African arowana questions

[Pwn]

I took this from one of the stickies:

4) African Arowana: Whats that giant minnow thing called? Its an African Arowana! Ok, so they aren't exactly beauty queens but they are an arowana and my personal favourite. They get about as big as Aussies (slightly smaller than the South American varieties). The only problem is that they are filter feeders and need to be fed, even in adulthood, at least twice a day, not all of us have that time and capital rescorce to accomadate these feedings. The Verdict: If you can afford and have the time to feed this fish twice a day and dont mind its drab coloring then I highly recomend this fish.


What type of food would you feed an african? It says it is a filter feeder...maybe I am misunderstanding this and you don't have to do anything special for it.

My LFS has a 10" Heterotis Niloticus for less than $200 and I was thinking about putting it in the new 240.

 

[Pwn]

Does anyone even keep african arowana?

I'm concerned about being able to feed this guy after I read that sticky.

 

[Oddball]

Keep it in alkaline conditions as you would other african species. Temp should be 80F Mine doesn't concern itself too much over diet and readily accepts a wide assortment of foods. At 10 inches, the aro should be well on its way towards developing fat reserves and aligning to a regular feeding routine. At that size, mine fed on FD krill/plankton, dense culture hi-pro granules, aro sticks, Ken's sinking sticks (all kinds), salmon pellets, bloodworm, blackworm, brine shrimp, cut raw shrimp, beef heart, cut crayfish, cut earthworms, and just about anything else I threw in.
Good luck with yours

 

[Pwn]

Thanks for the pictures and the info! The filter feeding part threw me off. From what you said, I should just be able to feed it normally.


No barbells on these guys? I love the color on that guy,and I'm glad you have tank mates with it Think I will put my albino bichirs and some clown loaches with him. Maybe some dats....I saw some at the LFS near me which is very rare...they have to special order everything.

 

[Pwn]

Bah I forgot to ask about the alkalinity.....are you just referring to the temp, or am I supposed to add a liquid alkaline like in a reef tank?

 

[Oddball]

I never add pH up or down. I use RO to drop pH, for most of my S. Am. tanks and add aragonite/bulk limestone to bump up pH in my african tanks. My af aro is at 7.8-8.2 pH.

You may want to rethink mixing with clown loaches since CLs prefer a significantly lower pH.

 

[Dr_Shakalu]

Wow, Oddball. That 2nd picture of your african looks just like a koi. The Doctor.