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.

 

[Idealconcepts]

How many 3 foot long Asian Aro's have you seen in person? I've seen possibly one that was close to three feet long (maybe around 32in) and it was in an aquarium the size of a small pool (The temp facility where the Steinhart Aquarium in San Fran). The tank was probably around 10K gallons and the fish looked pretty old. I saw another Asian Aro at the Shedd Aquarium that was in possibly a 1K-2K gallon aquarium and this was maybe around 2 feet. Now if your talking about Silver Aro's I've seen a dozen over 3 feet, they can max out at over 40 inches in the wild. They are slightly more flexible than Asian and Australian Aros so you can get away with a slightly narrower tank. I'm willing to be a very large majority of Asian and Australian Aros in aquariums do not reach 3ft. My Black Aro, is just over 3 years old and in a 2ftWX8ftL (300gal tank).

 

[bra_van_drakh]

indeed they're expensive, i saw one super red only about 2,5" for Rp 3,5million~US$350.oo

i'm turning to a borneo red, for ~US$50.oo, looks more less a like with the super red asian aro in body structure though. . .

mi pap's was almost 2 feet inside a 100 gal, and doing fine. . .was this fine ??? my current tank is 2ft wide and 4ft long

 

[Woodsy]

I'm pretty sure they are illegal here too, and if your fisheries laws are anything like what they are here, getting caught with one of those means no fish (or privacy) for you for ~3 years plus the massive fine on top of that! Silver Arowanas, on the other hand, are fine here and are generally pretty placid in comparison to the two species of Saratoga we have commercially available. Saratogas can be real nasty, but if you have your heart set on a Red Arowana, you may consider one of them instead. We currently have a large S. leichardti in stock, and he has beautiful metallic green scales that are outlined in a rusty crimson colour. Not as bright as your Red Arowana, but still mighty impressive (not to mention, legal). For an 18" specimen, you're looking at about $350AU.
Below is a link you can check out for some more information, if you think you might be interested in either of the Australian Saratoga species

http://www.aquariumhobbyist.com/ozarowana/species/

 

[Corey]

How many 3 foot long Asian Aro's have you seen in person? I've seen possibly one that was close to three feet long (maybe around 32in) and it was in an aquarium the size of a small pool (The temp facility where the Steinhart Aquarium in San Fran). The tank was probably around 10K gallons and the fish looked pretty old. I saw another Asian Aro at the Shedd Aquarium that was in possibly a 1K-2K gallon aquarium and this was maybe around 2 feet. Now if your talking about Silver Aro's I've seen a dozen over 3 feet, they can max out at over 40 inches in the wild. They are slightly more flexible than Asian and Australian Aros so you can get away with a slightly narrower tank. I'm willing to be a very large majority of Asian and Australian Aros in aquariums do not reach 3ft. My Black Aro, is just over 3 years old and in a 2ftWX8ftL (300gal tank).

So, what you're saying is, the vast majority of them kept in captivity are stunted, except the ones in tanks larger than those available to the average aquarist?
I'd agree.

 

[Innovator]

Scleropages leichardti is also noted on the Red List as "Near Threatened." Anything listed on the Red List I would personally stay away from.

As far as housing is concerned, the majority of fish in collection worldwide do not reach full potential in comparison to their natural surroundings. There are many reasons for this that I will not discuss, but the point is to make sure the fish you house is comfortable longterm.

 

[Idealconcepts]

How many 3 foot long Asian Aro's have you seen in person? I've seen possibly one that was close to three feet long (maybe around 32in) and it was in an aquarium the size of a small pool (The temp facility where the Steinhart Aquarium in San Fran). The tank was probably around 10K gallons and the fish looked pretty old. I saw another Asian Aro at the Shedd Aquarium that was in possibly a 1K-2K gallon aquarium and this was maybe around 2 feet. Now if your talking about Silver Aro's I've seen a dozen over 3 feet, they can max out at over 40 inches in the wild. They are slightly more flexible than Asian and Australian Aros so you can get away with a slightly narrower tank. I'm willing to be a very large majority of Asian and Australian Aros in aquariums do not reach 3ft. My Black Aro, is just over 3 years old and in a 2ftWX8ftL (300gal tank).

So, what you're saying is, the vast majority of them kept in captivity are stunted, except the ones in tanks larger than those available to the average aquarist?
I'd agree.

I don't think they are all stunted. I think there are too many factors causing them to not reach potential size, such as diet, constant over breeding, living in a glass box (or acrylic), etc.

Forgot to mention my Black Aro is right around the 2ft mark, he has no problem turning and seems pretty comfortable in the tank. I am trying to figure out how to get a 10ftLx4ftWx2.5ftH tank and stand through a 3ft wide door, as well as how to pay for it.

I second alot of what Innovator has stated, only thing I have to add along with being comfortable is providing your aro, as well as any animal you keep in a healthy environment, for the fish consitently clean healthy water.

 

[bra_van_drakh]

here in indonesia i guess it's sort of allowed, dont know though if there are some rules about it... .these super reds are very expensive since i think they're chipped, so anyone could keep them. . .besides, in my country, there r lots of people breeding them in captivity, and these super reds sold weren't caught from their natural habitats, but bred by those people.. .

and lots of people keep them in a 150gal glass box here^^ even they're already 2ft long. . .

i dont think they sell black aros too much here. ..mostly super reds and borneo reds, plus silver papua n ordinary silvers, plus a rarely available green aros. . .i did thought of blacks, before. ..

i didnt buy the silver and green ones since most people here doesnt like them at all, and my LFS stated that it would be difficult to sell them to other people coz he said that these aros r low grades T _ T'

 

[MACATUA]

Just because other people keep them in 150's does not make it right for the animal. Of course, the 150 would be fine for a lot longer than the 55 though. The 55 just will not be big enough for that fish even in the short term. We are not trying to be mean, just looking out for the fish and yourself. What will you do when he is 2 feet long and can't turn around??? That is what you have to consider.

It is nice that at least if they are being sold, they are captive bred, not wild caught.

 

[Corey]

I hear your arguments, and I'm not saying you're terrible people for keeping, or wanting to keep arowanas - I just think this is one of those cases where people are just trying to justify things to themselves.
I can't relate to thinking that the fact that a fish can turn around in their tank means it's big enough. They should be able to get some exercise, and actually swim.

Will the fish die because it's in a 150g tank? No.
Will it stunt in a 150g? Very possibly, but difficult to say for sure.
Is it a shame that such a beautiful fish is destined to live in a box that it can barely turn around in, and never be able to "stretch its fins" as an adult? IMO, absolutely.

All I'm saying, is there are a lot of cool fish out there that are completely appropriate for average aquariums; a 3' long predator, while cool, is not one of them.

 

[Innovator]

I hear your arguments, and I'm not saying you're terrible people for keeping, or wanting to keep arowanas - I just think this is one of those cases where people are just trying to justify things to themselves.
I can't relate to thinking that the fact that a fish can turn around in their tank means it's big enough. They should be able to get some exercise, and actually swim.

Will the fish die because it's in a 150g tank? No.
Will it stunt in a 150g? Very possibly, but difficult to say for sure.
Is it a shame that such a beautiful fish is destined to live in a box that it can barely turn around in, and never be able to "stretch its fins" as an adult? IMO, absolutely.

All I'm saying, is there are a lot of cool fish out there that are completely appropriate for average aquariums; a 3' long predator, while cool, is not one of them.

No offense, but if you dive reefs, estuaries, lakes, etc I'm sure you will form a different opinion as far as size appropriation is concerned. If the hobby/profession was based upon growth potentials per specimen per display size cross-referencing wild counterparts including habitats, we most likely wouldn't be keeping many species of fish on a whole. The best we can do, at this time, is justify their living conditions in terms of comfortable surroundings and providing consistent care.