with a pH of around 7. It is always advised to keep your Gouramis in a separate tank to facilitate breeding. Make sure that the tank is covered. When ready to spawn, you will find the male building a small bubble nest in one end of your tank. It displays its color to grab the attention of its partner. After the female approaches the male, it marks the start of the spawning process, which sees the male wrapping itself around the female. As they roll over each other, the eggs are expelled and fertilized at the same time. Since the eggs slowly sink to the bottom of the tank, the male gathers them to put them into the nest. Unlike most other species, wherein the female takes on the dominant parenting role, here the male Honey Gourami assumes the guardian role at an early stage. The male continues guarding the nest, and rebuilds and repairs it if needed, while the female leaves the area. The eggs hatch after two days and the fry become free swimming three days later (Ter Morshuizen 2007). When they commence free swimming the fry should be fed infusoria, 10 days later brine shrimp, and 3 weeks later finely ground flakes. Freeze-dried tablets may also be fed to older fry. References External links Honey gourami page Honey dwarf gourami fact sheet gourami-fish.com/honey-species/ honey gourami Fish of Bangladesh Freshwater fish of India honey gourami honey gourami