arowana Q's

[bra_van_drakh]

firstly, i'm planning to keep a red arowana[wish to keep a 6" from borneo] in a well cycled 55gal and was just wondering if i could put him/her together with
1. an ornate bichir[10"] that i had for 6 months now, or
2. 2 couples of cichlids[1 pair cobalt and 1 pair of unknown(not aggressive ones)], or
3. 3 tiger loaches

second, which one would be better, blue lights or red lights

third, would it be better if i feed them life little fish or a roach, or a centipede, or even beefhearts like bichirs ???

TIA

[Devilishturtles]

Don't arowanas grow to around 3 feet in length? I think they are one of those species best left in their natural habitats. Atleast in my opinion.

That said, I visited a pet store once and was talking to the guy there about his arowana, and he feeds them other fish. I watched him feed it a few feeder guppies when I was there.

[WaterPond]

I dont think i would even try it with any other fish. And i am going to say 75gal minimum, with a need to upgrade in the future.

[bra_van_drakh]

That said, I visited a pet store once and was talking to the guy there about his arowana, and he feeds them other fish. I watched him feed it a few feeder guppies when I was there.

i remembered that my father used to feed them centipedes and roaches, and when he tried to move to feeder guppies, this super red arowana choked to death trying to swallow one .T _ T.

I dont think i would even try it with any other fish. And i am going to say 75gal minimum, with a need to upgrade in the future

will it be necessary to put him/her in an atleast 75gal ??? my father and his friends kept them in 75 gal tankz when they're 2feets in lenght, and since mine's only going to be less than half a foot, then wouldnt a 55 ge sufficient ??? FYI, i dont intend to breed them, but, i'd rather give my grandma a great view of this gorgeous one. ..

[triazole]

if the max. adult size is around 6", then you are safe.
they usually roam the upper levels, so, you'd be safe regarding keeping it with the bichir, and the loaches. i'd decide against the cichlids, which would be eager to steal food from the bichir.
also, make sure that the loaches or the cichlids are sizable enough not to be bichir fodder.

[bra_van_drakh]

my cichlids are preety small, max of 2", the blue cobalts are 1" each.. .and they wont bother my bichirs. . .more concerned about bothering my coming soon arowana. . .

the arowana are supposed to grow to a 3 foot, but i though they'll need time[lots of time] to reach that point. ..this one i wanted to keep will only be the very young ones, about 6 months in age i guess. ..until christmas, would it be fine ??? since i might buy a larger tank for him/her alone.. .

[MACATUA]

He will grow out of that 55 fairly quickly, will be fine as long as you plan on upgrading to a 6 foot long tank sooner than later.

[Innovator]

Hmmm, even though you live in the area and presumably speaking of Scleropages formosus, they are considered endangered and illegal to own. Do check with your local wildlife authorities, but from what I understand it is worldwide. This specie is best left in its habitat to prevent further degradation.

The other option is to house a Scleropages jardinii, which still reaches 3'. They can be housed in nothing smaller than a 75g for a short time, possibly 6months at best. For full growout, think along the lines of a 180g at bare minimum. Housing these fish longterm in small aquaria lessen life expectancy and heighten body deformations, which causes great suffering to such a beautiful animal. In feeding, prepared foods such as: shrimp, silversides, fish, squid, and vitamins. Arowana can be skittish so they should be housed with peaceful tankmates and none that can be gulped.

[Idealconcepts]

As Innovator mentioned you'll need a larger tank within a few months. The Asian Aros are typically not cheap unless you are getting a lower grade fish. You would be risking alot if you do not plan to upgrade to a 180gal tank or larger with in a few months. These fish need width to make turing comfortable, so the minimum would be 2ft wide by 6ft long, the bigger you can go the better.

[Corey]

They get THREE FEET LONG. A 180g 6' tank is downright cruel for a fish that big IMO.