elaina.999

AC Members
Sep 12, 2025
6
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Starkville, Mississippi, USA
Real Name
Elaina McMillen
My main question is has anybody housed one or multiple male Honey Gourami with a predominantly peaceful male Betta? Id appreciate hearing y’alls experience and/ or what you’ve learned or heard about these species in general and with cohabiting them.

I ordered 2 FEMALE Honey Gourami that I planned to quarantine while my new tank which is 55 gal (209 liters), finishes cycling, but I believe I’ve received 2 male Honey Gourami instead of females. I must have close to maybe like 25 plants plus driftwood and a few caves/hides that are going into the new tank (I plan to make ALOT of hiding places and visual barriers). I’m also getting even more plants and maybe some fish-safe decor later today. I’m hoping this will work with such a big tank but I also have 3 other tanks (5 gal, 10 gal, and 30 gal) that either the Betta or Gouramis could be housed in as a backup option after I’ve been able to assess if weather or not they are compatible.



Additional Info
My Betta’s name is Azailia and he is mostly peaceful. I’ve only seen two instances of him being even remotely interested or “rude” towards his tank mates in the 3-4 months I’ve had him. Once he mistook the snail’s antenna for a piece of food (didnt even make contact) and he chased my Neons for maybe 30 seconds to a minute when they first met but quickly lost interest. Overall he’s done great in two different community tanks and all my fish seem happy and it appears they all feel safe.


My current tank is 30gal (132 Liters) and has 1 Male Koi (Plakat?) Betta, 8 Neon Tetras, 8 White Cloud Moutian Minnows, 1 juvenile Super Red Bristlenose Pleco, and 1 Black Mystery Snail.

I was/ am planning on combing my current tank with my new fish who are in a quarantine tank right now.

My quarantine tank has 2 male (?) Honey Gourami and the 10 Chilli Rasboras that I ordered at the same time (I bought 12 but 2 died during transport). I plan to get maybe 5-8 more Chilli Rasboras since now I see in person how small they are, I feel they need a larger school to feel more comfortable. Both species in this tank seem to get along fine I’ve seen so issues. I worry a little about the Chilli Rasboras going into the 55 gal with my Betta since Chilli’s are so small and “bite sized”, when I read how small they were my imagination was a little off when I pictured them.

Either way I’m happy about my decisions to order these fish I just wish the Gouramis they sent were female like I had been told they would be. I just hope with all the live plants, decor, and visual barriers it will keep everyone happy and each individual/ school be able to establish their own territories.
 
I have never mixed anabantoids before... I'd be concerned about male aggression, fighting/fin nipping. I think you'd need a lot of floating plants and wood with anubias and bushy java fern to hope to keep down line of sight. It's a big tank, so you could try but I'd be worried about your gentle betta.
 
I have never mixed anabantoids before... I'd be concerned about male aggression, fighting/fin nipping. I think you'd need a lot of floating plants and wood with anubias and bushy java fern to hope to keep down line of sight. It's a big tank, so you could try but I'd be worried about your gentle betta.
Okay so update is I have them in a 55 gal and they are getting along good. They have their own space and dont mess with eachother but im watching to make sure no issues come up (i have backup tanks if needed). In my 55 gal I have 1 male plakat betta, 2 male honey gourami, 10 chilli rasboras (getting more), 8 neon tetras, and 1 juvenile super red bristlenose pleco.
 
I have never mixed anabantoids before... I'd be concerned about male aggression, fighting/fin nipping. I think you'd need a lot of floating plants and wood with anubias and bushy java fern to hope to keep down line of sight. It's a big tank, so you could try but I'd be worried about your gentle betta.
I have maybe 20-30 plants in the tank and have floaters coming in the mail plus i already have driftwood, caves, natural stones. Its not how I have it to be yet but once my plants grow in it will be better but i have alot of visual barriers
 
I would either move the Betta to the 10 gallon tank or the 2 Gouramis to the 10 gallon tank to avoid any problems.
I think for most bettas i would agree with you but so far i havent seen any negative interactions and they are doing well in a 55 gal together. Although from my research Hiney Gourami are some of the most peaceful Gourami but its better to get female gourami if possible because males can become more territorial. I woudlnt recommend trying this combination without carful planning and research, but even then its completely dependent on the individual fish, tank size, and how your tank is designed
 
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