Can red tail sharks live with arowanas?

Verdict

No. Red tail sharks and arowanas should not share a tank. An adult silver arowana eats fish that fit in its mouth, and at 5 inches red tail sharks do.

Red tail shark72–79°F · pH 6.5–7.5

Silver arowana75–86°F · pH 6–7

What to watch

Deal breakerAn adult silver arowana eats fish that fit in its mouth, and at 5 inches red tail sharks do.
Deal breakerArowanas are aggressive and much bigger than red tail sharks.
Watch outArowanas grow to 36 inches and need 250 gallons, far more than a tank set up for red tail sharks.

What works

Both are fine at 75–79°F.
pH 6.5–7 suits both.
They use different parts of the tank: red tail sharks 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

	Red tail shark	Silver arowana
Temperature	72–79 °F	75–86 °F
pH	6.5–7.5	6–7
Adult size	5.0 in	36.0 in
Minimum tank	55 gal	250 gal
Temperament	Semi-aggressive	Aggressive
Swims at	Bottom	Top
Group	One per tank	One per tank
Diet	Omnivore	Carnivore

Better tank mates for red tail sharks

All red tail shark tank mates

Questions

Can red tail sharks live with arowanas?

No. Red tail sharks and arowanas should not share a tank. An adult silver arowana eats fish that fit in its mouth, and at 5 inches red tail sharks do.

What temperature suits both red tail sharks and arowanas?

75–79 °F. Red tail sharks need 72–79 °F, arowanas need 75–86 °F.

What size tank do red tail sharks and arowanas need together?

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