TankmateChecker

Can flowerhorns live with mollies?

Verdict

No

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

Flowerhorn

Flowerhorn80–89°F · pH 7–8

Molly

Molly72–82°F · pH 7.5–8.5

What to watch

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

What works

Both are fine at 80–82°F.
pH 7.5–8 suits both.
They use different parts of the tank: flowerhorns the mid, mollies 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

	Flowerhorn	Molly
Temperature	80–89 °F	72–82 °F
pH	7–8	7.5–8.5
Adult size	12.0 in	4.0 in
Minimum tank	75 gal	20 gal
Temperament	Aggressive	Peaceful
Swims at	Middle	Top
Group	One per tank	Groups of 3+
Diet	Carnivore	Omnivore

Better tank mates for mollies

All molly tank mates

Questions

Can flowerhorns live with mollies?

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

What temperature suits both flowerhorns and mollies?

80–82 °F. Flowerhorns need 80–89 °F, mollies need 72–82 °F.

What size tank do flowerhorns and mollies need together?

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