Can Pearl Gourami live with Chocolate Shrimp?
Caution — with care
Why
- Pearl Gourami is not on the verified shrimp-safe list, so we will not recommend it over a breeding Chocolate 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.
- Pearl Gourami is 4.5× the length of Chocolate Shrimp and big enough to swallow one. Some keepers get away with it in a heavily planted tank; it is a real risk.
- Pearl Gourami will eat Chocolate Shrimp shrimplets. The colony still grows if there is moss or another dense hiding place for the babies.
- Only a narrow pH overlap — keep both around 7.5–7.5.
Sweet spot: both do well at 77–80°F and pH 7.5–7.5 — aim there.
Side-by-side
| Pearl Gourami | Chocolate Shrimp | |
|---|---|---|
| Temperature | 77–82°F | 74–80°F |
| pH | 6–7.5 | 7.5–8.5 |
| Hardness (GH) | 5–15 dGH | 8–18 dGH |
| Adult size | 4.5" | 1" |
| Temperament | Peaceful | 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
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 Pearl Gourami, Chocolate Shrimp →Everything compatible with Pearl Gourami · …with Chocolate Shrimp