Can flowerhorns live with boesemani rainbowfish?

Verdict

No. Flowerhorns and boesemani rainbowfish should not share a tank. An adult flowerhorn eats fish that fit in its mouth, and at 4 inches boesemani rainbowfish do.

Flowerhorn80–89°F · pH 7–8

Boesemani rainbowfish75–82°F · pH 7–8

What to watch

Deal breakerAn adult flowerhorn eats fish that fit in its mouth, and at 4 inches boesemani rainbowfish do.
Deal breakerFlowerhorns are aggressive and will bully peaceful boesemani rainbowfish.

What works

Both are fine at 80–82°F.
pH 7–8 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	Boesemani rainbowfish
Temperature	80–89 °F	75–82 °F
pH	7–8	7–8
Adult size	12.0 in	4.0 in
Minimum tank	75 gal	30 gal
Temperament	Aggressive	Peaceful
Swims at	Middle	Middle
Group	One per tank	Groups of 6+
Diet	Carnivore	Omnivore

Better tank mates for boesemani rainbowfish

All boesemani rainbowfish tank mates

Questions

Can flowerhorns live with boesemani rainbowfish?

No. Flowerhorns and boesemani rainbowfish should not share a tank. An adult flowerhorn eats fish that fit in its mouth, and at 4 inches boesemani rainbowfish do.

What temperature suits both flowerhorns and boesemani rainbowfish?

80–82 °F. Flowerhorns need 80–89 °F, boesemani rainbowfish need 75–82 °F.

What size tank do flowerhorns and boesemani rainbowfish need together?

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