African Arowana advice
- Thread starter drklevia
- Start date
osteoglossum;2322544; said:
A quote from the Encyclopedia of Animals: Reptiles, Amphibians, and Fishes:
"The living species most closely related to the pirarucu (Arapaima) is Heterotis Niloticus. Like the pirarucu, H. Niloticus is a nest builder, clearing a site among aquatic plants, and later guarding its offspring. Unlike the predatory pirarucu, however, H. Niloticus feeds on small planktonic organisms and on organic matter in the bottom debris. Food is collected and mixed with mucus as it passes through the mouth and into a complex spiral-shaped organ lying above the gills on each side of the head. From there, the mixture is moved into the pharynx, and then swallowed. Earlier ideas that the spiral organs were accessory air-breathing devices are now discounted. The swim bladder, however, is lung-like and serves that function, thus allowing the species to occupy swamps and relatively deoxygenated water of a river's reeded shores, both regions being its preferred habitat.
H. Niloticus rarely exceeds a length of 80 centimeters (32 inches). The species is of some economic importance in West Africa, where it is also cultivated in ponds."
If this is any indication of something, yes, there may be breeders.
As for the question on Silvers, there are a good amount of them. Possibly more than the Asians. Heck, there are Silver and Jardini breeders in Luzon. (Thank you, King-El, for this info.)
