Can honey gouramis live with pictus catfish?

Verdict

No. Honey gouramis and pictus catfish should not share a tank. An adult pictus catfish eats fish that fit in its mouth, and at 2 inches honey gouramis do.

Honey gourami72–82°F · pH 6–7.5

Pictus catfish72–79°F · pH 6–7.5

What to watch

Deal breakerAn adult pictus catfish eats fish that fit in its mouth, and at 2 inches honey gouramis do.
Watch outPictus catfish are much bigger and pushier than honey gouramis, which are slow and easy to bully at feeding time.

What works

Both are fine at 72–79°F.
pH 6–7.5 suits both.
They use different parts of the tank: honey gouramis the top, pictus catfish the bottom.

Water side by side

The green band is the temperature range both can live in.

The green band is the pH both tolerate.

Size to scale

Adult length in an aquarium. A fish can swallow anything that fits in its mouth, roughly a third to half its own length for predators.

Care at a glance

	Honey gourami	Pictus catfish
Temperature	72–82 °F	72–79 °F
pH	6–7.5	6–7.5
Adult size	2.0 in	5.0 in
Minimum tank	10 gal	55 gal
Temperament	Peaceful	Semi-aggressive
Swims at	Top	Bottom
Group	Alone or in pairs	Groups of 3+
Diet	Omnivore	Carnivore

Better tank mates for honey gouramis

All honey gourami tank mates

Better tank mates for pictus catfish

All pictus catfish tank mates

Questions

Can honey gouramis live with pictus catfish?

No. Honey gouramis and pictus catfish should not share a tank. An adult pictus catfish eats fish that fit in its mouth, and at 2 inches honey gouramis do.

What temperature suits both honey gouramis and pictus catfish?

72–79 °F. Honey gouramis need 72–82 °F, pictus catfish need 72–79 °F.

What size tank do honey gouramis and pictus catfish need together?

At least 55 gal, set by the pictus catfish. Add space for each extra fish.