How long for a Arapaima gigas to reach its full size?

[Mariusjarl]

I was wondering about getting a Arapaima. But how long does it take for it to grow?

[me_wee_todded]

do you even have room for it now at its juvie size?

[Mariusjarl]

That's why i asked for how long it takes for it to grow?
Im thinking about building me a 500 gallon or something to keep it in but it will still get to small. But then i can donate it to a public aquarium or something.

[me_wee_todded]

it would take years but still mate all of that to accomodate one fish that you are going to donate to a public aquarium or something.

by the way welome to MFK

[Mariusjarl]

Yeah maby sillt but i want it so bad. But maby put up a southamerican tank with aro,stingrays and tetras.

[penngomifan]

there is people on this board that keep that exact same fish, so dont be discouraged on getting it because someone else doesnt belive u should, from what i have read on them 500 should be sufficient, for a while, u can always save your money for something bigger if u realy like the fish........

[johnptc]

Yeah maby sillt but i want it so bad. But maby put up a southamerican tank with aro,stingrays and tetras.


figure at least 2 inches per month......when they are small 12-30 inches they grow almost twice that fast .... close to an inch a week !!!!!

500 wont last long !! remember they need a large tank as they are not flexible like an arowana............

[me_wee_todded]

i dont believe he shouldnt i just think he should judge and weigh pros and cons before making a commitment to a fish that can grow to 11+ feet long.that he is just going to donate to a public aquarium. im just saying bye the tiome it outgrows that 500, he will have spent alot of money on it just togive it away

if you want to than by all means get your fish. just trying to help. dont want you to end up like redtail-watcher.

[Mariusjarl]

I have a redtail. But all my friends told me it will get to big for the tank and all that stuff. But it has been 70 cm for like 1.5 year now so i cant complain about it.

[me_wee_todded]

no redtail watcher is a member here
he buys fish that he cant care for and they outgrow his tanks and die. hes gone through like 6 RTCs

[Mariusjarl]

ok then il try to keep away from the arapaima and go for tetras and aro or something

[me_wee_todded]

build the 500 and go for the amazon biotope with the aros nd rays just not the gigas

[Mariusjarl]

ok il try. :D thanks for the advise.

[johnptc]

ok il try. :D thanks for the advise.

good choice...... my gigas is in a 5000 and i need to expand it to 12500gal within the next 12 months or he will be out of room again. :screwy: :screwy: :screwy: :screwy: :screwy: :screwy: :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn: :screwy: :screwy: :screwy: :screwy: :screwy: :screwy: :screwy:

[Mariusjarl]

just curius. what is its diet?

[cichlaguapote]

All I have to say is "when it gets too big I'll donate it" is not a good plan. But hopefully you're off the idea now.

[neonmadness]

also if your going to get an arapaima make sure you check with a public aquarium and make sure that theyll take it when it outgrows your tank.

[DeLgAdO]

this thread is depressing

[DeLgAdO]

there is people on this board that keep that exact same fish, so dont be discouraged on getting it because someone else doesnt belive u should, from what i have read on them 500 should be sufficient, for a while, u can always save your money for something bigger if u realy like the fish........

:screwy: :screwy: :screwy: :screwy:


think of the AG's long term well being. Dont think of yourself and get one because someone else has a fish you dont have. Those AG's they have most likely may not surive to be full grow or semi full grown adults.

[DeLgAdO]

also if your going to get an arapaima make sure you check with a public aquarium and make sure that theyll take it when it outgrows your tank.

if they dont he's screwed

[johnptc]

just curius. what is its diet?


lots and lots of food ...........:headbang2 :headbang2

the two small ones ( 24"+ ) are eating mainly smelt and shrimp twice a day

the big guy is eating a mix of hikari foods in the AM and dinner is usually all meat.........smelt mostly ( cheap) and shrimp trout salmon etc :)

[X24]

these shouldn't even be considered aquarium fish imo.

11 feet just isn't feasible to be held in an aquarium.....of any size.

go for something smaller preforably in the 3-5 foot range. maybe some channel cats, they are very interesting if given space.

[dougefresh]

personally i say if you want it go for.....get that 500 and buy the gigas as a baby, if you really love it and care for it you'll get it a bigger tank......i think there is a lot of members on here that have one and just don't talk about it because of all the crap everyone gives em about how big they get......IMO if you think you'll be able to give it a happy life in the long run go for it..........

[neonmadness]

unless you can get like a 15,000g tank in the future dont get one.

[DeLgAdO]

personally i say if you want it go for.....get that 500 and buy the gigas as a baby, if you really love it and care for it you'll get it a bigger tank......i think there is a lot of members on here that have one and just don't talk about it because of all the crap everyone gives em about how big they get......IMO if you think you'll be able to give it a happy life in the long run go for it..........

stop encouraging him! dont be foolish.

we want him to be a responsible fish keeper. not make the wrong choice like alot of others have done.

he will very likely not be able to afford the living space, supplies, and utilitys (15,000-50,000 gallon tank is alot of water! and even more in water changes! and electricity: several thousand watts running 24/7) to care for and maintain this very large true monster fish.

sending it to a public aquarium when it gets too big isnt very responsible either.

[me_wee_todded]

man people dont like reading the entire thread he said he was off the idea.
like delgado has been saying its stupid to encourage him.

[dougefresh]

stop encouraging him! dont be foolish.

we want him to be a responsible fish keeper. not make the wrong choice like alot of others have done.

he will very likely not be able to afford the living space, supplies, and utilitys (15,000-50,000 gallon tank is alot of water! and even more in water changes! and electricity: several thousand watts running 24/7) to care for and maintain this very large true monster fish.

sending it to a public aquarium when it gets too big isnt very responsible either.

I never said anything about encouraging him to send it to a public aquarium did i? no i said if he gets a 500 gallon, buy it as a baby and if he loves it i guarentee he'd get it a bigger tank........You are real easy to criticize people on tank size del when you have a 27" aro in a 24" wide tank.........

man people dont like reading the entire thread he said he was off the idea.
like delgado has been saying its stupid to encourage him.

I can't imagine why he's off the idea?!? cuz he gets yelled at by people on here for even thinking about buying a gigas.......and i did read the whole thread before buddy so maybe you shouldn't be so quick to judge.........

[ammerman19]

well unless somebody is loaded!!! Most people can't afford a 10,000 gallon tank. If I could I would. He may want to give it a bigger home when it gets big but do most people on here have the money to build a 20'x20' pond???

[DeLgAdO]

I never said anything about encouraging him to send it to a public aquarium did i? no i said if he gets a 500 gallon, buy it as a baby and if he loves it i guarentee he'd get it a bigger tank........You are real easy to criticize people on tank size del when you have a 27" aro in a 24" wide tank.........



I can't imagine why he's off the idea?!? cuz he gets yelled at by people on here for even thinking about buying a gigas.......and i did read the whole thread before buddy so maybe you shouldn't be so quick to judge.........

you dont have to say anything about enocuraging him, your statement is clearly encouraging him to get one despite what people say.


if love could buy me a new tank id have A 6X4X2 RIGHT NOW but it doesnt, i love my fish too but it doesnt allow me to buy a larger size tank, i have a space but my finacialy situation is keeping me bogged down. The tank is not exceptionally small but it does work well for her and its a comfortable size

I just dumped 3000 bucks toward a car that was suppose to go towards a tank, prioritys come first.

if i had a AG id be in **** up to my eyes right now.

a silver arowana no where near reach the size of an AG .

[DeLgAdO]

his 500 gallon tank will house a silver arowana exceptionally well though :D

[dougefresh]

you dont have to say anything about enocuraging him, your statement is clearly encouraging him to get one despite what people say.


if love could buy me a new tank id have A 6X4X2 RIGHT NOW but it doesnt, i love my fish too but it doesnt allow me to buy a larger size tank, i have a space but my finacialy situation is keeping me bogged down. The tank is not exceptionally small but it does work well for her and its a comfortable size

I just dumped 3000 bucks toward a car that was suppose to go towards a tank, prioritys come first.

if i had a AG id be in **** up to my eyes right now.

a silver arowana no where near reach the size of an AG .

Your absolutely right I AM encouraging him to get one if he thinks he can give it a bigger home in the future, but at no time I told him to donate it to a public aquarium because IMO it is the most irresponsible thing to do.........I never said anything about your situation del, the only reason i brought your silver is because in lots of threads i read that you have posted in you're criticizing people about there tank size, theres too many people like that on here and i just finally opened my mouth..........If people wanna get a fish let them get it, tell them how to care for it, don't shoot their dreams and wishes down the toilet ...........

[DeLgAdO]

Your absolutely right I AM encouraging him to get one if he thinks he can give it a bigger home in the future, but at no time I told him to donate it to a public aquarium because IMO it is the most irresponsible thing to do.........I never said anything about your situation del, the only reason i brought your silver is because in lots of threads i read that you have posted in you're criticizing people about there tank size, theres too many people like that on here and i just finally opened my mouth..........If people wanna get a fish let them get it, tell them how to care for it, don't shoot their dreams and wishes down the toilet ...........

knowing how to care for it is one thing, providing is different.

i know how to care for an AG but there is no way i can ever provide for one for the rest of its life. and If my seaworld couldnt take it then what could i do?

no fish keeper should ever be put in that position.

so my dream would be shot and my fish will die.

such a happy ending!

[dougefresh]

knowing how to care for it is one thing, providing is different.

i know how to care for an AG but there is no way i can ever provide for one for the rest of its life. and If my seaworld couldnt take it then what could i do?

no fish keeper should ever be put in that position.

so my dream would be shot and my fish will die.

such a happy ending!

I'm just gonna quit arguing with you.....I'm just tired of people deciding not to get a fish because someone on here told them they can't.......sure there are a lot of good reasons most of the time but a lot of times there isnt.......later.......

[ewurm]

Never buy a fish with plans to donate it, you might not find any takers. When you buy a fish, you buy it for life.

[ammerman19]

then you should probably pick a different fight like somebody keeping a dovii or umbee or something. Not an arapigma, dolphin, alligator gar etc........

here is a link on this discussion

http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=60139

[DeLgAdO]

Never buy a fish with plans to donate it, you might not find any takers. When you buy a fish, you buy it for life.

WELL SAID WURM!! that going in my sig :thumbsup:

[KittyKatKeeper]

Let's start with I have acquired a few Tanks over the last 10 months, currently moved my 17" RTC 17" TSN 9" Peacock Bass and 9" Channel Cat into 125gal leaving my 55gal empty and I have a 10 gal with some small fish and a few empty 10 gal tanks.
So I go to the local PETCO and I say can I have a pair of silver tipped sharks not even an inch and a half long, the salesperson asks how big of a tank and I say 10gal she says it's not big enough because they grow big, so I say I would eventually move them to 55gal so she says it's not big enough so I say I would then move them to the 120gal where she humphs and sells me the fish. Does anybody see a problem here. These Fish are for (I think the word is) "sale" I can understand educating customers but here I am defending not only the right to own (2) 1 1/2" fish when I own (2) fish that are close to 1 1/2' long. It is true that people may be a little blind like when i saw my cuddly little redtail for the first time, but I wouldn't give him up for the world, I dream of an indoor pond now.

[ethnics]

referring to kitty, i think its wrong. as a store owner, or worker, i wouldnt have sold you the fish.

you have 2 huge cats in a 120, plus a challen cat, plus a huge peacock bass. those will get gigantic LOL

now, a 55gal is a good growout tank, but knowing what u have in ur other tanks, its easy to tell it wouldn't survive anyway.

for sale or not, fish dont have many rights in this world. so its up to the salesman to make sure they get good homes. kinda like dogs, i wouldn't sell one to a bum without a home or someone who lived in a condo or apartment, its one of those not fair situations

[one7h4n9]

I agree with thinking twice before you act. I wish i have a AG's too but remember where you currently standing. Ask yourself some question. Donating is never an option. Plus dougefresh, not to bash or mean any harm to you. People are just looking out for the dude. You alway try to expect the worst of any situation so when it fail, it doesn't hurt so much. What everyone say is right on the mark. It does get TOOO big, housing it could be a problem if you don't own a specific area to raise it in plus food cost isn't cheap. It eats more than you do at half your size. AG's are not consider to be an aquarium so we all should respect that.


Kitty you should be happy there such people working at petco. Most people will sell anything with no question ask. I am glad that person ask you because they surely don't know you or your fish keeping capability so it a no harm thing. We need more seller like that at least ask and let customer know they grow pretty big and not an ordinary fish to keep in an avg tank.

[King Edward]

Your all very judgemental... AG's are food fish, farmed for food, in the wild they are endangered, so the legal imports come from....FISH FARMS, by the time he outgrows his 6foot tank his brothers and sisters are already lunch. If it grows too big, eat it...they taste real good.

If you are really that concerned about the wellfare of your fish, the truth is you wouldnt have an aquarium, youd move to the amazon and buy a suba set, but you dont, you put a wild animal that should have 100's of miles to roam in in a 6ft tank and then bleat on about how other keepers are immoral. Yes, try and inform others on the best ways to care for their fish in captivity, but get off your soap box...I might take this critisism from a buddhist monk or a vegetarian...one of yous avatars is dead fish for ****sake

[Opiate]

give the giga a miss man if u dun wanna keep it forever...it'll end up bein a pain in hte a$$

[Timpon]

Your all very judgemental... AG's are food fish, farmed for food, in the wild they are endangered, so the legal imports come from....FISH FARMS, by the time he outgrows his 6foot tank his brothers and sisters are already lunch. If it grows too big, eat it...they taste real good.

If you are really that concerned about the wellfare of your fish, the truth is you wouldnt have an aquarium, youd move to the amazon and buy a suba set, but you dont, you put a wild animal that should have 100's of miles to roam in in a 6ft tank and then bleat on about how other keepers are immoral. Yes, try and inform others on the best ways to care for their fish in captivity, but get off your soap box...I might take this critisism from a buddhist monk or a vegetarian...one of yous avatars is dead fish for ****sake


Buddhist monk...mmm...maybe, but why on earth would you listen to a vegetarian??? :D

[OH10fiero]

referring to kitty, i think its wrong. as a store owner, or worker, i wouldnt have sold you the fish.


That would not be responsible if you just sold the fish because someone wnated one, most people do not even have a clue as to how big some fish can get.
While I was at a petstore a sales person sold three 2" Oscars to someone who ONLY had a 20 gallon tank, now how responsible was that? If you are going to sell fish that get large you should ask the person what size tank they have, and they should not sell them a fish if that the person is not able to house propoerly, it's what best FOR the fish, NOT what the buyer wants. After all, is that not the reason why so many here talked the guy who started this thread out of getting the fish he wanted?

[Zoodiver]

While I was at a petstore a sales person sold three 2" Oscars to someone who ONLY had a 20 gallon tank, now how responsible was that?

Fairly, because chances of upgrading to an ok tank size for oscars is as easy as going to a petstore. However, upgrading to an adult arapaima tank is as easy as dropping $100,000 and taking two years to construct it. Not something people do.



If you are really that concerned about the wellfare of your fish, the truth is you wouldnt have an aquarium, youd move to the amazon and buy a suba set, but you dont, you put a wild animal that should have 100's of miles to roam in in a 6ft tank and then bleat on about how other keepers are immoral.


I'm going to go ahead and argue this point. Fish don't all roam hundreds of miles. In fact, after watching various fish live in very large scale tanks, I have found many never leave their set territory. I have several large (14" or biger) fish that I can tell you right where they will be in a multi-hundred thousand gallon tank without looking. Most of which have probably never seen the tanks outter edge.
Don't get me wrong, arapaima are not for the general public (blanket statement, because I know a few who have very nice arapaima set ups at home ;) ) . But using this arguement is a little rediculous.

[pirarucu319]

just curius. what is its diet?

i gave'em lot and all type..pima sometimes funny..:headbang2

[OH10fiero]

Zoodiver, you have a PM.

[Aqua Sanctuary]

to be most honest with you the Arapaima Gigas needs at minimum 1000 gallon

[Aqua Sanctuary]

and to feed them when they are large $$$$$$. and what if the aquarium doesnt accept the fish from you. what is your other choice? be humane and just look at pictures for now

[Zoodiver]

to be most honest with you the Arapaima Gigas needs at minimum 1000 gallon


:confused: Or 30,000 gallons. I keep saying a 750 is a good starter tank to raise one until it's about 3 months.

[Aqua Sanctuary]

sorry i need to clarify.

1000 is considered a growout tank

a 3 foot long paima would be unhappy in a 1000..
and more so every day!

I'm not an expert, but honestly is it possible for a paima to outlive a human??

[Zoodiver]

Yes, they'd out live a person without question.

[T1KARMANN]

my advice is build the biggest tank you can 1st then think about it again

if you are going to keep upgradeing tanks every year its going to cost alot of money

set up a 5000g tank if you cant go that big think about another fish

they are a great fish and many members hear would love to keep one BUT its not really possable for most people IMO

[Aqua Sanctuary]

my advice is build the biggest tank you can 1st then think about it again

if you are going to keep upgradeing tanks every year its going to cost alot of money

set up a 5000g tank if you cant go that big think about another fish

they are a great fish and many members hear would love to keep one BUT its not really possable for most people IMO
i agree totally

[OH10fiero]

Zoodiver you have a PM.

[catfishlover106]

i remember back then when i thought of getting one and i got shot out of my dreams in keeping one for a 2,700 gallon...and look at me now im just going smaller than that since my future plans are to have a smaller tank from 500-1,000 and im going to be building somewhere their more likely a 1,000 gallon since im still in school and almost done...in a few years after schooling i'll move on and continue my life with a home to myself...and thats where i can truly re-live my dream to house a Arapaima to its size as i'll make a pond just for it and some other fishes...just now i can't house one even for a few months isn't going to do me any good...just make the right choice so you won't end up stuck in a situation where you can't get out...like right now im having a problem getting my RTC and hybrid now a new home since i had a delay on building the tank and look its now been over 2 months late...and no one has really pick them up...i had some interested but all flaked...so you see don't make a mistake as some of us had made...right now im just hoping the guy who is interested in put them in his 1,500 gallon picks them up...if not i have to try getting them into a LFS or public aquarium as that will most likely not work out. Let all mistakes go away from your life but even if you try you'll have that piece in your heart knowing how irresponsible it was to have an impulse buy...i now have this feeling in shame and regret having them both...im attached to them dearly and grown them up since 1"ers and now i can't keep them forever...=[ just try the arapaima when you get the money and time and space next time in the near future and you can re-live your dream in keeping one as im trying in a few years. Good luck to you guys