Foods For Aros
Since theres a new thread on what aros should eat almost everyday, I decided to just write this up. It will have the foods that you should and should not feed with reasons as to why and why not. This will only list the most common foods. There are many other foods that you can feed, but this is the basics.
First off, this is for ALL aros, so don't ask if silvers or blacks or aussies or asians need something different. This will be for 3 sizes, baby, medium sized, and the big boys.
Remember, the key to a good diet is variety and freshness, no food has all the needed nutrients, thus you need to mix it up to maintain and healthy diet, which spoiled food is never a good thing.
Foods you should not feed:
feeders- No nutrition, too many risks, too expensive, depletes B1 vitamins during digestion.
Mamalian Meat- Some people like to feed their aros beefheart and mice. This can be done, but that doesn't mean its good. Fish digestive systems are different that other animals, they do not digest mamalian meats well and repeated feedings of mamalian meats can cuase internal problems.
Live foods- There are too many risks with live foods, parasites, diseases, you name it.
Bugs*- Bugs are a special case, they can be fed, but I added it to this list to say that you should only feed farmed insects. Other insects can be contaminated with pesticides which can potentially kill your fish. Even if you find a couple cockroaches in your house, its usually not a smart idea to feed them as you do not know where they have been.
*Some people feed these things, so I am not telling you that you can't, but rather recommending that you don't, whether you listen or not is up to you*
Baby Aros
Freeze Dried Plankton- This is like minature krill for small aros. This contains alot of karotene which is good for colour and it also floats so its easier for aros to start eating. Remmeber to break off the pointy parts.
Freeze Dried Bloodworms- Freeze dried bloodworms is very nutritious. It is also usually accepted right off the bat so you can use it to get your new baby aros to start eating. This also floats, thus it is easier for baby aros to eat.
Baby Crickets- Aros can almost never resist crickets. They contain no nutrients by themselves so make sure you feed them carrots before you feed the crickets to your aro. Make sure they are BABY crickets as the regular crickets will have a harder exoskeleton and will be too big for the baby aros.
Hikari Aro Foodsticks (broken into smaller peices)- If your baby aro is eating well, it might be time to introduce one of its staple foods, foodsticks/pellets. As long as you break up the pellet/foodstick, it will be fine for your aro. This isn't just for hikari aro foodsticks, this applies with all pellets/food sticks (ie.Tropical Cichlid arowana sticks) but it is just an example as this is very well known.
Market Shrimp (deshelled, defrosted and cut small)- Market shrimp can also be fed to aros at this size. Make sure you remove the shell and defrost fully, as frozen foods can do harm to aros. Cut it really small, small enough for it to fit in an aro's mouth.
Flake- High quality flake can also be fed to baby aros, but should not be fed as they grow as this is not something that could fill up a bigger aro. (thanks to Bderick67 for the tip)
Medium Aros
*Everything in the "Baby Aros" section can be fed*
Hikari Aro Food sticks- At this size, your aro is able to eat full sticks. This should be a staple food. Do not only feed this though, it is best to have variety. Again, this applies to other pellets as well, not just Hikari. Hikari is just an example, this can be applied to all other pellets.
Market Shrimp- Market shrimp now can be fed in bigger peices, usually whole shrimps can be fed when they are deshelled with the tail removed. I personally feed with shell on as the shell contains most if not all the karotene, thus cutting it up into smaller peices is needed. Either way is fine. (WARNING: Feeding the tail has been known to puncture stomachs of aros, so only do it if you feel safe, I wont take responsibility for it.)
Crickets- There is really no need for this anymore and really doesn't need to be part of an aro's diet, but if your aro is sick or has lost its appetite, this is a great food to get them eating again. Again, feed crickets carrots before feeding them to aros.
Mealworms- Mealworms contain alot of karotenoids, like karotene that will boost colours on an aro. Feeding this can be very beneficial.
Fillets- Some people (me included) like to feed their arowana letfover fillets. This is perfectly fine as long as you know 100% that the fillets are fresh. This should not be a staple though, once in a while is good.
Freeze Dried Krill- This is the bigger version of freeze dried krill. All that orange you see is all beneficial karotene that will benefit your aro's colour. Remember to break off sharp points as it has been sceen that sharp peices can puncture stomachs and kill aros.
Mussels, Oysters, kockles- Mussels, oysters, and kockles are all fine tof feed. Shouldn't really be used as a staple though.
Anchovies- Anchovies are high in salt and is very beneficial to the aro's digestive system. This should not be fed too much as salt is very bad is there is too much, but a little bit will clean out their digestive system. (Thanks to Frank for the idea.)
Bloodworms- There is no longer a need for freeze dried bloodworms so you can feed thawed cubed bloodworms. Not recommended that you feed live bloodworms as they can transmit parasites. Also not really necessary in a staple, but thats up to you.
Nightcrawlers- Not the best things you can feed your aros, but it definitely doesn't do any harm. Nightcrawlers eat through the ground and collect minerals as they eat decaying matter. The minerals can benefit fish alot.
Big Aros
*Everything in the "Medium Aros" section can be fed*
Market Shrimp- Your aro should now be able to eat full shrimp with no problems. If you feel comfortable, you can just thaw them and feed them without deshelling or taking off the tail, but again, it has been known that aros die from sharp peices of shrimp tail.
Frogs- Frogs can be fed even at the average size but MIGHT be too big so I added it in the big size. Make sure the frogs you are feeding are not poisonous.
So to end it off, to give you a general idea of a feeding schedule it is only fair that I post my own personal one.
So here it is:
1.
Hikari: aro food sticks, carnivore, massivore, cichlid gold- contains most if not all necessary nutrients for an aro
2.
Market prawns- whole with shell for big aros, cut up with shell for smaller aros. Shell on for karotene= better colour.
3.
Mealworms- for carotanoids again for better colour.
4.
Crickets (very rare)- Only used as a treat if an aro is sick or won't eat. Always fed carrots before feeding to aro.
5.
Anchovies- Becuase of their high salt content, it is good for a fish's digestive system. But also becuase its high in both salt and fat, I only feed this once every 2 weeks.
6.
Krill- I usually don't have krill but whenever I feed like getting some, i will feed it. Also packed full of karotene which is good for colour.
7.
Everything else- Ocaisonally, I will have left over fish fillets, mussels, and sometimes oyster.
To conclude, heres some
Words of Wisdom from other experience arowana keepers.
Importance of Variety
Quote:
Originally Posted by Boydo
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I am a firm believer that variety is best. Every feeding night( every other night for me) they get something different....I rotate through a variety of food. This way there is no favourites, and a surprise every time
. This is what I fed my fatty's:
Whole gutted trout(steelhead, rainbow), salmon( Pink, Atlantic, or whats on sale), this is cut up into small cubes - less the spine and fins, but the skin and small softer bones stay. Smelts and mackerel whole thing cut into smaller pieces guts included. Fillets of pike, walleye, catfish, tuna, tipilia, snapper, etc....cubed up. I also will feed well trimmed pork and chicken breast, mealworms(dead), prawns and shrimp tails and heads removed. After I go fish food shopping I wash everything very well and cut and cube, I then put meal size portions into ziplocks and freeze until needed, thawing out at room temp. At feeding time I'll use a steak knife I open a pocket on each piece and insert New Life Spectrum pellets 6mm thera A or wafers.
As you see, Boydo has a huge variety of foods. Something like this will guarantee that your aro gets everything it needs.
Importance of Freshness
Quote:
Originally Posted by AU_Arowana-RG
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Back at 02, I had a nice 11 inch Silver Arowana that was growing well and behaving normally. This, however, only lasted about 6-9 months? Why? It died unexpectedly. I was caught up in grief over losing it that I didn't try to think on how it died. I was a 11 year old kid back then. And now, as I recall from before it died, it was fed with tuna sashimi that was LEFTOVER from the previous night's dinner. And after verifying it here, it must have been the sashimi that killed the Aro. This happened before back in 2000 or 1999 (Sorry, forgot the exacts) with two Silver Aros my mom kept. They were fed Sashimi and died shortly after.
Always feed fresh foods as foods that are not fresh can lead to sickness or in this case, death of an aro. Tuna sashimi is just the food used in this case, but this goes for everything, fresh shrimp, fresh mealworms, fresh pellets, etc...
