Can firemouth cichlids live with arowanas?

Verdict

No. Firemouth cichlids and arowanas should not share a tank. An adult silver arowana eats fish that fit in its mouth, and at 6 inches firemouth cichlids do.

Firemouth cichlid75–86°F · pH 6.5–8

Silver arowana75–86°F · pH 6–7

What to watch

Deal breakerAn adult silver arowana eats fish that fit in its mouth, and at 6 inches firemouth cichlids do.
Deal breakerArowanas are aggressive and much bigger than firemouth cichlids.
Watch outArowanas grow to 36 inches and need 250 gallons, far more than a tank set up for firemouth cichlids.

What works

Both are fine at 75–86°F.
pH 6.5–7 suits both.
They use different parts of the tank: firemouth cichlids 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

	Firemouth cichlid	Silver arowana
Temperature	75–86 °F	75–86 °F
pH	6.5–8	6–7
Adult size	6.0 in	36.0 in
Minimum tank	30 gal	250 gal
Temperament	Semi-aggressive	Aggressive
Swims at	Bottom	Top
Group	Alone or in pairs	One per tank
Diet	Omnivore	Carnivore

Better tank mates for firemouth cichlids

All firemouth cichlid tank mates

Questions

Can firemouth cichlids live with arowanas?

No. Firemouth cichlids and arowanas should not share a tank. An adult silver arowana eats fish that fit in its mouth, and at 6 inches firemouth cichlids do.

What temperature suits both firemouth cichlids and arowanas?

75–86 °F. Firemouth cichlids need 75–86 °F, arowanas need 75–86 °F.

What size tank do firemouth cichlids and arowanas need together?

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