Top 7 Blue Gourami Tank Mates (With Pictures)
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The Blue Gourami is as bright a blue as blue could be. This tropical freshwater fish is most often found in Malaysia, Thailand, Burma, and Vietnam. And they’re perhaps some of the most adaptable freshwater fish out there—thriving in a wide array of conditions, differing water hardness and pH levels, and different temperatures too.
This is why they often make for a good first-choice fish. Even if you are no fish care expert, keeping these guys alive is not hard at all.
Gouramis in general are omnivores and will eat much plant life, veggies, and smaller insects too. But they usually don’t eat other fish. On average, the Blue Gourami will grow to around 4 inches in length and they have a lifespan of 4 years. Ideally, you should have at least a 20-gallon tank for these guys because they like lots of space, as well, they’re middle dwellers.
Blue Gouramis can be a little aggressive and territorial towards other Blue Gouramis, but otherwise, quite peaceful and more or less just keep to themselves. Keeping them with fish of a similar or smaller size should be just fine, especially if they are also peaceful, and better yet, if they are bottom dwellers.
The Top 7 Blue Gourami Tank Mates
Chances of seeing any Blue Gourami aggression are very low if your aquarium has a substantial amount of vegetation. If you happen to have a Blue Gourami, or want to get one, what other kind of fish can you safely house it with?
1. Tetra Fish
There are many different kinds of Tetra fish out there, many of which make for great Blue Gourami tank mates. Just like the Blue Gourami, Tetras love to be in well-planted aquariums that provide for lots of space to hide and take cover under. When both of these fish have adequate vegetation, the chances of a confrontation are close to zero.
Moreover, Tetras, most species anyway, will grow to anywhere from 1.5 to 2 inches in length. This is a good size of fish to house with a Blue Gourami because they are big enough to not be mistaken for food, but not so big as to pose an intimidating threat. These guys should get along just fine, especially because Tetras are just peaceful schooling fish.
Furthermore, the Blue Gourami likes to be in the middle and near the top of the water, whereas the Tetra fish likes to be in the middle and bottom of the tank. They probably won’t get in each other’s way and confrontations between these two fish species are very rare. Feeding is not really a problem either, because both of these fish are omnivores and eat more or less the same things.
2. Harlequin Rasbora
The Rasbora, or specifically the Harlequin Rasbora, is another good tank mate for the Blue Gourami. These guys both come from the same South East Asian countries and in fact from pretty much the same areas within those countries. This means that they can both survive in the same water temperatures and conditions. Both the Rasbora and Blue Gourami do well in differing water conditions and are very resilient to parameter changes.
The Rasbora grows to around 2 inches in length, which once again is a good size of fish to house with a Blue Gourami. They are small enough to not be seen as a threat by the Blue Gourami, but also big enough to not be seen as any sort of threat. When it comes to eating, both of these creatures are omnivores and like to eat about the same foods.
So, you can feed them both the same things and they will be just fine. Moreover, Rasboras like heavily planted aquariums, just like the Blue Gourami, which is beneficial because they can find cover from each other, thus reducing the chances of any conformation occurring between them.
3. Zebra Loach
Loaches make for really good tank mates with most other fish as they are extremely peaceful creatures. You probably don’t want all kinds of Loaches though, because many of them can grow up to a foot in length, or even longer. A good option is the Zebra Loach, which usually grows to around 4 inches in length.
The Zebra Loach is roughly the same size as the Blue Gourami, which means that they should get along just fine. Blue Gouramis do sometimes have problems with fish that are larger than them, but fish that are the same size should not be a problem.
Even if size were an issue, Loaches are some of the most peaceful fish out there. They are schooling fish that will usually avoid confrontations at all costs. Moreover, Zebra Loaches are bottom dwellers and bottom feeders, which means that they very rarely venture to the middle or top of the tank, which is the domain of the Blue Gourami.
If you have a very well planted tank with lots of vegetation, the chances of these guys running into each other and fighting is very minimal. Also, Loaches do a good job at cleaning up uneaten food which the Blue Gourami might leave behind.
4. Dwarf, Pearl, & Giant Danios
The Danio is a very peaceful schooling fish that usually never gets in confrontations with other fish. They are pretty calm and will usually just swim away from a fight. This means that they should get along fine with the Blue Gourami.
Even if the Blue Gourami does look for a fight, the Danio will not give in to it. Moreover, the Dwarf and Pearl Danio both grow to around 2 inches in length, which is not big enough to intimidate the Blue Gourami and not small enough to be mistaken for food.
The Giant Danio can grow up to 4 inches in length, but the matter of size aside, they are still very peaceful and will not fight with the Blue Gourami. Also, both of these fish species like to be in heavily vegetated aquariums, so they both like the same type of environment. Moreover, even if you have a Giant Danio, the large volume of plant matter in the tank will keep it separated from the Blue Gourami.
These guys like to be in the middle and bottom of the tank, so the Blue Gourami will still have the top of the tank to itself for the most part. Both species are quite hardy and resilient to changes in the water as well.
5. Sailfin Molly
Mollies are yet another good tank mate option for your Blue Gourami. Now, both of these fish like to be in warm tropical waters and both like to have lots of vegetation around. This means that they can both survive in the same water conditions, parameters, and general environment, plus both species are fairly resilient to changes in water conditions.
Also, the fact that both creatures like planted aquariums is great, because it puts a certain amount of separation between the two, thus decreasing the chances of a confrontation.
The Sailfin Molly can grow to around 6 inches in length, but studies show that having more fish in a tank will cause it to be a little smaller. Yes, they are a little bigger than a Blue Gourami, but not by much. Generally speaking, they only tend to be slightly larger than Blue Gouramis.
Anyway, the Sailfin Molly is a very peaceful fish that does really well in all kinds of community tanks. They are so peaceful and like to avoid confrontation, that even though they are large than Blue Gouramis, the Blue Gouramis will not see them as threats.
Even if a fight were to occur, neither fish could really do serious damage to the other. Moreover, both of these guys like to eat about the same foods, so feeding is made quick and easy.
6. The Common Pleco
Plecos, the Common Pleco to be specific, is a catfish species, a bottom feeding catfish. These guys are extremely peaceful and usually never like to fight. The only fish that these guys will get into fights with are other fully grown Plecos. Other than housing them with the same species, Plecos will do just fine with other fish.
The Blue Gourami will not have a problem with the Pleco because Plecos are bottom feeders and usually never leave the bottom of the tank. On the other hand, the Blue Gourami likes to be in the middle and top of the tank. These guys will never even really run into each other.
Also, Plecos are known for their toughness and armor like exterior, so any attacks launched by a foolish Blue Gourami will prove to be futile. This is beside the fact that a Pleco can grow up to 2 feet long, so the Blue Gourami will most likely stay away from it anyway.
Plecos are bottom feeders and they usually only eat scraps, old fish food, and plant matter, so they aren’t about to try and eat the Blue Gourami. Also, both of these guys can survive in roughly the same water conditions too, which is always necessary as well.
7. Platies
Yet another awesome for the tank mate is the Platy, a very peaceful tropical fish that originates from South America. These guys can grow up to anywhere from 1.5 to 2.5 inches, which is a good size of fish to put together with a Blue Gourami.
Small enough to not intimidate the Blue Gourami and big enough to not be eaten by it, the Platy will do just fine in a tank with the Gourami.
Many people chose Platies as their beginner fish as they are very hardy and can survive in a wide array of conditions. They will do fine in a Gourami tank in terms of the water temperature and other important parameters.
Platies are also very easy to feed as they like flakes, pellets, frozen foods, live foods, and virtually everything else in between. These guys are really beautiful, they are peaceful, and easy to take care of, thus making them an ideal Blue Gourami tank mate.
The Fish You Shouldn’t House with Blue Gourami
There are a few fish that you should never house together with the Blue Gourami, which can be for one reason or another. Never house these guys together:
- Betta Fish
- Dwarf Gourami
- Guppies
- Goldfish
- Angelfish
Final Thoughts
Blue Gouramis are definitely some of the most beautiful fish around and thankfully are not hard to take care of. Being one of the most resilient and adaptive fish around is definitely a big bonus for any beginner fish keeper. If you want to start a nice community tank, just keep in mind that they do need a fair amount of room and they like lots of vegetation.
Just don’t put them together with other Blue Gouramis, especially males with males, as they will not like that. The above seven tank mates are undoubtedly some of best Blue Gourami tank mates to consider.
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Featured Image Credit to Steve Bower, Shutterstock
