Are red arowanas are becoming smaller in size ?

[Apollo]

It was said that red aros will grow to 3 feet in length.
But unforunately Ive never seen one that big.
My red grew to 30 inches but other than that most of the adult reds Ive seen were in 22 - 26 inches range.
All of the present day reds Ive seen were similar in size or slightly bigger than golden aros.
I think Richard in MFK as a big 34 inches red aro.
If anyone having big adult reds kindly share some pics here.
Another important thing Ive noticed was that red aros which got bigger in size like 30+inches were generally lighter (yellow to orange) in colour and darker coloured aros (deep red) generally remained smaller (22+inches) in size.
Look at all the asian red aro competitions, almost all the adult red competitors were close to 50-60cm range.
Is there is any different subspecies in red ?
Is this reds were stunted to enhance colour ? (Ive seen some forumers advising others dont grow your reds too fast it will be difficult for the colour to catchup)
Is the usual heavy tanning process, affects the growth due to stress ?
Is it due to farms cross breeding reds with other smaller asian varieties like gold to get improved colours ?

Kindly guys share your experience, thoughts and views.

Thanks

 

[Yuki Rihwa]

Most Asian Aro now are captive breed since the wild one pretty much extinct in some part of Asia. So these captive Aro are from selected breed to get the desire colors, patterns so the gene DNA changed a lot compare the original wild aro, the captive Aro usually smaller than the wild one cause you can't and won't replicate the real environment with your limited water you having in a man made farm ponds.

 

[Apollo]

Most Asian Aro now are captive breed since the wild one pretty much extinct in some part of Asia. So these captive Aro are from selected breed to get the desire colors, patterns so the gene DNA changed a lot compare the original wild aro, the captive Aro usually smaller than the wild one cause you can't and won't replicate the real environment with your limited water you having in a man made farm ponds.

Yeah good points.
Ive seen several red aro harvest videos from different farms and none of them show a big 3 foot brooder.
But does this mean that farms selectively bred for smaller sizes ?

 

[Apollo]

Guys kindly share your info here

 

[Apollo]

This green aro was said to be caught in Muda dam lake.
Look at the broadness and girth.

 

[azura]

you'd get big red if kept in very large pond
mostly i found there are a few big red in farms esp. from old farms, they still keep 3' / 90cm big red and the fish is old (10+ years)

red aro is fast growing , it can reached 55-60+ cm in just 3 years but then after that their growth slow down

 

[Apollo]

you'd get big red if kept in very large pond
mostly i found there are a few big red in farms esp. from old farms, they still keep 3' / 90cm big red and the fish is old (10+ years)

red aro is fast growing , it can reached 55-60+ cm in just 3 years but then after that their growth slow down

Thanks for this valuable info my friend.
I agree with you that growth slows down once they hit 24 inches
A 3 ft red is a sight to be hold.
What about the colouration in those reds ? Are they orangish or reddish ?

 

[Chaos32]

Size is not a major consideration for red breeders. The focus is on shape and color more than anything else. Same goes for gold. Inbreeding and also breeding at a very early age could also have contributed. The pic shared is a green aro and from many many years ago. Buyers nowadays want to see very rich red color from reds as small as 8". However maintaining the color in a hobbyist environment is another thing all together. Patience and a bit of luck as well as know how is paramount for reds.

 

[Apollo]

Size is not a major consideration for red breeders. The focus is on shape and color more than anything else. Same goes for gold. Inbreeding and also breeding at a very early age could also have contributed. The pic shared is a green aro and from many many years ago. Buyers nowadays want to see very rich red color from reds as small as 8". However maintaining the color in a hobbyist environment is another thing all together. Patience and a bit of luck as well as know how is paramount for reds.

Yeah selective breeding is a powerful tool.
Look at the dogs, they come in different shapes and sizes, due to selective breeding.
When it comes to red aros, as you said shape and colour were given the utmost importance.
Regarding the picture, I know its a green arowana (I mentioned it in my post too). I just showed it for its thickness and broadness.
Here is a nice pic of a Red arowana.

 

[Chaos32]

In order to maximise returns, most farms breed their aros at as soon as they reach sexual maturity and can be very indiscriminate in doing so. 30 over years ago, gold aros do not look like those seen today for example. Also, recent trend is to claim the aros are F1 wild stock which many newbies fall for but is the typical BS some sellers are using as selling tactics. There are still aros that will grow very big but would take time. I have had a goldie grow to about 28" or so and during its later stage even attain xbelly but it's uncommon and sadly died recently at the age of 16 years.