Can bristlenose plecos live with arowanas?

Verdict

No. Bristlenose plecos and arowanas should not share a tank. An adult silver arowana eats fish that fit in its mouth, and at 5 inches bristlenose plecos do.

Bristlenose pleco73–81°F · pH 6.5–7.5

Silver arowana75–86°F · pH 6–7

What to watch

Deal breakerAn adult silver arowana eats fish that fit in its mouth, and at 5 inches bristlenose plecos do.
Deal breakerArowanas are aggressive and will bully peaceful bristlenose plecos.
Watch outArowanas grow to 36 inches and need 250 gallons, far more than a tank set up for bristlenose plecos.

What works

Both are fine at 75–81°F.
pH 6.5–7 suits both.
They use different parts of the tank: bristlenose plecos the bottom, 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

	Bristlenose pleco	Silver arowana
Temperature	73–81 °F	75–86 °F
pH	6.5–7.5	6–7
Adult size	5.0 in	36.0 in
Minimum tank	30 gal	250 gal
Temperament	Peaceful	Aggressive
Swims at	Bottom	Top
Group	Alone or in pairs	One per tank
Diet	Herbivore	Carnivore

Better tank mates for bristlenose plecos

All bristlenose pleco tank mates

Questions

Can bristlenose plecos live with arowanas?

No. Bristlenose plecos and arowanas should not share a tank. An adult silver arowana eats fish that fit in its mouth, and at 5 inches bristlenose plecos do.

What temperature suits both bristlenose plecos and arowanas?

75–81 °F. Bristlenose plecos need 73–81 °F, arowanas need 75–86 °F.

What size tank do bristlenose plecos and arowanas need together?

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