Can Blue Gourami live with Red Shadow Panda Shrimp?
Caution — with care
Why
- Blue Gourami is not on the verified shrimp-safe list, so we will not recommend it over a breeding Red Shadow Panda 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.
- Blue Gourami is 4.2× the length of Red Shadow Panda Shrimp and big enough to swallow one. Some keepers get away with it in a heavily planted tank; it is a real risk.
- Almost no shared temperature: Blue Gourami wants 72–82°F and Red Shadow Panda Shrimp wants 62–72°F, so only 72°F suits both — too fine a margin to actually hold.
- No overlapping water hardness: Blue Gourami wants 5–20 dGH but Red Shadow Panda Shrimp wants 0–4 dGH.
- Blue Gourami will eat Red Shadow Panda Shrimp shrimplets. The colony still grows if there is moss or another dense hiding place for the babies.
Sweet spot: both do well at 72–72°F and pH 6–6.8 — aim there.
Side-by-side
| Blue Gourami | Red Shadow Panda Shrimp | |
|---|---|---|
| Temperature | 72–82°F | 62–72°F |
| pH | 6–8.5 | 5.8–6.8 |
| Hardness (GH) | 5–20 dGH | 0–4 dGH |
| Adult size | 5" | 1.2" |
| Temperament | Semi-aggressive | Peaceful |
| Min tank | 30 gal | 10 gal |
Together, plan on at least 30 gallons.
How to make it work
- Keep a large, established shrimp colony in a heavily planted tank with moss and cover so enough survive to breed.
- Add only full-grown adults — never juveniles, which will be eaten.
- Target the overlapping water-parameter range and acclimate slowly.
Sort it with: A larger tank · GH remineraliser · An adjustable heater
Design the whole tank, not just the stocking
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Design a tank with Blue Gourami, Red Shadow Panda Shrimp →Everything compatible with Blue Gourami · …with Red Shadow Panda Shrimp