Can pictus catfish live with sparkling gouramis?

Verdict

No. Pictus catfish and sparkling gouramis should not share a tank. An adult pictus catfish eats fish that fit in its mouth, and at 1.5 inches sparkling gouramis do.

Pictus catfish72–79°F · pH 6–7.5

Sparkling gourami72–82°F · pH 6–7.5

What to watch

Deal breakerAn adult pictus catfish eats fish that fit in its mouth, and at 1.5 inches sparkling gouramis do.

What works

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

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

	Pictus catfish	Sparkling gourami
Temperature	72–79 °F	72–82 °F
pH	6–7.5	6–7.5
Adult size	5.0 in	1.5 in
Minimum tank	55 gal	5 gal
Temperament	Semi-aggressive	Peaceful
Swims at	Bottom	Top
Group	Groups of 3+	Groups of 4+
Diet	Carnivore	Omnivore

Better tank mates for pictus catfish

All pictus catfish tank mates

Better tank mates for sparkling gouramis

All sparkling gourami tank mates

Questions

Can pictus catfish live with sparkling gouramis?

No. Pictus catfish and sparkling gouramis should not share a tank. An adult pictus catfish eats fish that fit in its mouth, and at 1.5 inches sparkling gouramis do.

What temperature suits both pictus catfish and sparkling gouramis?

72–79 °F. Pictus catfish need 72–79 °F, sparkling gouramis need 72–82 °F.

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

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