Big arowana ate small arowana!

Janella_hermosa

Feeder Fish
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Dec 5, 2018
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Good evening, this is my first post and glad to meet you guys. We had this Silver Arowana named Dino for like 4 years and it's 31 to 32 inches by tape measure, my sister bought a new one but with the different color, she said that its Malaysian Green and it is really small it is 4 to 6 inches and put it on Dino's Tank. After a while, it was lost and no it didn't jump. Dino ate it! We're very surprised because we didn't know Arowana will eat the same species. Is it normal? My sister is very sad because it costs more and the seller said that it was okay to mix them so she did. Dino's tank size is 200 gallons. Will Dino die? Is it safe to put Arowana with Arowana?
 

kno4te

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Yes. This can happen. Arowanas have to be same size and check aggression. Tank size etc. The seller was wrong.


General rule, if it can fit in it’s mouth then it will eat it.
 

Backfromthedead

Potamotrygon
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Jul 12, 2017
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No surprises here. A 32" aro will eat anything short of a foot in length. And even then it better be a tough, bulky fish.

Dont trust sellers! Especially in the case of an expensive, large fish. Seller probably wouldve said anything to get the money.

A 200 gallon tank is probably absolute minimum for your aro, but I'll let somebody who has more experience keeping them chime in on tank specs for 2 of them.
 

Janella_hermosa

Feeder Fish
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Dec 5, 2018
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No surprises here. A 32" aro will eat anything short of a foot in length. And even then it better be a tough, bulky fish.

Dont trust sellers! Especially in the case of an expensive, large fish. Seller probably wouldve said anything to get the money.

A 200 gallon tank is probably absolute minimum for your aro, but I'll let somebody who has more experience keeping them chime in on tank specs for 2 of them.
Oh, thanks! Dino is my father's fish but he passed away so we took care of it ever since. We never knew about fish other than feeding it with shrimp and change the water. 200 gallons is the minimum? Omg! I thought it was big for Dino.
 
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Backfromthedead

Potamotrygon
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Jul 12, 2017
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Oh, thanks! Dino is my father's fish but he passed away so we took care of it ever since. We never knew about fish other than feeding it with shrimp and change the water. 200 gallons is the minimum? Omg! I thought it was big for Dino.
I wont tell you what youre doing is wrong or anything, 200 gallons is probably better than what a lot of aros get, but most experienced aro keepers on this site will recommend a minimum 8' long by 3' wide tank to properly keep silver arowanas. I have always wanted one myself, but never had the accomodations. Would like to see some pics of your fish if you get a chance though. Big aros are always favorites around here.
 

narayanang76

Piranha
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Feb 1, 2016
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What is Dino's diet and feeding frequency? Can we see a pic of him?

It's quite natural, his instinct that he ate a small fish in his tank. And it may also be that he was hungry at that time so you can look at his diet more closely and take more care of him. I would give more preference to Dino's care given his association with your dad and his current size and age.. and better not to disturb the setup and leave him like that. And read more about silver Arowana care..
 

thebiggerthebetter

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Dec 31, 2009
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Agree with all the guys are saying above.

IMHO, 500 gal is a minimum size for a 2.5'-3' arowana. But as stated just above, if you are inexperienced, rehoming and upgrading (even if you are able to do it financially and room-wise) can prove dangerous.

Please, don't feed your arowana only shrimp. It will cause it to develop a vitamin B1 deficiency, wither, and die. (Read up on thiaminase.)

The diet better be diverse. Pellets and whole frozen-thawed fish would be the staples and crustaceans like shrimp, insects would be good as treats.

Our silver aros in 4500 gal: https://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/threads/my-silver-arowana-in-4500-gal.688112/#post-7755675
 
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