Aro in a 8x2x2?

[dmopar74]

dude thats like saying life in prison will make you happier because your fed twice a day and have a place to sleep, what a croc. you cant take a wild species and expect it to grow to its greatest potential everytime in captivity because it doesnt have to. in the wild "only the strong survive" and the big fish have learned to thrive. how many times have you even seen huge aro's in captivity leap out of the water 4 feet to eat a bug off of a tree limb? thats naturual to them, not swimming in even a 50 foot tank but almost endless miles of river. animals and fish have an awesome ability to adapt to their surroundings to a certain extent, but nature is where they truely thrive. why be the big fish in a small pond if you dont have to? if theres no need to leap out of the water 4 feet or whatever to survive on bugs, then why get long & strong? this could all be b.s. to everyone else but its my own opinion.

p.s. could an aro live in a 240 for life?-yes, should it?-no

 

[Sunpoe]

I don't think a human analogy works well with fish, but I do see your point. I would think it be more reasonable to compare the lives of our fish to captive zoo animals. And if I am not mistaken the animals in these facilities are expected to reach their maximum grow potential ( I do agree that there is variation within the species). If they don't reach these figures I would assume that the staff would try to analyze and come up with potential solutions to these problems.

An organisms growth potential is defined within the genetics of the animal, whether or not the animal performs the same activities in captive conditions should not hinder the growth potential of the organism. As long as the the animal has sufficient space, enough food and and a healthy environment the animal should grow to its genetic potential. At least from my understanding.

Whether an arowana or any other animal is happy to be in captive conditions is beyond me. I don't really know if I could say they are happy in the wild either though. Its a very debatable subject.

Thanks for the input.

 

[ethnics]

atleast in captive, they dont have to hunt for food, worry about being hunted. we spend loads of cash keeping them stuffed. feeding them a large variety and takin care of them for years n years. i dont like comparing our aquariums to public locations. we dont have the money they do, they build huge tanks with unlimited expenses. were normal people who do our best and thats all we can give. i'd rather have a silver aro in a 240gal for life, then sit at an lfs in a 30gal waitin for someone with a 240gal to pick it up, or someone with a larger tank to pick it up.

 

[Sunpoe]

atleast in captive, they dont have to hunt for food, worry about being hunted. we spend loads of cash keeping them stuffed. feeding them a large variety and takin care of them for years n years. i dont like comparing our aquariums to public locations. we dont have the money they do, they build huge tanks with unlimited expenses. were normal people who do our best and thats all we can give. i'd rather have a silver aro in a 240gal for life, then sit at an lfs in a 30gal waitin for someone with a 240gal to pick it up, or someone with a larger tank to pick it up.

If you can't afford big tanks you shouldn't buy big fish. Money should never be an excuse. There are plenty of fish you can buy that have far less demanding care requirements.

 

[neonmadness]

if you think a fish that can get to 4'(more likely 40"+) will thrive in a 2' wide tank go ahead, it's up to you. Why not get a black aro? They only get to 3'(but more likely 30"+) and could do great in that tank.

how many 4ft aros have you seen in your generation? not heard of hitting that big, or so n so said this place has one. how many 4ft aros have you seen in your generation?

ive seen a couple around 4' and many over 3'.

 

[Mentzer]

The absolute MINIMUM would be a 7'L x 3'W x 2' D, ideally longer.
Your gallonage and 8' length are great but the CONFIGURATION of that gallonage is not ideal. Growth rate? I have a friend who, providing optimum conditions and diet, had a 6" silver reach 24" in 18 months. I presume all the people who have alluded to your 2' tank width being fine long term have never seen your species hideously deformed, curvature of the spine, from being imprisoned in a tank that's not wide enough. I have, it's terrible. Perhaps S.jardini would be better if you can't go 36" wide.

 

[ethnics]

in the end. its always up to the owner. if he decides to keep it in a 18" wide tank for 10 years. he's gonna do so no matter what we say. i kept mine in a 150 for 3 years and he's alive and kickin but now livin in a bigger tank. money isn't an issue to me when it comes to my fish, but others money can be an issue. my neighbor keeps his 30" aro in a 70gal tank and its still in there. i go over there every few days jus to check on it and its doing fine. no weird deformity, no uglyness, no odd stuff. it even looks better then my 2fter quality wise. 1k gallon tank is always better. mine wont see a tank bigger then what its currently in. as a fish keeper, thats my choice.