Can chinese algae eaters live with arowanas?

Verdict

No. Chinese algae eaters and arowanas should not share a tank. An adult silver arowana eats fish that fit in its mouth, and at 10 inches chinese algae eaters do.

Chinese algae eater74–80°F · pH 6–8

Silver arowana75–86°F · pH 6–7

What to watch

Deal breakerAn adult silver arowana eats fish that fit in its mouth, and at 10 inches chinese algae eaters do.
Deal breakerArowanas are aggressive and much bigger than chinese algae eaters.

What works

Both are fine at 75–80°F.
pH 6–7 suits both.
They use different parts of the tank: chinese algae eaters 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

	Chinese algae eater	Silver arowana
Temperature	74–80 °F	75–86 °F
pH	6–8	6–7
Adult size	10.0 in	36.0 in
Minimum tank	75 gal	250 gal
Temperament	Semi-aggressive	Aggressive
Swims at	Bottom	Top
Group	Alone or in pairs	One per tank
Diet	Herbivore	Carnivore

Better tank mates for chinese algae eaters

All chinese algae eater tank mates

Questions

Can chinese algae eaters live with arowanas?

No. Chinese algae eaters and arowanas should not share a tank. An adult silver arowana eats fish that fit in its mouth, and at 10 inches chinese algae eaters do.

What temperature suits both chinese algae eaters and arowanas?

75–80 °F. Chinese algae eaters need 74–80 °F, arowanas need 75–86 °F.

What size tank do chinese algae eaters and arowanas need together?

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