Can rainbow sharks live with sparkling gouramis?

Verdict

Yes, with care

Yes, with care. Rainbow sharks and sparkling gouramis can share a tank, but watch one thing. A grown rainbow shark may treat small sparkling gouramis as food, especially at night.

Rainbow shark72–80°F · pH 6.5–7.5

Sparkling gourami72–82°F · pH 6–7.5

What to watch

Watch outA grown rainbow shark may treat small sparkling gouramis as food, especially at night.

What works

Both are fine at 72–80°F.
pH 6.5–7.5 suits both.
They use different parts of the tank: rainbow sharks 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

	Rainbow shark	Sparkling gourami
Temperature	72–80 °F	72–82 °F
pH	6.5–7.5	6–7.5
Adult size	6.0 in	1.5 in
Minimum tank	55 gal	5 gal
Temperament	Semi-aggressive	Peaceful
Swims at	Bottom	Top
Group	One per tank	Groups of 4+
Diet	Omnivore	Omnivore

Better tank mates for rainbow sharks

All rainbow shark tank mates

Better tank mates for sparkling gouramis

All sparkling gourami tank mates

Questions

Can rainbow sharks live with sparkling gouramis?

Yes, with care. Rainbow sharks and sparkling gouramis can share a tank, but watch one thing. A grown rainbow shark may treat small sparkling gouramis as food, especially at night.

What temperature suits both rainbow sharks and sparkling gouramis?

72–80 °F. Rainbow sharks need 72–80 °F, sparkling gouramis need 72–82 °F.

What size tank do rainbow sharks and sparkling gouramis need together?

At least 55 gal, set by the rainbow shark. Add space for each extra fish.