Silver Arowana in a L shaped tank
- Thread starter Cichlidae
- Start date
Depends on who you ask. 3 times the length of the arowana is what is most often recommended, which should be something like 8-10 feet for a large adult.
I agree 10 ft would be a nice size and I'd go at least 3 ft wide or perhaps 4 ft. Aros are very flexible so you could probably get away with 3 if you had too. I don't think the L portion is an issue. Just do the best you can for him.
The width is not a concern, I can go to 40" without worries. 10 ft long? So I should make the long portion of the L 6 ft long and the short portion 4 ft long? I'll measure the spot to check if its suitable.
From what I've learned from my own experience/mistakes and discussions/arguments with
Bderick67
(good times... lol), the concern isn't so much flexibility as it is open swimming space. Aros don't do well in confined spaces, even if there is enough space to turn around. If the aro gets spooked and there's nowhere for it to go, it's going to go up, almost every time... Best case scenario is some missing scales and other minor superficial trauma... worst case scenario is a large, powerful fish flopping around on the floor, and/or serious head trauma.
Bderick67
(good times... lol), the concern isn't so much flexibility as it is open swimming space. Aros don't do well in confined spaces, even if there is enough space to turn around. If the aro gets spooked and there's nowhere for it to go, it's going to go up, almost every time... Best case scenario is some missing scales and other minor superficial trauma... worst case scenario is a large, powerful fish flopping around on the floor, and/or serious head trauma.
Thanks jclyde. I'm going to measure and then I'll start cutting the plywood for the tank. I'll make sure to use a heavy lid, so if the fish jump doesn't happen anything.
I had each of my 3 lids secured with heavy duty Velcro, which was enough to keep my ~30" aro contained, but I think the head trauma finally did him in. He died suddenly one day, several months ago, without any warning or visible trauma. Water parameters were fine, and the other fish showed no signs of stress.
I'm sorry, that's sad. I'll add net before the lid so the Aro doesn't crash with the whole lid. Thanks for your advices jclyde.
Cichlidae, fyi I've kept many aros including large ones in my 750g tank which is 10'x4'x2.5' and I've never had a jumper or severe drop eye (from hitting the top) I believe the key is for them to feel comfortable with the size of their space and to be careful selecting tankmates. Good luck.
