Can black skirt tetras live with arowanas?

Verdict

No. Black skirt tetras and arowanas should not share a tank. An adult silver arowana eats fish that fit in its mouth, and at 2.5 inches black skirt tetras do.

Black skirt tetra70–80°F · pH 6–7.5

Silver arowana75–86°F · pH 6–7

What to watch

Deal breakerAn adult silver arowana eats fish that fit in its mouth, and at 2.5 inches black skirt tetras do.
Deal breakerArowanas are aggressive and much bigger than black skirt tetras.
Watch outArowanas grow to 36 inches and need 250 gallons, far more than a tank set up for black skirt tetras.

What works

Both are fine at 75–80°F.
pH 6–7 suits both.
They use different parts of the tank: black skirt tetras the mid, arowanas 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

	Black skirt tetra	Silver arowana
Temperature	70–80 °F	75–86 °F
pH	6–7.5	6–7
Adult size	2.5 in	36.0 in
Minimum tank	15 gal	250 gal
Temperament	Semi-aggressive	Aggressive
Swims at	Middle	Top
Group	Groups of 6+	One per tank
Diet	Omnivore	Carnivore

Better tank mates for black skirt tetras

All black skirt tetra tank mates

Questions

Can black skirt tetras live with arowanas?

No. Black skirt tetras and arowanas should not share a tank. An adult silver arowana eats fish that fit in its mouth, and at 2.5 inches black skirt tetras do.

What temperature suits both black skirt tetras and arowanas?

75–80 °F. Black skirt tetras need 70–80 °F, arowanas need 75–86 °F.

What size tank do black skirt tetras and arowanas need together?

At least 250 gal, set by the silver arowana. Add space for each extra fish.