Three spot gourami Tank Mates
Short answer: the best three spot gourami tank mates are Bristlenose pleco, Molly, Tiger barb, Mystery snail, Bronze cory, Kuhli loach. Three spot gouramis need 75–86 °F (24–30 °C), pH 5.5–8.5 and at least 35 gallons.
Three spot gourami care at a glance
| Adult size | 5.9 in (15 cm) |
| Minimum tank | 35 US gallons |
| Temperature | 75–86 °F (24–30 °C) |
| pH | 5.5–8.5 |
| Temperament | Semi-aggressive |
| Swims in | Top |
| Group size | Can be kept singly or in pairs |
| Care level | Easy |
gallon tank
✅ Compatible tank mates (26)
- Bristlenose pleco
- Molly
- Tiger barb
- Angelfish
- Mystery snail
- Bronze cory
- Kuhli loach
- Kribensis
- Swordtail
- Discus
- Rainbow shark
- Red tail shark
- Siamese algae eater
- Common pleco
- Clown loach
- Cockatoo dwarf cichlid
- Dwarf neon rainbowfish
- Glass catfish
- Sterbai cory
- Buenos Aires tetra
- Congo tetra
- Upside-down catfish
- Firemouth cichlid
- Boesemani rainbowfish
- Bolivian ram
- Bala shark
⚠️ Possible with caution (24)
- Guppy — An adult three spot gourami (up to 15 cm) may try to eat smaller guppy (6 cm), especially at night.
- Harlequin rasbora — An adult three spot gourami (up to 15 cm) may try to eat smaller harlequin rasbora (5 cm), especially at night.
- Platy — An adult three spot gourami (up to 15 cm) may try to eat smaller platy (6 cm), especially at night.
- Nerite snail — Very narrow shared temperature range: Nerite snail 22–25 °C (72–77 °F) vs Three spot gourami 24–30 °C (75–86 °F).
- Otocinclus — An adult three spot gourami (up to 15 cm) may try to eat smaller otocinclus (4 cm), especially at night.
- Panda cory — Very narrow shared temperature range: Panda cory 22–25 °C (72–77 °F) vs Three spot gourami 24–30 °C (75–86 °F).
- Black skirt tetra — An adult three spot gourami (up to 15 cm) may try to eat smaller black skirt tetra (6 cm), especially at night.
- Cherry barb — An adult three spot gourami (up to 15 cm) may try to eat smaller cherry barb (5 cm), especially at night.
- German blue ram — An adult three spot gourami (up to 15 cm) may try to eat smaller German blue ram (5 cm), especially at night.
- Glowlight tetra — An adult three spot gourami (up to 15 cm) may try to eat smaller glowlight tetra (4 cm), especially at night.
- Honey gourami — An adult three spot gourami (up to 15 cm) may try to eat smaller honey gourami (5.5 cm), especially at night.
- Rummy nose tetra — An adult three spot gourami (up to 15 cm) may try to eat smaller rummy nose tetra (5 cm), especially at night.
- Serpae tetra — An adult three spot gourami (up to 15 cm) may try to eat smaller serpae tetra (4.5 cm), especially at night.
- Zebra danio — Very narrow shared temperature range: Three spot gourami 24–30 °C (75–86 °F) vs Zebra danio 18–25 °C (64–77 °F).
- Pearl gourami — Gouramis and bettas often squabble with similar-looking labyrinth fish at the surface.
- Sparkling gourami — An adult three spot gourami (up to 15 cm) may try to eat smaller sparkling gourami (4 cm), especially at night.
- Black neon tetra — An adult three spot gourami (up to 15 cm) may try to eat smaller black neon tetra (4 cm), especially at night.
- Bloodfin tetra — An adult three spot gourami (up to 15 cm) may try to eat smaller bloodfin tetra (5.5 cm), especially at night.
- Forktail blue-eye — An adult three spot gourami (up to 15 cm) may try to eat smaller forktail blue-eye (6 cm), especially at night.
- Lemon tetra — An adult three spot gourami (up to 15 cm) may try to eat smaller lemon tetra (5 cm), especially at night.
- X-ray tetra — An adult three spot gourami (up to 15 cm) may try to eat smaller X-ray tetra (4.5 cm), especially at night.
- Convict cichlid — Convict cichlid is aggressive; three spot gourami may get into fights with it.
- Odessa barb — Very narrow shared temperature range: Odessa barb 16–25 °C (61–77 °F) vs Three spot gourami 24–30 °C (75–86 °F).
- Chinese algae eater — Adult Chinese algae eater can latch onto other fish and rasp their slime coat.
❌ Not recommended (21)
- Cherry shrimp — Three spot gourami will hunt and eat cherry shrimp.
- Betta fish — Both are territorial and use the same part of the tank, so constant fights are likely.
- Dwarf gourami — Both are territorial and use the same part of the tank, so constant fights are likely.
- Fancy goldfish — Coldwater and tropical fish don't mix: Fancy goldfish 20–23 °C (68–73 °F) vs Three spot gourami 24–30 °C (75–86 °F).
- Neon tetra — An adult three spot gourami (up to 15 cm) is big enough to eat neon tetra (3.5 cm).
- Oscar — Oscar is aggressive and much larger than three spot gourami; it will bully or injure it.
- Pea puffer — An adult three spot gourami (up to 15 cm) is big enough to eat pea puffer (3 cm).
- Amano shrimp — Three spot gourami will hunt and eat Amano shrimp.
- Celestial pearl danio — An adult three spot gourami (up to 15 cm) is big enough to eat celestial pearl danio (2.5 cm).
- Chili rasbora — An adult three spot gourami (up to 15 cm) is big enough to eat chili rasbora (2 cm).
- Ember tetra — An adult three spot gourami (up to 15 cm) is big enough to eat ember tetra (2 cm).
- Endler's livebearer — An adult three spot gourami (up to 15 cm) is big enough to eat Endler's livebearer (3 cm).
- Cardinal tetra — An adult three spot gourami (up to 15 cm) is big enough to eat cardinal tetra (3.5 cm).
- White cloud mountain minnow — Coldwater and tropical fish don't mix: Three spot gourami 24–30 °C (75–86 °F) vs White cloud mountain minnow 14–22 °C (57–72 °F).
- Electric yellow cichlid — Electric yellow cichlid is a Lake Malawi cichlid: it needs hard, alkaline water and an African-cichlid community, and is too boisterous for three spot gourami.
- Pygmy cory — An adult three spot gourami (up to 15 cm) is big enough to eat pygmy cory (3 cm).
- Paradise fish — No comfortable shared temperature: Paradise fish 10–22 °C (50–72 °F) vs Three spot gourami 24–30 °C (75–86 °F).
- Peppered cory — No comfortable shared temperature: Peppered cory 20–24 °C (68–75 °F) vs Three spot gourami 24–30 °C (75–86 °F).
- Gold barb — No comfortable shared temperature: Gold barb 16–24 °C (61–75 °F) vs Three spot gourami 24–30 °C (75–86 °F).
- Rosy barb — No comfortable shared temperature: Rosy barb 16–24 °C (61–75 °F) vs Three spot gourami 24–30 °C (75–86 °F).
- Jack Dempsey — Jack Dempsey is aggressive and much larger than three spot gourami; it will bully or injure it.
How many three spot gouramis per tank?
40 gal 55 gal 75 gal — see what else fits with our stocking calculator.
FAQ
What fish can live with three spot gouramis?
Good matches include Bristlenose pleco, Molly, Tiger barb, Mystery snail, Bronze cory, Kuhli loach. They share a temperature range with three spot gouramis (75–86 °F (24–30 °C)), are a similar temperament, and are not big enough to eat each other or nip fins.
What fish should not live with three spot gouramis?
Avoid Cherry shrimp, Betta fish, Dwarf gourami, Fancy goldfish, Neon tetra, Oscar.
What size tank do three spot gouramis need?
We recommend at least 35 US gallons for one three spot gourami, more if you add tank mates.
Can three spot gouramis live alone?
Yes. Three spot gouramis do not need a group, though they can be kept with compatible tank mates.
Note: Compatibility depends on individual temperament, tank size, decor and how fish are introduced. Our verdicts use conservative rules applied to published care data (see methodology). They are guidance, not a guarantee. Quarantine new fish and watch for chasing, torn fins or hiding.