question for exp silver aro owners

[peter predtank]

i know from reading that silvers get up to about 18 to 24 inches in and around there first year , then slow down in growth speed.
i used too own a large silver like 15 years ago about 24 inches. but i bought him at this size so i didnt know how old the fish really was .
i learned a hard lesson about having a good lid as the fish jumped out and died . anyway i am now raising three silvers and im wondering form any people here that have raised one from a baby to 24 inches or more just how slow there growth is after reaching this mark ?
also just how big have you gotten them too ?i know we read that they can get like 4 feet but how many have actully own a really big one in a aquarium and how old was it ? i know they can live a very long time .
but how many people here have actully had one say like 3 feet i have only really see ones this big on videos and pics never in person also i watched a vid on you tube were they were collecting eggs from farmed ones and they didnt look all that huge about arms length and not much biger in girth then the guys arms . i relize the dont have to be fully grown to spawn but i would like to know from any of you guys here whats the biggest you have raised and how old thanks

 

[Hao]

Hi,
Back in early 2011, I got a Silver Aro for free at 18" (probably 1 year old). In 2012(1-1.5 year later) it was at 27"-28". I kept it in a 72"x30"x30" size tank. Possibly could have grown faster if it was a solo Aro tank.

 

[peter predtank]

thanks hao , i actully found this thread http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/threads/state-your-aro-tank-size.388370/ which is very much what i was looking for.
im getting ready to get a larger tank for my silvers . i was going to get a 180 gallon and im trying to figure out how long i can keep them for in a tank around that size 6 feet by 2 feet by 2 feet. a few years i would hope maybe 3 or 4 ?
i may go with a 6 by 30 inch wide by 2 feet tall which would be much better i think but cost quite a bit more . i also found a good deal on a octagon tank with a foot print of 60 inch by 30 inch for a considerable amount less so im just wondering how long i would be able to keep them in tanks these sizes .

 

[justarn]

buy a koi stock tank and a piece of glass, cut that in the front and stick, build a basic wooden frame and wrap it all in acrylic. build a 19mm marine ply box, stud it out and screw and glue it, then wrap that in the same chosen acrylic as a stand. hey presto, huge tank!-)

imo you need something about 10ft long and 3-4 ft wide for a good home for all of your aros.

 

[peter predtank]

i can see myself eventually building some kind of pond for them with a window of some sort i like that idea .
but i want to get a least a few years of enjoyment watching them in a tank unfortunately i dont have funds to by a mega tank lol a pond yes i can make a good one im sure .
so for now im wondering am i correct that they would probably do well in a 180 or the other tanks i mentioned for at least a few years a 24 inch arrow does not seem to big too me in one of those tanks . because of there long snaky bodies . thats why i was wondering how long there initial speed growth last for . im going to google koi stock tanks now i was already checking out the 300 gallon rubber maid stock pond things 69 x 63 inch or there abouts but a tank will be so much nicer in the living room lol

 

[justarn]

Lol, try to go 300g dd imo mate. Then you will have alot more time, have you looked into getting a glass tank made, its alot cheaper, I did this and I built my stand and lid myself. You might regret going 180 when they start looking cramped. Keep an eye on your local classified for used tanks Obv too.

 

[peter predtank]

thanks justarn , yes i have been emailing back and forth with a tank manufacturer and watching Kijiji (similar to craigslist i think) . and also in process of reinforcing the floor

 

[Bderick67]

Having three 24" silvers in a 180g tank is not going to work. That is unless your OK with them beating the crap out of themselves and each other when one of them is spooked. Silvers a very skittish by nature and easily spooked. With fish that size in a tank that small, one of them gets spooked they all will become the same. You only end up with heavily damaged, or dead arowana.

You better plan on having a tank with at least and 8' x 3' by the beginning of next summer. Possibly sooner if they keep growing like you've already experienced.

After their initial growth spurt, which can be up to 30" within the first 18-24 months. Silvers generally grow at 1-2" per year in length but put on much more girth.

My two silvers at 8-9 years old and my 5 y.o. black were all 33" when I got rid of them, another 8 y.o. black was just under 31". The 450g tank they were in was much too small to properly house them. Hard to actually appreciate what these fish require in tank size unit you actually experience owning a group like this.

 

[milkman407]

I had 2 that I purchased around 3-4", I believe after about 7-8 months they outgrew my 120gallon tank (18"wide). After that they went into my 6x4x2 and there growth increased dramatically. I never had Issues with them jumping, unless i was moving large objects over the top of the tank. The one and only time I measured them, the younger was 23" the older being about 27" ( this was about 14months old ).

 

[peter predtank]

thanks for the reply bderick67 , of coarse im very much not ok with them getting hurt i love them there awesome and as i mentioned i learned a hard lesson about there jumping a long time ago . i have been kicking around ideas in my head of a suspended netting attached to the tank trim instead of a lid to solve this problem .
i would love to have a 8 x 3 foot tank but its a little out of my reach at the present time . so safe to say from your exp that you could get 8 + years in a 8 x 3 tank ? that doesnt sound too bad to me. if the 6x2x2 or 6x30 in x2 could get me a few years i would be happy.
were did yours go to when you got rid of them ? and was it hard to find them a bigger home then what you provided ? i would think that would be difficult . i guess most of the arrows on the world market end up dead within a year or two as i would imagine not a lot of people who buy them even have a tank good enough for a few years .