Why are these being sold????

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180 gal for arapaima... hopefully made out of titanium.
 

Gosh that is crazy.
The fish store I love going to just got more of these guys in last month I think it was. I haven’t gone to see them in person.
I won’t lie, they are so cute and innocent looking when they are only 6” long. Lol
This video really shows what a person would be in for. Basically needing a zoo grade aquarium/pool/pond that is covered. And having to be really careful with feeding since they are very dangerous if they jump at you.
 
Gosh that is crazy.
The fish store I love going to just got more of these guys in last month I think it was. I haven’t gone to see them in person.
I won’t lie, they are so cute and innocent looking when they are only 6” long. Lol
This video really shows what a person would be in for. Basically needing a zoo grade aquarium/pool/pond that is covered. And having to be really careful with feeding since they are very dangerous if they jump at you.
They actually got too big and jumpy for the display so they keep them in huge indoor ponds instead. Circa 2016
 
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I know this has been posted many times.
It would be good to show people interested in purchasing an Arapaima though, makes you realize just how powerful and large these fish get, especially when you realize this is a smaller one.
 
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I know this has been posted many times.
It would be good to show people interested in purchasing an Arapaima though, makes you realize just how powerful and large these fish get, especially when you realize this is a smaller one.


The problem lies in the fact that the vast majority of people interested in purchasing an Arapaima, won't ever view this topic, and/or consider the long term plans for successfully keeping this fish healthy. Ignorance is bliss.
 
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I know this has been posted many times.
It would be good to show people interested in purchasing an Arapaima though, makes you realize just how powerful and large these fish get, especially when you realize this is a smaller one.

I was at the dr with my wife today, while we were waiting i was looking through some old threads. I honestly didnt get an impression that (at least on this site ) that these fish are overwhelmingly mistreated. No doubt there were a few threads of members being told they werent caring for the fish properly but others that mentioned how their LFS told them what the fish required causing the person to not purchase the fish
 
Arapaima have been imported and sold here in my area (NW Canada) numerous times over the years. I suspect that every last one of them is now dead. With winter temps dropping to -50, it's not exactly tropical here, and outside of public aquariums I have never heard of anyone having an indoor heated pond, that was 10-15K gallons.

Ten years ago I posted the following on a local forum. "Other than a LFS importing these fish as a special request, for someone who has the capabilities of properly housing one long term, selling these fish to the general public makes about as much sense as PetSmart selling Pacu."

I also posted a link to this MFK thread from 2005.
https://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/threads/arapaima-gigas-alliance.984/
 
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There are plenty of areas in the U.S. that have tropical climates yr round. Education would be the best means not restricting something to "order only'

I cant recall seeing them available in an lfs. Infact i wanted an arapaima i would just click click click.


Earlier i read somewhere that 1.5 million neon or cardinal tetras were either sold or imported every month (cant remember). Most likely million of them die each yr. Probably similar to the deaths arapaima experience. But on a much larger scale
 
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