Can Blue Bolt Shrimp live with Kissing Gourami?
Not recommended
Why
- Kissing Gourami is 12.0× the length of Blue Bolt Shrimp — easily mouth-sized, and anything that fits in the mouth is a predator.
- Kissing Gourami is not on the verified shrimp-safe list, so we will not recommend it over a breeding Blue Bolt Shrimp colony. It may well be fine — it simply has not been confirmed by a source, and an unverified guess is not worth the colony.
- No overlapping water hardness: Blue Bolt Shrimp wants 2–5 dGH but Kissing Gourami wants 6–8 dGH.
- Only a narrow pH overlap — keep both around 6.5–6.6.
Side-by-side
| Blue Bolt Shrimp | Kissing Gourami | |
|---|---|---|
| Temperature | 68–74°F | 72–82°F |
| pH | 5.8–6.6 | 6.5–7.6 |
| Hardness (GH) | 2–5 dGH | 6–8 dGH |
| Adult size | 1" | 12" |
| Temperament | Peaceful | Semi-aggressive |
| Min tank | 5 gal | 75 gal |
Together, plan on at least 75 gallons.
Compatible alternatives
Instead of Blue Bolt Shrimp (to keep Kissing Gourami):
- Bamboo / Wood Shrimp — 3.5", peaceful buy at The Shrimp Farm · The Shrimp Farm live-arrival guarantee
- Vampire Shrimp — 6", peaceful buy at The Shrimp Farm · The Shrimp Farm live-arrival guarantee
- Flower Shrimp — 2.5", peaceful
Instead of Kissing Gourami (to keep Blue Bolt Shrimp):
- Pygmy Cory — 1", peaceful
- Black Molly — 4", peaceful
- Molly — 4", peaceful
Design the whole tank, not just the stocking
Skapelab plans a complete, buildable planted aquarium around your fish — a hand-illustrated layout, the exact plants and hardscape, a placement map, and a full equipment and shopping list. Free.
Design a tank with Blue Bolt Shrimp, Kissing Gourami →Everything compatible with Blue Bolt Shrimp · …with Kissing Gourami