A couple aro questions

[rnocera]

I'm contemplating getting an aro, but I've got a few questions. First and foremost- how fast do they grow? I'm finding tons of posts saying, "upgrade soon," but none of them really say HOW soon.

Currently I have tanks all the way up to 90 gallons to house one. How old & long would one be before I'd need to upgrade beyond 90 gallons? I'm already planning on upgrading to something very large as I have two gars that will need a rather large tank, and a fire eel that will also need a rather large tank. I'd like to start out as small as possible- I'm guessing I'd get one 3-4".

I've heard a few people say blacks are less likely to get drop eye- is this true? The whole drop eye thing concerns me, especially since no one seems to know what really causes it. Beyond the very tiny stage, are blacks any more delicate than silvers?

And finally, on to tank mates- I've seen pics of arowanas in with gars- is this a good mix? My gar tank has a Florida & longnose, two gold severum and some polypterus. Would these be OK tank mates for a silver or black? The fire eel will probably be by itself when it's larger (I'm not sure that it's OK to keep a fire eel and gars together, but I'm relatively sure the polypterus would be eel food when this guy is triple their size), or in with some large tinfoil barbs or other such fish- would that be an OK tank mate?

Thanks!

 

[Hao]

I'm contemplating getting an aro, but I've got a few questions. First and foremost- how fast do they grow? I'm finding tons of posts saying, "upgrade soon," but none of them really say HOW soon.

Currently I have tanks all the way up to 90 gallons to house one. How old & long would one be before I'd need to upgrade beyond 90 gallons? I'm already planning on upgrading to something very large as I have two gars that will need a rather large tank, and a fire eel that will also need a rather large tank. I'd like to start out as small as possible- I'm guessing I'd get one 3-4".

I've heard a few people say blacks are less likely to get drop eye- is this true? The whole drop eye thing concerns me, especially since no one seems to know what really causes it. Beyond the very tiny stage, are blacks any more delicate than silvers?

And finally, on to tank mates- I've seen pics of arowanas in with gars- is this a good mix? My gar tank has a Florida & longnose, two gold severum and some polypterus. Would these be OK tank mates for a silver or black? The fire eel will probably be by itself when it's larger (I'm not sure that it's OK to keep a fire eel and gars together, but I'm relatively sure the polypterus would be eel food when this guy is triple their size), or in with some large tinfoil barbs or other such fish- would that be an OK tank mate?

Thanks!

aros grow anywhere from 1"-1.5" a month and whats the dimension of your 90 gallon and DE is rare in black arowana and beyond the tiny size,there like the same and i wouldnt put the arowana with anything unless the aro is over 6"

 

[Bderick67]

I'm contemplating getting an aro, but I've got a few questions. First and foremost- how fast do they grow? I'm finding tons of posts saying, "upgrade soon," but none of them really say HOW soon.

What type of aro? As Hao said 1-1.5" per month is average growth for a silver arowana. They will have this growth rate up to 24-25" range. At this point their growth slows considerably to 1-2" a year.

Currently I have tanks all the way up to 90 gallons to house one. How old & long would one be before I'd need to upgrade beyond 90 gallons? I'm already planning on upgrading to something very large as I have two gars that will need a rather large tank, and a fire eel that will also need a rather large tank. I'd like to start out as small as possible- I'm guessing I'd get one 3-4".

Best to keep your aro in a tank that has a length 3x that of the aro's and has a width/depth at least equal the aro's length. You can get by with upgrading several times, I would recommend going with at least a 180g(6x2x2') with in the next year. You'll then need to upgrade to at least a 8'x30"x24" after that, IMO

I've heard a few people say blacks are less likely to get drop eye- is this true? The whole drop eye thing concerns me, especially since no one seems to know what really causes it. Beyond the very tiny stage, are blacks any more delicate than silvers?

Only a very small percentage of black aros develop DE. I have raised both silvers and blacks from babies. IMO both are equally fragile and care is the same for both.

And finally, on to tank mates- I've seen pics of arowanas in with gars- is this a good mix? My gar tank has a Florida & longnose, two gold severum and some polypterus. Would these be OK tank mates for a silver or black? The fire eel will probably be by itself when it's larger (I'm not sure that it's OK to keep a fire eel and gars together, but I'm relatively sure the polypterus would be eel food when this guy is triple their size), or in with some large tinfoil barbs or other such fish- would that be an OK tank mate?

Thanks!

You'll get many varied opinions on tank mates. I recommend keeping small aros solitary until at least 6" and then only select tank mates up to 12". As far as Gars go, I have no experience with this, though many of the respected experienced gar keepers in the gar forum don't recommend this mix.

 

[sbuse]

i have a florida gar with a silver aro...i have had my aro since march...it was 3" when i got it now 5 months later it is 15"...my gar is 10" i have a 6'x2'x2' tank...i will get a 10'x5'x3' tank...as already stated don't put the aro with alot of fish until 6"+...i also have in this tank redtail tinfoils...i had a ropefish in the tank but the aro did bite it sometimes so i took it out...i have a jd in there aswell...as for de just keep the tank clean and as already stated... just some thoughts

 

[Hao]

What type of aro? As Hoa said 1-1.5" per month is average growth for a silver arowana. They will have this growth rate up to 24-25" range. At this point their growth slows considerably to 1-2" a year.

 

[aidenb]

I wouldn't recomend getting one until you have a 180+, I got mine 7 months ago for my 180 gallon and am already in the process of upgrading

 

[josear1286]

hello, im quite new to the MFK world and i could use some help.my first experience whth a moster fish was with a 5" silver aro i bought a year ago since i wasnew i was verry poorly adviced so i was told i could keep my new aro with a couple kois i hadthat where abou the same size. also i was told that the best way to keep a diet was to stick small sardines with it so it could feed so the aro got along greatlywith the kois about 4 months later i had to go on a trip for about a month so i set up everything with a fish store to mantain my fish while i was gone so the thing is when i left te guy from the stroe stock about 30 sardines in my 110 gallon aquarium so he didnt have to replenish the food in a while so in the 2 next days when he came for a check up there where no sardines and my aro had choked because it tried to eat one of the kois. know after along time f reading through the web i want to get another aro and start from the begining . so im planning to get a 4 or 5" inch aro but im filled with qustions and want to get some experienced help. like is it better o have a barren tank for the aro with its food or should i decorate it, sincerely i would prefer barren i personally like to focus more on the fish and give it free space. now back to feeding here in Panama just the sardines or some crickets. so how much should i feed it as it grows should i stick the sardines or should i give ot one or two crickets daily or maybe both please if you can give me exact numbers acroing to its size. now about tankmates i dont want to take risks again so if you coud advise me of tankmates that would enjoy a barren tank. i really dont care when it comes to INVERTING money on my tanks just help me with this issue thanks alot for any comments

thanks

 

[David R]

I wouldn't recomend getting one until you have a 180+, I got mine 7 months ago for my 180 gallon and am already in the process of upgrading

Agreed. Moving big fish is a PITA and stressful for both you and the fish. Best bet is to buy a tank that'll house the fish for life then get the fish, then you won't have to move it and you'll probably see better growth.