Lowering the pH

[Mr. Bill]

I guess its my turn to be the bad guy again.
Most South American cichlids get too large for a 40 gal, except the dwarf type.
And a 40gallon is too small for 1 arowana.
So the pH doesn't really matter, if you put some normal size S American cichlids and an arowana in that size tank, my guess is most will be dead within 6 months.

So just how fast do Arowana grow? It was my understanding that they respond in growth to the size of the environment in which they are placed. So an Arowana placed in a 40 gallon tank will not grow as large as one living in a 300 gallon tank nor as fast, I could be wrong, it has been over 40 years since I kept Arowanas.

 

[duanes]

The stuff about fish growing only to the size of their tank, is total BS.
The reason most fish tend to gro0w slow in small tanks, is that water quality gets so bad, it effects the health of the fish and grows slowly not due to size, but to the deplorable environmental conditions, and bad health.
The only way you could possible keep a fish in a tank the size of puddle (and a 40 gallon is basically puddle) is to change 90% of the water every day.
Besides that, arowana come from the Amazon or other rives that offer them the space of millions of gallons, not a pot hole.

 

[Mr. Bill]

The stuff about fish growing only to the size of their tank, is total BS.
The reason most fish tend to gro0w slow in small tanks, is that water quality gets so bad, it effects the health of the fish and grows slowly not due to size, but to the deplorable environmental conditions, and bad health.
The only way you could possible keep a fish in a tank the size of puddle (and a 40 gallon is basically puddle) is to change 90% of the water every day.
Besides that, arowana come from the Amazon or other rives that offer them the space of millions of gallons, not a pot hole.

Well not necessarily total BS. It is true that because of the care captive fish receive they are more likely to end up being smaller when kept in a small aquarium, but this is almost entirely due to not being given good care. If a fish kept in a small tank is given excellent care and all the problems of water quality and diet are overcome then the growth of that fish will be slowed down but not halted. So in regards to my original question, “Just how fast do Arowana grow?”

 

[predatorkeeper87]

Well not necessarily total BS. It is true that because of the care captive fish receive they are more likely to end up being smaller when kept in a small aquarium, but this is almost entirely due to not being given good care. If a fish kept in a small tank is given excellent care and all the problems of water quality and diet are overcome then the growth of that fish will be slowed down but not halted. So in regards to my original question, “Just how fast do Arowana grow?”

fast enough that you can't justify keeping one in a 40 gallon no matter how you spin it. you have less than 6 months with that tank. A fish in perfect water conditions will absolutely grow at a normal pace regardless of tank size, it will also become impossible to keep the water pristine by any stretch of the word.

 

[predatorkeeper87]

on top of the fact that the tank is a week old meaning theres no cycle in that tank at all (unless you used seeded media or bottled bacteria) which means the water quality is going to nosedive much much sooner.

 

[duanes]

To me any fish over 4" is too large for a 40 gal.
But to get serious arowana reply, go to the arowana section.

 

[DN328]

Well not necessarily total BS. It is true that because of the care captive fish receive they are more likely to end up being smaller when kept in a small aquarium, but this is almost entirely due to not being given good care. If a fish kept in a small tank is given excellent care and all the problems of water quality and diet are overcome then the growth of that fish will be slowed down but not halted. So in regards to my original question, “Just how fast do Arowana grow?”

On average you should expect 1"/month in my experience. If your aro is 5" when he arrives to the tank in 6 months it will be nearly 1 foot.

 

[Mr. Bill]

To me any fish over 4" is too large for a 40 gal.
But to get serious arowana reply, go to the arowana section.

OK, thanks for the input Sir.

 

[Mr. Bill]

On average you should expect 1"/month in my experience. If your aro is 5" when he arrives to the tank in 6 months it will be nearly 1 foot.

OK thanks, that answers my original question and thank you for the reply, greatly appreciated.

 

[DN328]

OK thanks, that answers my original question and thank you for the reply, greatly appreciated.

NP. Come to the Aro forum if you want to talk more aro and learn. But you'll basically get the size response in terms of growth.