This is going to sound ridiculous

I don't know much about aros but I'd think you'll need a bigger tank if you want to house it comfortably for life, like 500g+ but I like to give fish as much room as possible, as far as tank mates aros seem to be ok with any fish that's to big to eat, except other aros, most seem to hate other aros unless they have been together since small. Hope this helps, I too was like you and not wanting to go the arowana path but now I'm planning on getting a black aro, keep us updated and pics too if you get it.


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It's not the gallons that count it's the footprint. How wide is your 300 gallon if it's 3 - 3.5 feet wide then you should be perfectly fine with an asian arowna they don't nearly get as big as silvers or blacks (which top at about 4 foot).and a tank as big as 500 gallons is probably not needed. Asian arowana will only get 2.5 feet or so And the arowana should be fine with the loaches however since the arowana is not small he might consider the loaches food it's always a gamble. To add to this I've kept silvers and a jardini I would keep Asians but I'm in the U.S and I can say the silvers are more passive while the jardini is more aggressive and if the asian arowana is as much alike as the jardini in looks as it is in behavior it may want to be a solitary arowana. Lastly they can be pricey over $900 most of the time for a quality specimine. Best of luck I say go for it


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Do the loaches have hiding places?

I think the aro won't try to eat them. They instinctively know it is a bad meal.

i had a similar experience with my wyckii, i also went away only to return a week later and snap him up!-) he was in a small tank and was happy to come to the front almost begging to be taken home like when your at the dog sanctuary... if the money isnt an issue and your tank has the footprint i say go for it, its not often you bond with a fish before you own it, its usually a specimen on youtube that makes me go hunting for a baby version. like the aro my cat was already 12 inch and looking for a permanent home, be prepared to work your tank around him tho, although the aro shouldnt be as aggressive as my cat... ive had some rocky moments with him eating and killing tankmates but he is still here!-)

When I put larger semi aggressive fish in with my loaches their behavior changed. I had a 13" NTT dat and 9-10" oscar with them. Both left the loaches alone, but the loaches still hid a lot more. They survived but were not thriving. They were no longer schooling around the tank as often, or just laying on their sides "playing dead" like loaches do. Not saying you will experience the same. I have a smaller set up and different tankmates. But just wanted to share my experience.

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