Can Oolong Shrimp live with Croaking Gourami?
Caution — with care
Why
- Croaking Gourami is not on the verified shrimp-safe list, so we will not recommend it over a breeding Oolong 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.
- Croaking Gourami is recorded as taking adult shrimp and is 2.5× the length of Oolong Shrimp. Dense cover helps and some individuals ignore them, but expect losses.
- Almost no shared temperature: Oolong Shrimp wants 62–72°F and Croaking Gourami wants 72–82°F, so only 72°F suits both — too fine a margin to actually hold.
- No overlapping water hardness: Oolong Shrimp wants 0–4 dGH but Croaking Gourami wants 5–15 dGH.
- Croaking Gourami will eat Oolong 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
| Oolong Shrimp | Croaking Gourami | |
|---|---|---|
| Temperature | 62–72°F | 72–82°F |
| pH | 5.8–6.8 | 6–7.5 |
| Hardness (GH) | 0–4 dGH | 5–15 dGH |
| Adult size | 1.2" | 3" |
| Temperament | Peaceful | Peaceful |
| Min tank | 10 gal | 20 gal |
Together, plan on at least 20 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.
- Target the overlapping water-parameter range and acclimate slowly.
Sort it with: An adjustable heater · GH remineraliser
Design the whole tank, not just the stocking
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Design a tank with Oolong Shrimp, Croaking Gourami →Everything compatible with Oolong Shrimp · …with Croaking Gourami