I just decided to do this, and I know a lot about fish, so I'm gonna be helpful and give my knowledge about arowanas.
Here goes:
Arowanas are bony fish, they are an example of primitive fish dating back to the time of the dinosaurs and unchanged in the present day from that time. This is why the arowana is known as a jurassic fish. The arowana are put in 3 categories/genres:
Osteoglossum, the silver and black arowana, which have long dorsal and anal fins.
Scleropages, the more expensive and beautiful group with short dorsal fins and longer anal fins, also a bit smaller than the Osteoglossums, these include the Jardini, Red Tail Golden, Golden, Green, and Batik.
Heterotis, the group that includes the African Arowana, but this arowana is more closely related to the Arapaima, but its classified as an arowana. African Arowanas are filter feeders.
The Osteoglossum has the largest arowana which grows to massive proportions, the Osteoglossum Biccirhosum, or simply the Silver Arowana, sometimes called the Rainbow Arowana (another name to draw fish keepers attention into). This species is especially vulnerable to dropeye, but the smaller Black Arowana (Osteoglossum Ferreirai) rarely gets drop eye. The Silver Arowana needs a pond to survive best in, or a 180 gallon tank minimum, because this immense Osteoglossum species can get to 4 feet in the wild and in captivity, they grow at a ridiculous rate. These arowana are fine with most tank mates that don't fit their mouth. These are the cheapest of the arowana.
The Scleropages is the more expensive arowana group, and has the beautiful Batik arowana in it, all of these arowana have a different body shape. The Scleropages have 1 tall but short dorsal fin, 1 slightly longer but shorter anal fin, and the same round caudal fin. These are the more popular arowana, the asian arowana in this group are illegal in the U.S. (Sorry, americans.
Its an endangered species), its endangered, therefore its protected. The Jardini is one of the other cheap arowanas but is slightly more expensive and is more beautiful than the silver. All arowanas in this group are smaller than the Osteoglossums.
The Heterotis is the group that holds the african arowana, an elusive fish that is quite rare and not commonly sold. It is a filter feeder and doesn't have the same aerodynamical design, it doesn't have the hook mouth. This makes it a filter feeder. It has the fin placement of the Osteoglossums but is not a predatory fish. The african arowana is called an arowana but is more closely related to the Arapaima (Piraracu, Pache).
The osteoglossum and scleropages both are hunters, and both require large tanks of 180 gallons, a 55 gallon tank would be a good grow out tank, no tank under 75 gallons would be acceptable (info from expert online: 'no tank under 75 gallons if not 180.'). The best place for these fish are in a pond. They eat floating food, in their life in the wild, they leap out of the water to catch birds, monkeys, and insects. So expect a jumpy personality, a tight fitting lid is essential.
The arowana are a very majestic fish and are very large so only house it if you have space. They are also extremely hardy, but they still do catch diseases and are not for beginners.
Here goes:
Arowanas are bony fish, they are an example of primitive fish dating back to the time of the dinosaurs and unchanged in the present day from that time. This is why the arowana is known as a jurassic fish. The arowana are put in 3 categories/genres:
Osteoglossum, the silver and black arowana, which have long dorsal and anal fins.
Scleropages, the more expensive and beautiful group with short dorsal fins and longer anal fins, also a bit smaller than the Osteoglossums, these include the Jardini, Red Tail Golden, Golden, Green, and Batik.
Heterotis, the group that includes the African Arowana, but this arowana is more closely related to the Arapaima, but its classified as an arowana. African Arowanas are filter feeders.
The Osteoglossum has the largest arowana which grows to massive proportions, the Osteoglossum Biccirhosum, or simply the Silver Arowana, sometimes called the Rainbow Arowana (another name to draw fish keepers attention into). This species is especially vulnerable to dropeye, but the smaller Black Arowana (Osteoglossum Ferreirai) rarely gets drop eye. The Silver Arowana needs a pond to survive best in, or a 180 gallon tank minimum, because this immense Osteoglossum species can get to 4 feet in the wild and in captivity, they grow at a ridiculous rate. These arowana are fine with most tank mates that don't fit their mouth. These are the cheapest of the arowana.
The Scleropages is the more expensive arowana group, and has the beautiful Batik arowana in it, all of these arowana have a different body shape. The Scleropages have 1 tall but short dorsal fin, 1 slightly longer but shorter anal fin, and the same round caudal fin. These are the more popular arowana, the asian arowana in this group are illegal in the U.S. (Sorry, americans.
Its an endangered species), its endangered, therefore its protected. The Jardini is one of the other cheap arowanas but is slightly more expensive and is more beautiful than the silver. All arowanas in this group are smaller than the Osteoglossums.The Heterotis is the group that holds the african arowana, an elusive fish that is quite rare and not commonly sold. It is a filter feeder and doesn't have the same aerodynamical design, it doesn't have the hook mouth. This makes it a filter feeder. It has the fin placement of the Osteoglossums but is not a predatory fish. The african arowana is called an arowana but is more closely related to the Arapaima (Piraracu, Pache).
The osteoglossum and scleropages both are hunters, and both require large tanks of 180 gallons, a 55 gallon tank would be a good grow out tank, no tank under 75 gallons would be acceptable (info from expert online: 'no tank under 75 gallons if not 180.'). The best place for these fish are in a pond. They eat floating food, in their life in the wild, they leap out of the water to catch birds, monkeys, and insects. So expect a jumpy personality, a tight fitting lid is essential.
The arowana are a very majestic fish and are very large so only house it if you have space. They are also extremely hardy, but they still do catch diseases and are not for beginners.
