Pearl gourami care
Trichopodus leerii · Lowland swamps of Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia
Pearl gouramis are covered in pale spots and are among the calmest larger gouramis.
- Tank size
- 29 US gal or larger
- Temperature
- 77 to 82 °F (25 to 28 °C)
- Group size
- Alone or in a pair
- Temperament
- Peaceful
- Adult size
- 4.5 in
- pH
- 6 to 7.5
- Hardness (GH)
- 2 to 15 dGH
- Lifespan
- 4 to 5 years
- Diet
- Omnivore
- Care level
- Easy
In a 29 gallon
30¼ × 12½ × 18¾ in outsideHow to keep pearl gouramis
Pearl gouramis are covered in pale spots and are among the calmest larger gouramis. A 29 gallon or larger planted tank at 77 to 82 °F suits one, or one male with females; they mix well with peaceful tetras, rasboras and corydoras.
Diet: Omnivore: flakes, pellets, frozen foods. Fish food types compared · how often to feed.
Where they swim: Top of the tank.
Pearl gourami tank mates
Share the temperature and water, and neither side eats, nips or bullies the other. Check the full group in the stocking checker.
Amazon puffer
5 in · 29+ gal · 74–82 °F
DrawingSnowball pleco
5 in · 30+ gal · 77–84 °F
Kribensis
4 in · 29+ gal · 75–80 °F
Kuhli loach
4 in · 20+ gal · 75–82 °F
Keyhole cichlid
4 in · 30+ gal · 72–80 °F
Butterfly pleco
5.1 in · 30+ gal · 77–84 °F
Swordtail
5.5 in · 29+ gal · 72–82 °F
DrawingClown pleco
3.5 in · 20+ gal · 73–82 °F
Keep apart
White cloud mountain minnow: No shared temperature: pearl gouramis need 77 to 82 °F, white cloud mountain minnows 64 to 72 °F.
Betta: Bettas fight with gouramis, their close relatives.
Reticulated hillstream loach: No shared temperature: pearl gouramis need 77 to 82 °F, reticulated hillstream loaches 68 to 75 °F.
Pea puffer: Pea puffers belong in a tank of their own.
Fancy goldfish: No shared temperature: pearl gouramis need 77 to 82 °F, fancy goldfish 64 to 74 °F.
Convict cichlid: Convict cichlids are aggressive towards peaceful fish such as pearl gouramis.
What a pearl gourami tank needs
A tank of 29 US gallons or more (such as the 29 gallon) with a cover, and the equipment below.
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Aqueon PRO QuietFlow Power Filter 20
Rated by the maker for up to 30 US gal, which covers a 29 gallon pearl gourami tank without being built for a far bigger one.
Aqueon QuietFlow Internal Power Filter 15–30 gal
Rated by the maker for 15–30 US gal, which covers a 29 gallon pearl gourami tank without being built for a far bigger one.
Cobalt Aquatics Neo-Therm Pro 100W
Pearl gouramis need 77 to 82 °F; most homes run cooler, so a heater holds the temperature.
API Freshwater Master Test Kit
Tests ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH, the readings that matter most before and after adding pearl gouramis.
Seachem Prime 100 mL
Removes chlorine and chloramine from tap water at every water change.
Fluval Edge Thermometer
Shows the water temperature at a glance, so you know it stays within 77 to 82 °F.
More choices, each with the reason it is in or out: Filters for a 29 gallon tank · Heaters for a 29 gallon tank. We don’t list fish food: any good brand of the foods under Diet will do. Plan the whole tank's equipment →
Common pearl gourami problems
- Males spar if two share a small tank; keep one male per tank under 55 gallons.
Test the water first whenever fish look unwell: see what your readings mean, then match the symptom. For disease, a vet who treats fish can diagnose it and advise treatment.
More to compare
Sources
Name, origin and adult size checked against Wikipedia: Trichopodus leerii. Temperature, pH, hardness, group size, lifespan and minimum tank size are common hobby guidance, not figures from that article. Ranges are the range the species tolerates; aim for the middle. Minimum tank sizes are for an adult group. Drawings are our own; photo credits follow.
Photo credits
Real photographs from Wikimedia Commons, resized and cropped to fit; each is used under the license named.
- Pearl gourami h080, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Amazon puffer O. Schneider, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Kribensis André Karwath aka Aka, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
- Kuhli loach Iidkk, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Keyhole cichlid D.W., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- Butterfly pleco Alberto Alcalá (iNaturalist), CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Swordtail Usien, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
- White cloud mountain minnow Petrtyl, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Betta ivabalk (Pixabay), CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Reticulated hillstream loach Spiketooth, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Pea puffer Beta Mahatvaraj, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Fancy goldfish Benson Kua, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Convict cichlid S. Olkowicz, CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
- Dwarf gourami Quatermass (English Wikipedia), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- Honey gourami Antoon Dommerholt (Dutch Wikipedia), CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Sparkling gourami BEDO (Thailand), CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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