Can Flowerhorn Live With African Cichlid? Find Out

Flowerhorn Cichlid is one of the aggressive and famous fish which is known for its quick reaction, the shape of the head, and vivid color. Similarly, African Cichlid is also an aggressive fish. But can they both live sharing the same tank? As we all know, both fish show dominance over other fish. Can Flowerhorn Live With African Cichlid

The answer is yes. If you apply the right condition in the tank, then they can live sharing the same tank.

At first, while introducing each other, they can fight or show dominance over each other which can lead to disaster. If you want to keep Flowerhorn and African Cichlids together with success, then go through the article below.

Equipment List That Might Help You Choose For Flowerhorn Tank

Types of equipment	Features	Link to amazon
SeaClear Acrylic Combo Aquarium	It can hold temperatures Acrylic Reasonable price Durable Comes with a lifetime guarantee
Flipper Ollie & Hutch Wildwood 55 Gallon, Rustic Gray Aquarium Stand	Sturdy Looks beautiful Spacious shelves
EHEIM NORTH AMERICA – JAGER HEATER 150W	Explosion Proof Rapid Heating System Simple as well as reliable for use	EHEIM NORTH AMERICA – JAGER HEATER 150W
Marineland Penguin 350 BIO-Wheel Power Filter	Quiet Easy to fix Affordable
Penn Plax Aquarium Cascade Canister Filter	360-degree rotation Quick push button Affordable price for canister filters
Imagitarium 50-Gallon Terrarium Screen	Sturdy Cat-proof Well designed
MingDak LED Aquarium Plant Light	Bright Three light modes Enhances the beauty of an aquarium
TEEMO Aquarium Groot Air Bubbler Decorations	Makes air bubbles Enhances the beauty of an aquarium
Penn-Plax Reptology Shale Step Ledge for Aquariums & Terrariums	Perfect for small fish Looks like realistic rocks Natural hideout

Condition For Flowerhorn To Live With African Cichlids

There are many conditions that should be considered while keeping Flowerhorn and African Cichlid. Among many conditions, tank size, water parameters, decoration, individual personality, and food should be maintained perfectly.

Tank Size

Most of the fish keepers keep Flowerhorn alone in the tank; they love to be in 70 gallons or more. Now you need to increase the size of your tank. A large tank is necessary if you want to keep them both in the same tank.

Flowerhorn needs a 70-gallon tank minimum, and talking about African Cichlids; they need a 30-gallon tank minimum. So adding both tank sizes, you will need a 100-gallon tank, but I would prefer a 120-gallon tank for the comfort of both fish.

Keeping them in a 120-gallon tank will be best as they both are active fish, so they should have plenty of space for roaming around. The larger aquarium will allow Flowerhorn and African Cichlid enough room to stay out of each other.

Water Parameters

This is the big thing to be considered while keeping fish of two different species. Keeping two fish together, there will surely be an overlap in water parameters. Now you should maintain the water parameters which will be suitable for both of them.

African Cichlids should be kept in water having (72-82) degrees Fahrenheit. They do best with a water pH of 7.8-8.5.

Talking about Flowerhorn, they should be kept in water temperature of (80-89.0) degrees Fahrenheit. The pH range for Flowerhorn cichlids is between 6.5 and 7.8.

So, given both fish priorities, the water temperature should be kept at (80-81) degrees Fahrenheit. And water pH should be 7.8.

If you maintain these water parameters, then they both should be doing fine.

Decoration

In the Flowerhorn tank, live plants shouldn’t be kept as they will destroy all the plants in a minute. You don’t have to decorate the tank if you were keeping only Flowerhorn in the tank.

As we are talking about keeping Flowerhorn and African cichlid together, then we should think carefully about decorating the tank.

African cichlid loves to hide, so make sure you keep plenty of rocks, coconut caves, etc., for hiding. Use of strong decor is recommended as Flowerhorn can damage the weak decor. African cichlid use rocks as a way to mark their area or territory. So use plenty of rocks. Making African cichlid more hiding spots can avoid the conflict between them.

Food

Most African cichlids are omnivores. They like to eat sinking pallets or staple food. As they like green food, you can provide them with green food like spinach occasionally. You can also provide brine shrimp and bloodworms too.

Talking about Flowerhorn, they like to eat small feeder fish, krill, bloodworms, earthworms, etc. They also love to eat floating pallets.

Flowerhorn is carnivore fish, whereas African cichlids can be carnivores, herbivores, or omnivores as they eat anything from algae to plankton to small fish, sometimes other cichlids.

So you don’t have to worry about feeding them. You can feed them the same food.

Individual Fish Personality

Every creature on this earth has its own personality. Having said that, fish also do have their own personality.

African Cichlids Personality

African cichlid is very social and shows a lot of energetic movement most of the time. They will follow you anywhere in the tank; they will race with you. You can even know them as very aggressive fish.

They are mainly known for their beautiful coloration; they are very strong fish which makes them easy to maintain.

Flowerhorn Personality

Talking about Flowerhorn fish, they are aggressive fish, as we all know. They will surely show dominance over other fish in the tank. Similarly, these fish are also highly territorial fish.

They are super active fish and follow you wherever you go in the side of the tank. Some Flowerhorns lift their head out of the water to be petted in their nuchal hump or Kok.

You need to make a routine to clean your tank as they make your aquarium dirty very quickly. The best filter is recommended for your tank.

Introducing Flowerhorn with African Cichlid

So this is the part where you will know if they can live together or not. If you are lucky enough and have a good and kind fish, then it is possible. Otherwise, you can keep them in two separate tanks, or better luck next time with other fish.

I prefer you to put Flowerhorn later in the tank as they will not like to welcome other fish in the tank. So put your African cichlid first in the tank.

Then you can use a transparent jar or plastic bag in which you put your Flowerhorn and sink it in the aquarium containing African cichlids.

Now you will see them trying to show dominance over each other as they both are aggressive fish. Leave it for 1-2 hours and see if they are trying to bite each other. If they are trying to bite each other, then take out the Flowerhorn and try the same thing the next day.

The other way is to keep a transparent glass in the middle of your tank and separate the aquarium into two halves. Now keep Flowerhorn on one side and African cichlid on the other side. See the behavior of your fish, and if you think they are comfortable with each other, then you can remove the transparent glass between them.

Remember to keep a backup plan; if they are not getting along, then you should probably keep them in two tanks.

Conclusion

These fishes are wonderful to keep, fun to spend time with, follow you, super active, and super colorful. It will be great watching them in the same tank. These fish will glow up your tank.

Furthermore, follow the instruction that we have given in the above article. They may or may not get along with each other. Once they get along and are comfortable with each other, enjoy watching them.

Hope for the best!