# Honey Gourami



## TheFishDragon (May 20, 2009)

Hello 
For a long time I've been researching and admiring the Honey Gourami and was pleased to find that a nice LPS had some in their plant tank. After observing the tank for a little bit I picked out a lovely female for my empty, recently finished cycling 10 gallon tank along with a plant(slowly I plan on adding some hardier plants into my 10 gallon as time goes on). Shes very pretty, lively, and friendly but I have a few questions perhaps someone with experience with Honeys could answer....

I'd read that they like liveish foods, freeze dried and frozen. However when i offered her freeze dried(not sure exactly what, the container reads 'freeze dried melody')she nibbled at it and spit it back out. So out of curiosity I offered her a little of the spirulina that my Uncle sent me when he gave me his Cichlids and she seemed to like that more. I offered her some of the flakes that I usually feed to the others and she seems to not be as excited about that, but ate it none the less. Is there perhaps anything else I could pick up and try to give her a more varied died? Can I try fresh veggies? If so, what kinds?

I had thought about maybe getting one or two more Honeys for the tank(a male or a male and another female)but not only was I worried that that would be too much, but I remembered what happened to my female dwarf gourami when I added a male. I'd hoped to breed them, but while the breeding tank as being set up he harassed her to death. She'd always been lively and friendly, but after the addition of the male she was no longer like that. So I'm hesitant on getting another Honey at all. Would there possibly be anything else I could put in with her?

Any advice is appreciated


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## Oldman (May 25, 2009)

Have a read through the ingredients of that food with the spirulina label. When I did that I was quite surprised. The spirulina flake that I bought, a brownish green colored flake has fish sourced protein as the first ingredient, then has 4 other components listed ahead of the algaes. Right after the spirulina algae, the next ingredient is back to shrimp meal and dried plankton. The only thing that is spirulina about my spirulina flake is that there is a little spirulina in it. It is basically a high protein, 45%, high fat food that has added vitamins in it. I am treating it more as a staple diet than I expected to when I ordered it.


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## TheFishDragon (May 20, 2009)

Oldman said:


> Have a read through the ingredients of that food with the spirulina label. When I did that I was quite surprised. The spirulina flake that I bought, a brownish green colored flake has fish sourced protein as the first ingredient, then has 4 other components listed ahead of the algaes. Right after the spirulina algae, the next ingredient is back to shrimp meal and dried plankton. The only thing that is spirulina about my spirulina flake is that there is a little spirulina in it. It is basically a high protein, 45%, high fat food that has added vitamins in it. I am treating it more as a staple diet than I expected to when I ordered it.


 I do believe what I have is a bit different from yours, the flakes aren't really a brownish green at all, but a more earthy green color none the less. I'll see if I can take a picture/find the product somewhere. But anyway, does this mean it wouldn't be okay to feed to her?



I do have some frozen bloodworm handy, I'll chop off a piece of a cube and try that a little later.

No one else but my Honey seems to like the spirulina, which is funny. Even the Cichlids it came with don't like it! xD

I'll be heading back today as my mom needs to return something to a store in that area, I'll see if I can pull someone aside and ask what they feed


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## TheFishDragon (May 20, 2009)

Another question I'd like to add.....my pH is around 7.8(estimate, the card only goes up to 7.6 but I'm quite certain that its no higher then 7.8)and I'm getting mixed messages on if I should lower it for my Honey or not....any opinions? Would it be better to lower the pH for her or just not mess with it at all?

Oh, and the bloodworms are a no, she doesn't seem to be any more interested in them then the freeze dried stuff I'd tried :/


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## TheFishDragon (May 20, 2009)

Alright, thats what I thought in the beginning as well, but I got someone that was telling me that in that pH my Honeys life span would be seriously shortened and there would be heath issues so I wasn't sure^^; But everyone else seems to be telling me she'll be fine so I don't plan to mess with it.


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## TheFishDragon (May 20, 2009)

Thats very good to know, I'll be sure to never mess with my pH^^ I don't use the bucket to accumulate, I just use the bag. But so far I've yet to have any fish die due to a shock in pH or the like, probably because the stores pH isn't too far from mine to begin with xD In fact.....can't even remember the last fish I had die on me at all Oo

Now that thats cleared up, I didn't end up going to my LPS that day to ask what they fed, but I assume shes been fed on only flake foods her entire life as she'll accept both kinds I have by won't hardly touch anything else. Should I keep trying with the freeze dried and the frozen bloodworms? Any other types I can pick up that I should try?

And any opinions on suitable tanks mates? Some sort of small schooling fish.....or if not, what else?


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## Oldman (May 25, 2009)

The point I was trying to make is that the name on the flake you have may have very little to do with the actual composition. My 'spirulina' flake is a very high fish protein food so it would be a good food for a fish that prefers live and similar high protein food even though the name might make you think otherwise.


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## MediaHound (Jul 19, 2006)

I like Hikari products!


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