Can flowerhorns live with black skirt tetras?

Verdict

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

Flowerhorn80–89°F · pH 7–8

Black skirt tetra70–80°F · pH 6–7.5

What to watch

Deal breakerAn adult flowerhorn eats fish that fit in its mouth, and at 2.5 inches black skirt tetras do.
Deal breakerFlowerhorns are aggressive and much bigger than black skirt tetras.
Watch outThey only share 80°F. Keep the heater set there and steady.
Watch outFlowerhorns grow to 12 inches and need 75 gallons, far more than a tank set up for black skirt tetras.

What works

pH 7–7.5 suits both.

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

	Flowerhorn	Black skirt tetra
Temperature	80–89 °F	70–80 °F
pH	7–8	6–7.5
Adult size	12.0 in	2.5 in
Minimum tank	75 gal	15 gal
Temperament	Aggressive	Semi-aggressive
Swims at	Middle	Middle
Group	One per tank	Groups of 6+
Diet	Carnivore	Omnivore

Better tank mates for black skirt tetras

All black skirt tetra tank mates

Questions

Can flowerhorns live with black skirt tetras?

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

What temperature suits both flowerhorns and black skirt tetras?

80–80 °F. Flowerhorns need 80–89 °F, black skirt tetras need 70–80 °F.

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

At least 75 gal, set by the flowerhorn. Add space for each extra fish.