Good tankmates for a single Silver Arowana in a 250 gallon?

[NeonFlux]

Hi guys, it's been a while. I joined a while back (one year ago). I currently have a 250 gallon setup with driftwood for hiding spaces, and sand as substrate tank; sump as filter w/ a ton of bioballs, filter wool, and media (Purigen). Aquarium is stocked with 1 full grown silver arowana, four semi-adult blood red cichlids, 1 silver door hook (unfortunately stunted I believe, not growing to 12 inches at all, was housed previously in a 60 gallon for a while), 2 adult silver dollar fish. I was just wondering if I could add in a bit more? I was thinking about Oscars, Jack dempsys, plecos, crayfish, large red eared slider turtles, and bright colorful cichlids. But the problem is, how do I add the new fish and etc in without the silver aro eating them when they are small? A grow up tank? How to do so without stunting? Any help would be heavily appreciated. Thanks for reading! I hope to get some ideas.

 

[Bderick67]

Possibilities are endless as far as tankmates go. Figure what you like and then check back if it could be questionable. So how big is your "full grown silver arowana"?

 

[charles-n-charge]

Here comes the flame...

 

[Polyptasaurus]

two small rays

 

[charles-n-charge]

two small rays

He's in California, so no rays.

 

[Egon]

I would go with some large Bala Sharks. They seem to keep my Aro calm. Because the Bala's are always moving the Aro doesn't get startled and bang it's head.

 

[charles-n-charge]

I would go with some large Bala Sharks. They seem to keep my Aro calm. Because the Bala's are always moving the Aro doesn't get startled and bang it's head.

I agree. Aros typically do better with active community fish, with some exceptions. My aro is with 2 large pacu and an oscar, not the best choice. It's a constant battlefield. Although the aro normally wins, surprisingly. In the near future i plan to throw the pacus, oscar, bass, etc into a pond and add some large community fish in with my aro. Balas, Tinfiol barbs, Jurupari, large rope fish and dragon gobies (maybe), and a SAL. People may say aros are aggressive, and they can be at times, but IMO they should be in community tanks with large fish. Try to keep that in mind when picking tankmates.
And dont add a ton of fish at once, it will stress the aro because it is used to being alone, and they sometimes dont react well to new fish. So add maybe 2 fish at a time, give or take.

 

[cmsbthebest]

Yes Get Bala's, or Tin Foil Barbs, their easy to find large, constantly moving, and very entertaining to watch

 

[NeonFlux]

Sounds cool to me! Thanks for the quick responses, fellas!! I saw some small Tinfoil barbs at my LFS a couple hours ago lol. I wish I could have picked them up if I knew already. The Bala sharks seem very nice as well! Should I get 3 of each? What size do you think I should get them at? How much would they cost at 6-8" each? I don't want to get ripped off lol! Oh yeah, Bderick, the Silver Arowana I'd estimate just by looking... is about 32 inches.

 

[cmsbthebest]

I don't think Tin Foil's would cost to much at 6-8" because there not that hard to find at that size as a trade in, but Bala's would be a little more pricy, probably around 25$ at that size, and yes if you get either of those, I would recommend that you get at least 3.