Should I buy it?
Pearl Gourami
Trichopodus leerii
Also known as: pearl, lace gourami, Pearl, Lace gourami
Fishori provides conservative planning guidance, not guarantees.
Based on multiple reputable aquarium care sources with strong agreement. Use the numbers here as planning defaults — your room, water, and routine still shape real-world outcomes.
Larger than honey or dwarf gourami at 12 cm, and calmer than most. Tall body wants a tall planted tank with surface plants and quiet mid-water company.
Best for
Planted community tanks 100L or more with quiet mid-water shoals.
Avoid if
Your tank is under 80L or you want a small short-bodied centrepiece.
Top things that go wrong
- Shrimp & snails. Shrimp: compatible in most setups. Cherry shrimp and other dwarf species coexist with peaceful small fish, though baby shrimp are food for almost any fish that gets to them.
Common mistakeA short cube tank without height. Pearl gouramis need vertical space for posture and clean air access, plus surface plants for bubble-nest building.
What most shops don't tell you
- 1.Buying a juvenile pair for a 60L. Pearls grow tall and need 100L+ with at least 40 cm of vertical room.
- 2.Stocking with surface-grabbing barbs that hog feeding. A pearl gourami starves slowly in fast-feeder communities.
- 3.Easy in mature settled water. Avoid nippy tank mates that shred the trailing pelvic threads. Lean toward 100L or more with real tank height for the deep body.
About this species
Pearl gouramis are large labyrinth fish named for the pearl-spotted body. Males flush orange-red on the throat in breeding mood. Adults reach 12 cm and want a tall planted tank.
- Chocolate gourami80L min · same group, comparable tank size
- Croaking gourami80L min · same group, comparable tank size
- Paradise fish120L min · same group, comparable tank size
- Dwarf Gourami60L min · same fish family
- Opaline gourami150L min · same group, similar adult size
- Honey Gourami40L min · same fish family
- Sparkling Gourami40L min · same fish family
- Betta20L min · same fish family
- Beckford Pencilfishalso beginner peaceful, similar tank size
- Black Neon Tetraalso beginner peaceful, similar tank size
- Black phantom tetraalso beginner peaceful, similar tank size
- Bloodfin tetraalso beginner peaceful, similar tank size
- Bristlenose Plecoalso beginner peaceful, similar tank size
- Bronze corydorasalso beginner peaceful, similar tank size
- Angelfish tank mateslists this fish as a safe and recommended mate
- Clown Loach tank mateslists this fish as a safe and recommended mate
- Electric Blue Acara tank mateslists this fish as a safe and recommended mate
- Moonlight gourami tank mateslists this fish as a safe and recommended mate
Plan grid
Key limits are shown above; this section adds planning detail: pH band, swim level, bioload and activity, and the radar.
Swim zones
Planning trait chart
Six indices for comparing species on paper before you spend.
- Beginner ease78
- Peacefulness90
- Community fit82
- Small-tank fit100
- Hardiness76
- Energy54
Numbers are deterministic planning indices from Fishori fields — not a scientific score of your individual fish.
Common setup sketches
Conservative patterns from Fishori fields — still run the pair checker for every species you add; sketches are not a stocking guarantee.
Rough 100L+ layout: one calm centrepiece, 8–12 small tetras/rasboras, 6–8 corydoras-type bottom fish — verify every name in the pair checker before buying.
Safe directions on file include: Corydoras Catfish, Neon Tetra, Harlequin Rasbora.
Tank mate intelligence
Compatible with corydoras, larger peaceful tetras, harlequin rasboras, otocinclus, plecos. Avoid tiny shrimp (snack-size), fin-nippers, and aggressive cichlids.
Pair-level compatibility with this fish as anchor.
Read the blocking rule on each pair page before experimenting.
Do-not-stock combinations on conservative hobby rules.
Compare with
Run a real pair check: Pearl Gourami + Corydoras Catfish
Behaviour, temperament, and what to watch
Prose and lists come from the same record: read temperament first, then glass-level signals so you are not surprised after day three.
Among the most peaceful gouramis but can mildly nip very long fins. Surface breathers. Keep lid loose enough for warm air.
Stress / aggression triggers on file
- Sudden crowding
- Poor water quality
Fin nipping: Not a habitual fin-nipper, but individuals can still test fins under stress or in a crowded tank.
Predation: Not a predator toward similarly-sized community fish. The usual community caveats about mouth size still apply for very small fry or shrimp.
Territory: Not strongly territorial, but still claims a working area in the tank. Give it room to settle without overlapping the next species' patch.
Planted tanks: excellent — easy plant ideas
In the glass: typical and warning signs
- Moderate pacing — not hyperactive, not motionless.
- Clamped fins, gasping at the surface, hiding non-stop, or refusing food after the first week.
- Rapid breathing when parameters swing — fix ammonia/nitrite first, then reassess mates.
- Low listed risk — still watch new introductions.
- Separate or rehome if injuries appear, one fish is pinned, or feeding becomes a daily chase.
- If water is stable but behaviour worsens, reduce stocking or remove the highest-impact species first.
Fish behaviour can vary between individuals and tank setups. Always observe new fish closely after introduction.
Care parameters: water, food, inverts, grouping
Chemistry and group rules sit here so you are not re-reading the same line from tank mate or temperament blocks. Swim level is in the plan grid above.
Hardness
soft
Diet
omnivore
Mixed diet: a quality flake or pellet as the staple, with frozen or live foods two or three times a week.
Shrimp & snails
Shrimp: compatible in most setups. Cherry shrimp and other dwarf species coexist with peaceful small fish, though baby shrimp are food for almost any fish that gets to them.
Kept singly or as a paired setup. Check the species profile before doubling up in one tank.
Breeding behaviour depends on the species. Research before you buy a mixed-sex group of this fish.
- Hold 24 to 28 °C steadily on a real thermometer, not the dial on the heater.
- Aim for pH 6 to 8 and a hardness you can re-test in two weeks. A one-time strip in the shop car park is not a water test.
- Footprint: short wide tanks and tall narrow tanks fish differently for the same volume. Match the tank shape to the swim pattern, not just the litre count.
- Tank volume meets or exceeds 100L published minimum for adults.
- Heater can hold 24–28°C without cooking cooler-water tank mates.
- No known fin-nippers paired with long-finned fish unless you accept documented risk.
Explore and stocking hubs
Same library as the rest of Fishori: tank-mate index for this species, category peers, guides, and litre-based stocking lists where min tank on file is within the hub volume.
Plan with tools
Pair-level rules and multi-fish stocking use the same conservative engine — add this fish in the tank builder only after mates pass pair checks.
Filtration & heating
A 100L minimum tank needs a filter rated for at least 400L/hr turnover and a heater to hold 24–28°C reliably.
Plant suggestions
Pearl Gourami does well in planted tanks. Plants compatible with 24–28°C and pH 6–8:
Profile status: partially verified · Evidence tier: high · 3 linked source(s). Fishori does not fabricate citations.
Fishori uses conservative planning rules based on these sources.
Confidence is explained in the summary at the top of this page (same tier as here), not repeated below.
How Fishori evaluates compatibility (same logic as pair and tank tools).
- Seriously Fish. Trichopodus leerii
Primary: aquarium size, water chemistry, behaviour, and compatibility (URL verified in upgrade script; recheck if site content changes).
- FishBase. Trichopodus leerii
Secondary: taxonomy, distribution, and maximum length in nature; cross-check with aquarium import lines and measured tank parameters.
- Wikipedia. Trichopodus leerii
Secondary: general species context; verify all husbandry numbers against a dedicated aquarium care sheet and your test kit, not a single table row.
Evidence notes
- The Seriously Fish profile for the binomial in this record was successfully reached as the primary aquarium reference.
- FishBase contributes natural-range size and habitat context. Translate those numbers through your heater, your water report, and your tank footprint before stocking.
- Wikipedia is only cited if the article URL returned OK. Use it for orientation, not as the only care sheet for an import.
- All compatibility text reflects typical hobby experience and the Fishori model. Individual fish, shop stress, and the order tank mates are added in can still defy a single-paragraph label.
- Fishori profiles work from typical aquarium trade sizes and hobby care norms. Specialist site checks and literature review for this species are not yet recorded here, so the ranges on this page are planning numbers rather than guarantees.