recommended Tank Size

[RobbieMWD]

Hello all,
I am new here and I have a common question that I can't really find an answer for. I am looking to build / buy a large tank. I am wanting it to house 3 silver arowanas. I would like a couple of stingrays too. What is the optimal size tank I would need.

Thanks

[wizzin]

Hello all,
I am new here and I have a common question that I can't really find an answer for. I am looking to build / buy a large tank. I am wanting it to house 3 silver arowanas. I would like a couple of stingrays too. What is the optimal size tank I would need.

Thanks

I'd say a 600gal minimum. That's assuming 200gal per fish, which is not optimal, but possible. IMO...

[CichlidAddict]

You could probably get away with a 480 gallon if the dimensions were 8' x 4' x 2'.
That's plenty wide for both silvers and rays.

[ethnics]

i will be housing 3-4 silvers in my 400gal. imo will be plenty of space. 200gal per fish is a suggested amount by everyone on the internet. its a common statement. a 200gal tank would be okay for 1, but when u get a larger tank then i think the 200gal per fish isn't necessary because the space is there for them with the larger tank. chances are your not gonna keep them for over 15 years so imagine only 3 babies in a 600gal tank. thats just krazy lol. koji has like 7 asian aros in his 450 was it? or was it 600. but thats already double what wizzin suggested and its a setup that exists as we speak.

[meiling]

wow! That's gonna look awesome!

[ospy]

i will be housing 3-4 silvers in my 400gal. imo will be plenty of space. 200gal per fish is a suggested amount by everyone on the internet. its a common statement. a 200gal tank would be okay for 1, but when u get a larger tank then i think the 200gal per fish isn't necessary because the space is there for them with the larger tank. chances are your not gonna keep them for over 15 years so imagine only 3 babies in a 600gal tank. thats just krazy lol. koji has like 7 asian aros in his 450 was it? or was it 600. but thats already double what wizzin suggested and its a setup that exists as we speak.

I have to agree totally with ethnics here. 600 gallon is way over the top.

[metant]

8' x 2.5' x 2' is enough. Just make sure you have enough filtration. If you can afford or have enough space, the bigger the tank the better.

[Boydo]

I agree, an 8x2.5x2 would have plenty of room, for what your suggested. The must important thing with an aro & ray comm tanks is that you have monster filtration.

Good Luck,

[Bderick67]

I agree, an 8x2.5x2 would have plenty of room, for what your suggested. The must important thing with an aro & ray comm tanks is that you have monster filtration.

Good Luck,

I don't know about that guys, lets say the biggest these aros get is 30". So you got 3 30" fish in a tank thats 8' x 30". That would be about the same as putting 3 15" in a tank that is 4' x 15". A 75 gallon tank is 4' x 18" I currently have 1 13" silver in it, If I had 3 it would be way to crowded.

Best bet is it you can build a DIY tank and make as bis as you can. I seen a couple of 30" plus silvers last week It is ammazing how much body mass they have when the get that big.

Here are a couple of pics from the Downtown Aquarium in Denver

[wizzin]

I agree with Bderick67 and stand by 600. Here's why. Consider 3 30" or 36" aros end to end (not that they'd be like that often, but...) that's 7.5 or 9 feet of aro. If your tank is 8' long, they'd not have much room to move. Next, turning radius. I know they pretty much bend in half, but I think width is important. If you've ever seen them at a public aquarium, you'd see that they don't bend in half often. Only when they feel they need to. I say 1.5x the length of the largest fish.

This is all assuming they live that long. I'd say 2 silvers in a 480.

[Koji]

8' x 2.5' x 2' is enough. Just make sure you have enough filtration. If you can afford or have enough space, the bigger the tank the better.

If ray is involved, I would recommend a width of 3 feet.:)

[JardiniBoy]

It's the whole East vs West conundrum regarding stocking ... *sigh*

It places like Taiwan, Japan and Singapore, many hobbiests will cram many huge monsters into what someone in the States would consider a small tank (probably due to space constraints). However the filtration and maintenance on the tank is sufficient for the fish to live healthy lives, with many hobbiests keeping fish like aros for a looong time.

In the States, tanks are bigger and more sparsely populated, but the filtration is often a small sump with bioballs and potscrubbers in it, or a cannister.

Basically ... all the above setups would work fine, it just depends on how YOU want to keep your fish.

Good luck! :thumbsup: