Can elephant nose fish live with arowanas?

Verdict

No. Elephant nose fish and arowanas should not share a tank. An adult silver arowana eats fish that fit in its mouth, and at 9 inches elephant nose fish do.

Elephant nose fish73–82°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 9 inches elephant nose fish do.
Deal breakerArowanas are aggressive, and slow, long-finned elephant nose fish cannot escape them.
Watch outArowanas grow to 36 inches and need 250 gallons, far more than a tank set up for elephant nose fish.

What works

Both are fine at 75–82°F.
pH 6–7 suits both.
They use different parts of the tank: elephant nose fish 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

	Elephant nose fish	Silver arowana
Temperature	73–82 °F	75–86 °F
pH	6–7.5	6–7
Adult size	9.0 in	36.0 in
Minimum tank	55 gal	250 gal
Temperament	Semi-aggressive	Aggressive
Swims at	Bottom	Top
Group	Alone or in pairs	One per tank
Diet	Carnivore	Carnivore

Better tank mates for elephant nose fish

All elephant nose fish tank mates

Questions

Can elephant nose fish live with arowanas?

No. Elephant nose fish and arowanas should not share a tank. An adult silver arowana eats fish that fit in its mouth, and at 9 inches elephant nose fish do.

What temperature suits both elephant nose fish and arowanas?

75–82 °F. Elephant nose fish need 73–82 °F, arowanas need 75–86 °F.

What size tank do elephant nose fish and arowanas need together?

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