Differences between Dwarf Gourami and Honey Gourami (Colisa lalia and Colisa sota/chuna)
Can you explain the differences between Honey Gouramis and red Dwarf Gouramis to me? On the pictures I found in books and on the Internet they look - in my opinion - pretty much the same.
Hello,
they are two closely related but nevertheless different species:
- red Dwarf Gouramis are a bred variant of Dwarf Gouramis (Colisa lalia), which in its original form have diagonal blue and red stripes
- Honey Gouramis (Colisa sota, also known as C. chuna) are originally mainly orange with an intensely black throat and pectoral region.
Red Dwarf Gouramis often have a blue dorsal fin, and the front region of the anal fin is also often blue. This blue color does not occur in Honey Gouramis, on the other hand Dwarf Gouramis (including the common bred variants) are not brown to black in the throat/pectoral region.
These color descriptions refer to male fish - the females have rather dull silvery to bright gray colors, females of both species look rather similar.
Best regards
sera GmbH
Dr. Bodo Schnell