Can Kissing Gourami live with Cardinal Shrimp?
Not recommended
Why
- Kissing Gourami is 15.0× the length of Cardinal 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 Cardinal 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.
- Only a narrow pH overlap — keep both around 7.5–7.6.
- Only a narrow water hardness overlap — keep both around 8–8 dGH.
Side-by-side
| Kissing Gourami | Cardinal Shrimp | |
|---|---|---|
| Temperature | 72–82°F | 79–84°F |
| pH | 6.5–7.6 | 7.5–8.5 |
| Hardness (GH) | 6–8 dGH | 8–18 dGH |
| Adult size | 12" | 0.8" |
| Temperament | Semi-aggressive | Peaceful |
| Min tank | 75 gal | 15 gal |
Together, plan on at least 75 gallons.
Compatible alternatives
Instead of Kissing Gourami (to keep Cardinal Shrimp):
- Thick-lipped Gourami — 3.5", peaceful
- Noble Gourami — 3", peaceful
- Betta (Siamese Fighting Fish) — 2.5", semi-aggressive
Instead of Cardinal Shrimp (to keep Kissing Gourami):
- Flower Shrimp — 2.5", peaceful
- 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
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 Kissing Gourami, Cardinal Shrimp →Everything compatible with Kissing Gourami · …with Cardinal Shrimp