Do you have a tank with three spot gourami and tiger barbs? If so, do you know if they can live together peacefully? In this post, we’ll explore whether or not these two fish can coexist and provide some tips to help make it work if they can’t.
Three spot gourami and tiger barbs: Can they live together or not?
Three spot gourami and tiger barbs can live together. In fact, they do quite well together in most cases. While these fish get their name from the dark spots on their body, they’re often just called “three spot gourami.” The name comes from another common name: three spot gourami.
Compatible tank mates
Tiger barbs, as their name implies, are feisty. But they won’t do anything to the three spot gourami unless the gourami is small enough to fit in a tiger barb’s mouth!
The same goes for the tiger barb – it’ll try to eat anything it can fit in its mouth, including the three spot gourami.
How big will they get?
Most aquarists don’t worry about getting a tank that’s large enough for their fish, but with these two species, size is important. Tiger barbs grow up to 3.5 inches long. Three spot gourami get up to 6 inches in length, though they’re usually kept at closer to 4 inches for the best compatibility with their tankmates.
So if you want your three spot gourami and tiger barbs to live together happily, plan on getting a tank that’s large enough. A 10-gallon tank is too small for these fish.
What about other gouramis?
There are several species of gourami that you might want to keep: the giant, the banded, and others. Three spot gourami and tiger barbs can live together peacefully – even with other kinds of gourami – as long as the tank is large enough.
Just avoid male-female pairs of gourami or breeding groups. And keep in mind that the addition of new fish should be done gradually to ensure compatibility.
Three spot gourami and tiger barbs are among the more interactive fish you can get for your aquarium, so they’re great beginner fish if you’ve never kept fish before. Once you know they’re compatible, expect them to be a lot of fun out of the water as well!
Do you have any experience keeping three spot gourami and tiger barbs together? We’d love to hear about it in the comments – just keep it friendly and helpful so we can all learn from your experience!