Fire Red Licorice Gourami Tank Mates

Fire Red Licorice Gourami is peaceful, so its tank mates need choosing with care. Here are the 111 freshwater species that pair well with a fire red licorice gourami — plus the 86 to avoid — with a live checker you can tune to your own tank.

By The Aquarium DB Team • Updated June 8, 2026 • Full Fire Red Licorice Gourami care guide →
Best matches

The best tank mates for a fire red licorice gourami

  • Ember Tetra ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 2 cm · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
    Both are peaceful; temperature, pH and hardness ranges all overlap and neither outsizes the other enough to be a threat.
  • Neon Green Rasbora ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 2 cm · 22–26 °C (72–79 °F)
    Both are peaceful; temperature, pH and hardness ranges all overlap and neither outsizes the other enough to be a threat.
  • Dawn Tetra ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 2.5 cm · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 23–28 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
  • Glowlight Danio ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 3 cm · 22–26 °C (72–79 °F)
    Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 23–26 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
  • Gold Ring Danio ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 3 cm · 18–26 °C (64–79 °F)
    Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 23–26 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
  • Neon Tetra ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 3 cm · 20–26 °C (68–79 °F)
    Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 23–26 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
  • Tail-spot Corydoras ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 3 cm · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    Both are peaceful; temperature, pH and hardness ranges all overlap and neither outsizes the other enough to be a threat.
  • Pygmy Corydoras ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 3.2 cm · 22–26 °C (72–79 °F)
    Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 23–26 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
  • Glowlight Rasbora ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 3.5 cm · 23–28 °C (73–82 °F)
    Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 23–28 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
  • Emperor Tetra ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 4 cm · 23–27 °C (73–81 °F)
    Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 23–27 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
  • Flame Tetra ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 4 cm · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 23–28 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
  • Ghost Shrimp ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 4 cm · 18–28 °C (64–82 °F)
    Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 23–28 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
  • Glowlight Tetra ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 4 cm · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 23–28 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
  • Golden Dwarf Barb ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 4 cm · 18–24 °C (64–75 °F)
    Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 23–24 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
  • Phoenix Tetra ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 4 cm · 23–28 °C (73–82 °F)
    Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 23–28 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
  • Red Phantom Tetra ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 4 cm · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 23–28 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
  • Rosy Tetra ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 4 cm · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 23–28 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
  • Yellow Phantom Tetra ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 4 cm · 23–27 °C (73–81 °F)
    Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 23–27 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
  • Black Phantom Tetra ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 4.5 cm · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 23–28 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
  • Gold Tetra ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 4.5 cm · 23–28 °C (73–82 °F)
    Both are peaceful; temperature, pH and hardness ranges all overlap and neither outsizes the other enough to be a threat.
  • Lemon Tetra ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 4.5 cm · 23–28 °C (73–82 °F)
    Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 23–28 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
  • X-ray Tetra ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 4.5 cm · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    Both are peaceful; temperature, pH and hardness ranges all overlap and neither outsizes the other enough to be a threat.
  • Axelrod's Cory ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 5 cm · 23–28 °C (73–82 °F)
    Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 23–28 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
  • Bandit Corydoras ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 5 cm · 22–27 °C (72–81 °F)
    Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 23–27 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
With caution

Fire Red Licorice Gourami tank mates that can work with care

  • African Butterfly Cichlid ⚠️ With caution
    Medium care · Semi-aggressive · 8 cm · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    Expect African Butterfly Cichlid to harass Fire Red Licorice Gourami at times; give dense cover and watch them at feeding.
  • African Dwarf Frog ⚠️ With caution
    Medium care · Peaceful · 4 cm · 22–26 °C (72–79 °F)
    Different pH ranges (4–6.5 vs 6.8–7.8); doable if you sit in the shared band, but not ideal long-term.
  • Amano Shrimp ⚠️ With caution
    Easy care · Peaceful · 5 cm · 18–28 °C (64–82 °F)
    Water hardness preferences differ (Fire Red Licorice Gourami 0–4 vs Amano Shrimp 6–15 dGH).
  • Amazon Puffer ⚠️ With caution
    Medium care · Peaceful · 8 cm · 23–28 °C (73–82 °F)
    Your 75 L tank is below the ~120 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
  • Angelfish ⚠️ With caution
    Medium care · Semi-aggressive · 15 cm · 24–30 °C (75–86 °F)
    Angelfish clearly outsizes Fire Red Licorice Gourami and is semi-aggressive; risky unless the tank is big and well-planted.
  • Ash Lipped Apisto ⚠️ With caution
    Hard care · Semi-aggressive · 7 cm · 24–29 °C (75–84 °F)
    Ash Lipped Apisto is semi-aggressive and may chase or nip the smaller Fire Red Licorice Gourami — plant heavily and break up sight lines.
  • Assassin Snail ⚠️ With caution
    Easy care · Peaceful · 3 cm · 22–26 °C (72–79 °F)
    One likes softer water and the other harder (0–4 vs 8–20 dGH) — a compromise, not a perfect match.
  • Badis ⚠️ With caution
    Medium care · Semi-aggressive · 8 cm · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    Expect Badis to harass Fire Red Licorice Gourami at times; give dense cover and watch them at feeding.

+ 135 more “with caution” pairings — see the interactive checker above.

Avoid

Fish to avoid keeping with a fire red licorice gourami

  • Wels Catfish ⛔ Avoid
    Hard care · Aggressive · 300 cm · 15–25 °C (59–77 °F)
    Size gap is too large (300 vs 3.5 cm): Wels Catfish will treat Fire Red Licorice Gourami as food.
  • Alligator Gar ⛔ Avoid
    Hard care · Aggressive · 250 cm · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
    Size gap is too large (250 vs 3.5 cm): Alligator Gar will treat Fire Red Licorice Gourami as food.
  • Redtail Catfish ⛔ Avoid
    Hard care · Aggressive · 120 cm · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)
    Size gap is too large (120 vs 3.5 cm): Redtail Catfish will treat Fire Red Licorice Gourami as food.
  • Fire Eel ⛔ Avoid
    Medium care · Semi-aggressive · 100 cm · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
    Size gap is too large (100 vs 3.5 cm): Fire Eel will treat Fire Red Licorice Gourami as food.
  • Clown Knifefish ⛔ Avoid
    Hard care · Aggressive · 90 cm · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
    Clown Knifefish (90 cm) is big enough to swallow the 3.5 cm Fire Red Licorice Gourami whole.
  • Koi ⛔ Avoid
    Medium care · Peaceful · 90 cm · 4–28 °C (39–82 °F)
    Size gap is too large (90 vs 3.5 cm): Koi will treat Fire Red Licorice Gourami as food.
  • Spotted Gar ⛔ Avoid
    Hard care · Aggressive · 90 cm · 18–26 °C (64–79 °F)
    Spotted Gar (90 cm) is big enough to swallow the 3.5 cm Fire Red Licorice Gourami whole.
  • Wolf Cichlid ⛔ Avoid
    Hard care · Aggressive · 72 cm · 24–30 °C (75–86 °F)
    Fire Red Licorice Gourami is bite-sized to a 72 cm predatory wolf cichlid — it will be eaten.

+ 78 more to avoid — the checker above flags every one.

Interactive tool

Check any fish against a fire red licorice gourami

Dial in your exact tank size and filter by result — the checker scores every species in our database against a fire red licorice gourami, with the reasoning for each verdict.

Tank-mate checker

Will it live with a Fire Red Licorice Gourami?

We compare each fish against your fire red licorice gourami on temperament, size, water parameters and swimming zone. Set your tank size and filter the results.

  • Amapá Tetra✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 4 cm · Medium care · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)
    • Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 24–27 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
    • Both favour the middle of the tank — offer enough cover so they aren't always in each other's space.
    • Keep Amapá Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Blackwing Hatchetfish✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 3.5 cm · Medium care · 23–28 °C (73–82 °F)
    • Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 23–28 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
    • Keep Blackwing Hatchetfish in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Blue Emperor Tetra✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 4 cm · Medium care · 23–27 °C (73–81 °F)
    • Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 23–27 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
    • Both favour the middle of the tank — offer enough cover so they aren't always in each other's space.
    • Keep Blue Emperor Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Cardinal Tetra✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 4 cm · Medium care · 23–27 °C (73–81 °F)
    • Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 23–27 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
    • Both favour the middle of the tank — offer enough cover so they aren't always in each other's space.
    • Keep Cardinal Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Clown Killifish✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 3.5 cm · Medium care · 22–26 °C (72–79 °F)
    • Both are peaceful; temperature, pH and hardness ranges all overlap and neither outsizes the other enough to be a threat.
    • Keep Clown Killifish in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Crimson Red Betta✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 3.5 cm · Hard care · 24–29 °C (75–84 °F)
    • Both are peaceful; temperature, pH and hardness ranges all overlap and neither outsizes the other enough to be a threat.
    • Both favour the middle of the tank — offer enough cover so they aren't always in each other's space.
  • Emperor Tetra✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 4 cm · Easy care · 23–27 °C (73–81 °F)
    • Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 23–27 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
    • Both favour the middle of the tank — offer enough cover so they aren't always in each other's space.
    • Keep Emperor Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Eyespot Rasbora✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 3.5 cm · Medium care · 20–25 °C (68–77 °F)
    • Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 23–25 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
    • Both favour the middle of the tank — offer enough cover so they aren't always in each other's space.
    • Keep Eyespot Rasbora in a shoal of 8+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Flame Tetra✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 4 cm · Easy care · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    • Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 23–28 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
    • Both favour the middle of the tank — offer enough cover so they aren't always in each other's space.
    • Keep Flame Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Ghost Shrimp✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 4 cm · Easy care · 18–28 °C (64–82 °F)
    • Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 23–28 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
    • Keep Ghost Shrimp in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Glowlight Rasbora✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 3.5 cm · Easy care · 23–28 °C (73–82 °F)
    • Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 23–28 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
    • Both favour the middle of the tank — offer enough cover so they aren't always in each other's space.
    • Keep Glowlight Rasbora in a shoal of 8+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Glowlight Tetra✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 4 cm · Easy care · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    • Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 23–28 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
    • Both favour the middle of the tank — offer enough cover so they aren't always in each other's space.
    • Keep Glowlight Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Golden Dwarf Barb✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 4 cm · Easy care · 18–24 °C (64–75 °F)
    • Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 23–24 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
    • Both favour the middle of the tank — offer enough cover so they aren't always in each other's space.
    • Keep Golden Dwarf Barb in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Jelly Bean Tetra✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 4 cm · Medium care · 20–26 °C (68–79 °F)
    • Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 23–26 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
    • Both favour the middle of the tank — offer enough cover so they aren't always in each other's space.
    • Keep Jelly Bean Tetra in a shoal of 10+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Marbled Hatchetfish✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 4 cm · Medium care · 23–28 °C (73–82 °F)
    • Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 23–28 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
    • Keep Marbled Hatchetfish in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Northern Glowlight Danio✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 3.5 cm · Medium care · 18–24 °C (64–75 °F)
    • Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 23–24 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
    • Both favour the middle of the tank — offer enough cover so they aren't always in each other's space.
    • Keep Northern Glowlight Danio in a shoal of 8+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Otocinclus✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 4 cm · Medium care · 21–26 °C (70–79 °F)
    • Both are peaceful; temperature, pH and hardness ranges all overlap and neither outsizes the other enough to be a threat.
    • Keep Otocinclus in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Phoenix Tetra✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 4 cm · Easy care · 23–28 °C (73–82 °F)
    • Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 23–28 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
    • Both favour the middle of the tank — offer enough cover so they aren't always in each other's space.
    • Keep Phoenix Tetra in a shoal of 8+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Purple Tetra✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 4 cm · Medium care · 22–26 °C (72–79 °F)
    • Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 23–26 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
    • Both favour the middle of the tank — offer enough cover so they aren't always in each other's space.
    • Keep Purple Tetra in a shoal of 8+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Pygmy Corydoras✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 3.2 cm · Easy care · 22–26 °C (72–79 °F)
    • Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 23–26 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
    • Keep Pygmy Corydoras in a shoal of 8+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Red Phantom Tetra✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 4 cm · Easy care · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    • Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 23–28 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
    • Both favour the middle of the tank — offer enough cover so they aren't always in each other's space.
    • Keep Red Phantom Tetra in a shoal of 8+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Rosy Tetra✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 4 cm · Easy care · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    • Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 23–28 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
    • Both favour the middle of the tank — offer enough cover so they aren't always in each other's space.
    • Keep Rosy Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Sparkling Gourami✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 4 cm · Medium care · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
    • Both are peaceful; temperature, pH and hardness ranges all overlap and neither outsizes the other enough to be a threat.
  • Tailspotted Oto✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 3.5 cm · Medium care · 22–27 °C (72–81 °F)
    • Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 23–27 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
    • Keep Tailspotted Oto in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • African Dwarf Frog⚠️ With caution
    Peaceful · 4 cm · Medium care · 22–26 °C (72–79 °F)
    • Different pH ranges (4–6.5 vs 6.8–7.8); doable if you sit in the shared band, but not ideal long-term.
    • Water hardness preferences differ (Fire Red Licorice Gourami 0–4 vs African Dwarf Frog 5–12 dGH).
  • Amano Shrimp⚠️ With caution
    Peaceful · 5 cm · Easy care · 18–28 °C (64–82 °F)
    • Water hardness preferences differ (Fire Red Licorice Gourami 0–4 vs Amano Shrimp 6–15 dGH).
  • Assassin Snail⚠️ With caution
    Peaceful · 3 cm · Easy care · 22–26 °C (72–79 °F)
    • One likes softer water and the other harder (0–4 vs 8–20 dGH) — a compromise, not a perfect match.
  • Black Darter Tetra⚠️ With caution
    Semi-aggressive · 4 cm · Hard care · 21–28 °C (70–82 °F)
    • Black Darter Tetra is semi-aggressive and may chase or nip the smaller Fire Red Licorice Gourami — plant heavily and break up sight lines.
  • Blue Danio⚠️ With caution
    Peaceful · 4 cm · Easy care · 21–26 °C (70–79 °F)
    • Water hardness preferences differ (Fire Red Licorice Gourami 0–4 vs Blue Danio 5–15 dGH).
    • Keep Blue Danio in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Cherry Shrimp⚠️ With caution
    Peaceful · 3 cm · Easy care · 18–28 °C (64–82 °F)
    • One likes softer water and the other harder (0–4 vs 6–15 dGH) — a compromise, not a perfect match.
    • Keep Cherry Shrimp in a shoal of 10+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Endler's Livebearer⚠️ With caution
    Peaceful · 3 cm · Easy care · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    • pH preferences only just meet (Fire Red Licorice Gourami 4–6.5 vs Endler's Livebearer 7–8.5) — target the overlap and acclimate slowly.
    • One likes softer water and the other harder (0–4 vs 10–25 dGH) — a compromise, not a perfect match.
    • Keep Endler's Livebearer in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Malaysian Trumpet Snail⚠️ With caution
    Peaceful · 3 cm · Easy care · 21–27 °C (70–81 °F)
    • pH preferences only just meet (Fire Red Licorice Gourami 4–6.5 vs Malaysian Trumpet Snail 7–8) — target the overlap and acclimate slowly.
    • One likes softer water and the other harder (0–4 vs 8–18 dGH) — a compromise, not a perfect match.
  • Nerite Snail⚠️ With caution
    Peaceful · 2.5 cm · Easy care · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    • pH preferences only just meet (Fire Red Licorice Gourami 4–6.5 vs Nerite Snail 7–8.5) — target the overlap and acclimate slowly.
    • One likes softer water and the other harder (0–4 vs 8–18 dGH) — a compromise, not a perfect match.
  • Pea Puffer⚠️ With caution
    Semi-aggressive · 2.5 cm · Medium care · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
    • One likes softer water and the other harder (0–4 vs 5–15 dGH) — a compromise, not a perfect match.
  • Rainbow Emperor Tetra⚠️ With caution
    Semi-aggressive · 3.6 cm · Medium care · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    • Rainbow Emperor Tetra and Fire Red Licorice Gourami are close in size, but the semi-aggressive one tends to dominate — add fire red licorice gourami in a group to spread the pressure.
    • Keep Rainbow Emperor Tetra in a shoal of 8+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Rummy Nose Rasbora⚠️ With caution
    Peaceful · 4 cm · Medium care · 20–26 °C (68–79 °F)
    • pH preferences only just meet (Fire Red Licorice Gourami 4–6.5 vs Rummy Nose Rasbora 7–8) — target the overlap and acclimate slowly.
    • One likes softer water and the other harder (0–4 vs 8–16 dGH) — a compromise, not a perfect match.
    • Keep Rummy Nose Rasbora in a shoal of 8+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Serpae Tetra⚠️ With caution
    Semi-aggressive · 4 cm · Easy care · 23–28 °C (73–82 °F)
    • Serpae Tetra and Fire Red Licorice Gourami are close in size, but the semi-aggressive one tends to dominate — add fire red licorice gourami in a group to spread the pressure.
    • Keep Serpae Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Tiger Badis⚠️ With caution
    Semi-aggressive · 4 cm · Medium care · 22–24 °C (72–75 °F)
    • One likes softer water and the other harder (0–4 vs 5–15 dGH) — a compromise, not a perfect match.
    • Tiger Badis is semi-aggressive and may chase or nip the smaller Fire Red Licorice Gourami — plant heavily and break up sight lines.
  • Trinidad Guppy⚠️ With caution
    Peaceful · 3 cm · Easy care · 19–24 °C (66–75 °F)
    • pH preferences only just meet (Fire Red Licorice Gourami 4–6.5 vs Trinidad Guppy 6.6–7.5) — target the overlap and acclimate slowly.
    • One likes softer water and the other harder (0–4 vs 5–15 dGH) — a compromise, not a perfect match.
  • Yellow Tetra⚠️ With caution
    Peaceful · 4.5 cm · Easy care · 20–25 °C (68–77 °F)
    • One likes softer water and the other harder (0–4 vs 5–20 dGH) — a compromise, not a perfect match.
    • Keep Yellow Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Alligator Gar⛔ Not recommended
    Aggressive · 250 cm · Hard care · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
    • Size gap is too large (250 vs 3.5 cm): Alligator Gar will treat Fire Red Licorice Gourami as food.
    • Different pH ranges (4–6.5 vs 6.8–7.8); doable if you sit in the shared band, but not ideal long-term.
    • Expect Alligator Gar to harass Fire Red Licorice Gourami at times; give dense cover and watch them at feeding.
    • Your 75 L tank is below the ~3785 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
  • Clown Knifefish⛔ Not recommended
    Aggressive · 90 cm · Hard care · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
    • Clown Knifefish (90 cm) is big enough to swallow the 3.5 cm Fire Red Licorice Gourami whole.
    • One likes softer water and the other harder (0–4 vs 5–15 dGH) — a compromise, not a perfect match.
    • Clown Knifefish is aggressive and may chase or nip the smaller Fire Red Licorice Gourami — plant heavily and break up sight lines.
    • Your 75 L tank is below the ~750 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
  • Fire Eel⛔ Not recommended
    Semi-aggressive · 100 cm · Medium care · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
    • Size gap is too large (100 vs 3.5 cm): Fire Eel will treat Fire Red Licorice Gourami as food.
    • One likes softer water and the other harder (0–4 vs 5–15 dGH) — a compromise, not a perfect match.
    • Expect Fire Eel to harass Fire Red Licorice Gourami at times; give dense cover and watch them at feeding.
    • Your 75 L tank is below the ~380 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
  • Koi⛔ Not recommended
    Peaceful · 90 cm · Medium care · 4–28 °C (39–82 °F)
    • Size gap is too large (90 vs 3.5 cm): Koi will treat Fire Red Licorice Gourami as food.
    • One likes softer water and the other harder (0–4 vs 9–18 dGH) — a compromise, not a perfect match.
    • Your 75 L tank is below the ~3800 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
  • Redtail Catfish⛔ Not recommended
    Aggressive · 120 cm · Hard care · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)
    • Size gap is too large (120 vs 3.5 cm): Redtail Catfish will treat Fire Red Licorice Gourami as food.
    • Redtail Catfish clearly outsizes Fire Red Licorice Gourami and is aggressive; risky unless the tank is big and well-planted.
    • Your 75 L tank is below the ~5700 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
  • Spotted Gar⛔ Not recommended
    Aggressive · 90 cm · Hard care · 18–26 °C (64–79 °F)
    • Spotted Gar (90 cm) is big enough to swallow the 3.5 cm Fire Red Licorice Gourami whole.
    • Spotted Gar is aggressive and may chase or nip the smaller Fire Red Licorice Gourami — plant heavily and break up sight lines.
    • Your 75 L tank is below the ~600 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
  • Wels Catfish⛔ Not recommended
    Aggressive · 300 cm · Hard care · 15–25 °C (59–77 °F)
    • Size gap is too large (300 vs 3.5 cm): Wels Catfish will treat Fire Red Licorice Gourami as food.
    • Water hardness preferences differ (Fire Red Licorice Gourami 0–4 vs Wels Catfish 5–15 dGH).
    • Expect Wels Catfish to harass Fire Red Licorice Gourami at times; give dense cover and watch them at feeding.
    • Your 75 L tank is below the ~20000 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
  • Wolf Cichlid⛔ Not recommended
    Aggressive · 72 cm · Hard care · 24–30 °C (75–86 °F)
    • Fire Red Licorice Gourami is bite-sized to a 72 cm predatory wolf cichlid — it will be eaten.
    • pH preferences only just meet (Fire Red Licorice Gourami 4–6.5 vs Wolf Cichlid 7–8) — target the overlap and acclimate slowly.
    • One likes softer water and the other harder (0–4 vs 8–20 dGH) — a compromise, not a perfect match.
    • Expect Wolf Cichlid to harass Fire Red Licorice Gourami at times; give dense cover and watch them at feeding.
    • Your 75 L tank is below the ~760 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.

Compatibility is computed from each species' care data — a strong starting point, not a guarantee. Individual temperament varies, so always introduce new fish slowly and watch them.

Setting up a fire red licorice gourami community tank

Give the group a stable, planted 75 L+ tank with a gentle filter, a reliable heater and plenty of cover — broken sight lines and hiding spots let mid-water and bottom dwellers keep out of each other's way. Cycle it fully and stock gradually.

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How to choose

How to choose the right tank mates for a fire red licorice gourami

As a peaceful species, fire red licorice gourami is easily bullied — favour other calm, non-nippy fish and steer clear of boisterous or aggressive tank mates. It mostly occupies the middle of the tank, so it pairs naturally with species that use the other levels.

Fire Red Licorice Gourami grows to about 3.5 cm, so avoid tank mates small enough to be seen as food — as a rule of thumb, skip anything under roughly 2 cm. Match its water, too: aim for 23–28 °C (73–82 °F), pH 4–6.5 and 0–4 dGH. Fish needing very different conditions — coldwater species, or hard-water lovers against a soft-water fish — rarely thrive side by side.

Fire Red Licorice Gourami is a shoaling fish — stock a group of 2+ of its own kind first, then build compatible tank mates around them. Whatever you add, introduce new fish slowly, watch for bullying in the first days, and have a backup plan if temperaments clash.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Can a fire red licorice gourami live with other fish?

Yes — with the right companions. Our checker finds 111 compatible freshwater species for fire red licorice gourami. Pick calm, similarly-sized fish that share its water needs and add them to a mature, well-planted tank.

What is the best tank mate for a fire red licorice gourami?

Easy, peaceful, similarly-sized species top the list — for example Ember Tetra, Neon Green Rasbora, Dawn Tetra. Use the checker above to match against your own tank size.

What fish should you avoid keeping with a fire red licorice gourami?

Avoid Wels Catfish, Alligator Gar, Redtail Catfish and similar — usually a temperature, size or temperament clash. The full "avoid" list below gives the reason for each.

How big a tank do fire red licorice gourami tank mates need?

Start from Fire Red Licorice Gourami's own minimum and scale up with every addition. The checker above defaults to a 75 L community tank and flags pairings that need more room — drag the slider to match your setup.

← Back to the full Fire Red Licorice Gourami care guide