific Name: Trichopsis pumila
- Origin: Southeast Asia
- Size: 1 – 1.5 inches
- Temperament: peaceful, defensive if needed
What better tank mate for your honey gouramis than some sparkling gouramis? This species of gourami is known for its shimmering red and blue body.
Like the honey gourami, sparkling gouramis are peaceful in nature. They are also similar in size and shape, so you don’t have to worry about issues pertaining to predation.
Though sparkling gouramis can become defensive when presented with other semi-aggressive fish, they shouldn’t have that response to your honey gouramis. Since honey gouramis are peaceful, sparkling gouramis will enjoy having them as tank mates happily.
Neon Tetras
- Scientific Name: Paracheirodon innesi
- Origin: The Amazon, South America
- Size: Approximately 1.5 inches long
- Temperament: Peaceful, timid
Neon tetras can look great alongside your honey gouramis. With their red and blue bodies, they can help to compliment the yellow of your honey gouramis.
Neon tetras are small in size, so you won’t need that much larger of a tank to house both tetras and honey gouramis. However, you should remember that neon tetras are schooling and therefore need to come in a group of at least six.
If you have less than that, your neon tetras could become timid and hide away. After all, nobody wants to feel lonely!
Only by keeping them comfortable in a full group can you expect them to be social within your gourami tank. Once you do that, it should be smooth sailing for your tetra-gourami tank!
Panda Corydoras
- Scientific Name: Corydoras panda
- Origin: South America
- Size: 2 inches
- Temperament: peaceful, social
The panda corydoras makes an excellent addition to any tank. This bottomfeeder can help clean your substrate between changes, which can keep your tank healthier in the long run.
Panda corydoras are also peaceful, yet social creatures. They will not cause any issues with your honey gouramis, and often may not even interact with them from the bottom of the tank.
If your honey gourami swims low enough, however, they could interact sweetly together. Regardless, your panda corydoras will interact with each other as they snack on your substrate.
Mystery Snail
- Scientific Name: Pomacea bridgesii
- Origin: Asia
- Size: 2 inches
- Temperament: peaceful, docile
If you’re looking for a tank mate that isn’t a fish, a mystery snail may be your best bet! Snails make great additions to many tanks as they are usually non-aggressive and good at seeking shelter in their shells.
Mystery snails are a bit on the larger size for snails and grow to around two inches in length. They’re also quite docile and won’t cause any harm to your honey gouramis.
Like other bottom feeders, mystery snails will linger along the bottom of your tank, exploring and eating as they go. This will help keep your tank clean between changes, which means a healthier tank for your gouramis.
Talk about efficient!
Dwarf Crayfish
- Scientific Name: Cambarellus shufeldtii
- Origin: Central America, North America
- Size: 1.5 inches
- Temperament: peaceful, curious
Looking for something unique? Consider the dwarf crayfish.
Dwarf crayfish are a species of tiny freshwater crayfish suitable for many tanks. This species only grows between one and two inches in length, so it won’t be much larger or smaller than your honey gouramis.
Crayfish are naturally curious and will enjoy exploring the bottom of your tank. As they explore, they’ll likely snack on any algae or other debris to help your tank stay clean.
Plus, this species is peaceful, so you don’t have to worry about them pinching any of your honey gouramis. Phew!
Kuhli Loach
- Scientific Name: Pangio kuhlii
- Origin: Indonesia
- Size: 3 – 5 inches long
- Temperament: peaceful, shy
For those looking for a larger tank mate for your honey gouramis, you should consider the kuhli loach. Kuhli loaches are long, unique fish that look similar to eels.
Striped with colors such as black, brown, red, and yellow, kuhli loaches are truly a sight to see. Though they look quite intimidating, they are actually an incredibly peaceful species.
Kuhli loaches can also be shy. Because of this, you should plan to get at least three at a time.
Though they are not schooling fish, kuhli loaches will only feel comfortable in the presence of others of their kind. If they feel too isolated, they will hide away from the world.
Once they are brave enough to venture into the rest of your tank, expect them to interact with your honey gouramis. They love making friends once they’re in their element!
Wrapping Up
Now, you’re ready to get some tank mates for your lovely honey gouramis.
The gouramis get along with these fish:
- Zebra Danios
- Guppies
- Mollies
- Sparkling Gouramis
- Neon Tetras
- Panda Corydoras
- Mystery Snail
- Dwarf Crayfish
- Kuhli Loach
Remember that there are other fish out there that can get along with them outside of this list, but you’ll have to ensure they’re peaceful species that won’t cause any tank issues.
If you’ve ever had honey gouramis, tell us about your experience below. If you’ve got any other questions about your home aquarium, ask us in the comments and we may write about yours next!
