Black versus Silver Arowana

[Dan F]

I am going to be getting an Arowana soon, and I am torn between getting a Silver or a Black. I have kept a couple of Silvers in the past, but it was a long time ago (late 1980s). My plan is to house it in a 55 until it gets to 8-10" and then move it to a 72x18x18 until it is about 16". At that point it will go into a huge (~8000G) public aquarium - no B.S. here, my old O. niger is living there right now.

Right now the Wet Spot has 6" Silvers for $50 and 12" Blacks for $200. Of course, I would like to save some money, but I've never kept a Black Arowana and I am very tempted to try to come up with the extra money. The 12" size is also a bit of a drawback - about how long would it be OK in a 6' tank before I would need to rehome?

I have read that large Silvers almost always develop some degree of drop-eye, while Blacks do not. Is this true?

Do Black Arowanas look very different from Silvers as adults? Google Images doesn't really make it look like it...

Is there a difference in the growth rate and adult size?

Is there a difference in their hardiness or adaptability to water conditions? I have water with a pH of 7.6 and a hardness of six degrees.


Any input would be appreciated, especially from people who have kept both species.

Thanks!

 

[AquataHolic420]

Blacks grow slower, look slightly different as adults. Far less chance of drop eye. They are more docile IMO. Get the Black just for the prestige. I'm waiting to get another since my 15" black committed suicide.

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[brutonsbrew]

If you only plan to keep to 16" de is not a concern. Also have found that the 2 blacks I have owned were pickier about food. Would go with silver in situation. Also i believe de is from improper breeding. My last wild silver at 2' had no de

 

[Bderick67]

Check out the link, you can see two 27" blacks swimming along side two 30" silvers.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YoyCAQSijNU


As to how fast they grow, well one of mine went from baby(2 inches) to 27" in about 20 months, so don't count on them growing slow. My other black was a very picky eater and only grew from 11" to 19" in the first 2.5 years I owned her. Once she was housed with my two silver aros she became a very aggressive eater and then grew 5" in about 6 months. Blacks get just as long as silvers but as you can see with mine the body height and mass is less then a silver of equal length.

For the most part blacks don't get DE and silvers do, there are many wild caught silvers here on MFK with DE. You may want to look up a couple of the DE threads for wide range of opinions on cause of DE.

I would recommend waiting until spring and get a baby black and raise it. The color change that it goes through is most rewarding. Your growout plan is solid, you may go up to 19-20" in the 18" wide tank. You may also find that the black may do fine in your 210 with the SA cichlids. In a 72x24" footprint you can keep the aro up to 24-25". Most arowana will adjust fine to your pH range. I would try to lower pH for baby blacks, but stability of pH level would be most important.

 

[Dan F]

Blacks grow slower, look slightly different as adults. Far less chance of drop eye. They are more docile IMO. Get the Black just for the prestige. I'm waiting to get another since my 15" black committed suicide.

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I like the slow growth and more docile part, sounds like it will be worth the extra cost.

If you only plan to keep to 16" de is not a concern. Also have found that the 2 blacks I have owned were pickier about food. Would go with silver in situation. Also i believe de is from improper breeding. My last wild silver at 2' had no de

I would like to get it eating pellets/prepared foods, so that is a concern if they are pickier eaters...

Check out the link, you can see two 27" blacks swimming along side two 30" silvers.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YoyCAQSijNU


As to how fast they grow, well one of mine went from baby(2 inches) to 27" in about 20 months, so don't count on them growing slow. My other black was a very picky eater and only grew from 11" to 19" in the first 2.5 years I owned her. Once she was housed with my two silver aros she became a very aggressive eater and then grew 5" in about 6 months. Blacks get just as long as silvers but as you can see with mine the body height and mass is less then a silver of equal length.

For the most part blacks don't get DE and silvers do, there are many wild caught silvers here on MFK with DE. You may want to look up a couple of the DE threads for wide range of opinions on cause of DE.

I would recommend waiting until spring and get a baby black and raise it. The color change that it goes through is most rewarding. Your growout plan is solid, you may go up to 19-20" in the 18" wide tank. You may also find that the black may do fine in your 210 with the SA cichlids. In a 72x24" footprint you can keep the aro up to 24-25". Most arowana will adjust fine to your pH range. I would try to lower pH for baby blacks, but stability of pH level would be most important.

Thanks for the feedback!

Now you have me wondering if I should get one of each... The Blacks that they have are listed at 12", the Silvers are 6"+. I wonder if they would be OK with the size disparity, or would the Black pick on the Silver?

I am going to start work on my growout (72x18x18) this weekend, so hopefully I will be picking them up in the next couple weeks.

 

[Bderick67]

Chances of two arowana getting along is about one in three. No real solution to getting them to cohabit, just have to try the mix. I would suggest trying two that are closer in size and make sure you have the means to separate when needed.


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[thechief]

i would get the black if i had the money