New Silver Arowana Care

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I'll be sure to keep the water temperatures and parameters as close as possible.

I had done some research on these fish before purchasing this arowana, but it seems that just reading the stickies was inadequate. I had previously read that a silver arowana and SAL combination would work, and I never found anything about having to worry about a small arowana getting eaten by a much larger SAL...

I've always gone with the step-up method for growing out fish in order to prevent stunting and avoid the fish being unable to navigate/find food easily, but I guess my previous experiences aren't going to help too much with this little fish.

If I need to divide any of the aquariums, then I'll be sure to make sure that the arowana can't jump over the divider.
 
Wiggles92;4820137; said:
I'll be sure to keep the water temperatures and parameters as close as possible.

I had done some research on these fish before purchasing this arowana, but it seems that just reading the stickies was inadequate. I had previously read that a silver arowana and SAL combination would work, and I never found anything about having to worry about a small arowana getting eaten by a much larger SAL...

I've always gone with the step-up method for growing out fish in order to prevent stunting and avoid the fish being unable to navigate/find food easily, but I guess my previous experiences aren't going to help too much with this little fish.

If I need to divide any of the aquariums, then I'll be sure to make sure that the arowana can't jump over the divider.
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common sense would tell you that a larger fish would eat a smaller fish. more so when said fish is an opertunistic feeder.

listen...dividers wont work. i put them to the top of the hood and they still got around some how. i have lost a few aros due to this. belive me for the aros sake.
 
Yes, I guess common sense would dictate that the SAL would try to eat the arowana. I think I was just fooled by its seemingly docile nature (this one enjoys being pet and doesn't try to eat my fingers) and lack of interest in any other fish (the other fish just casually swim by and do not fear it and vice versa), but I guess it's a good thing that I haven't tried to mix them yet.

I will not attempt to install a divider then; I'll still make it my goal to find alternative housing for the SAL so that the arowana can live in the 55 gallon by itself until it reaches a reasonable size.
 
Wiggles92;4820163; said:
Yes, I guess common sense would dictate that the SAL would try to eat the arowana. I think I was just fooled by its seemingly docile nature (this one enjoys being pet and doesn't try to eat my fingers) and lack of interest in any other fish (the other fish just casually swim by and do not fear it and vice versa), but I guess it's a good thing that I haven't tried to mix them yet.

I will not attempt to install a divider then; I'll still make it my goal to find alternative housing for the SAL so that the arowana can live in the 55 gallon by itself until it reaches a reasonable size.
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my sal will nip other fish if they are resting by it. young aros will rest sometimes, more so when they still have their egg sacks. just tring to save the fish and you the loss.

you just seem way to defensive when the people you asked for advise from give it to you and it isn't what you want to hear. listen to the people that have been in your spot before and made some mistakes. learn from them so you don't make the same ones all over.
 
Okay, I'll be sure to keep them separate for a long time then.

I'm sorry about coming across as defensive. My main problem was coming to terms with not being able to keep the arowana and SAL together until much later than expected rather than waiting for the arowana to grow a few more inches. It had taken me a while to find the SAL, so I wasn't please with the notion of having to possibly get rid of it in order to keep the arowana, but I now realize that it will be much easier to keep the SAL in alternative housing rather than the much more fragile arowana.

ADDITION: I have plans for all of these fish; I knew what I was getting into when I purchased them. All of these fish will have larger housing before the end of the summer with the arowana being given priority for getting a larger aquarium first. The arowana will be moved to an indoor pond of sorts when I get home from college over Spring Break; from what I've read in the stickies, that will last it for a much longer time than the 55 gallon. I also will be starting a larger indoor pond for it and the SAL (provided they can get along when the arowana is much bigger) around that time, too. I'm going to be building larger aquariums for the WALs over the summer, so they'll be set for life when I'm done.
 
Well, now I'm quite baffled: the silver arowana doesn't seem to be doing too good; I don't know how much longer it's going to last. It was swimming around and eating just fine last night before I went to bed, but it was laying on the bottom this morning and wasn't swimming very well.

I don't understand why it's not doing good because I did do exactly what I was told to do: move it into the 55 gallon by itself, keep the temperature in the low 80's, feed it multiple times each day, and did 15% water changes every other day (and made sure to match the water temperature and parameters, too).

Did I screw something up or was there probably a preexisting problem with it?
 
How long has it been in the 55g by itself? How long has it been eating good in the 55g? Arowana are strange sometimes, better to judge there behavior over a few days. Also there is a possibility that it jumped and injured itself during the night, just check all you water params and give it sometime.
 
Bderick67;4840083; said:
How long has it been in the 55g by itself? How long has it been eating good in the 55g? Arowana are strange sometimes, better to judge there behavior over a few days. Also there is a possibility that it jumped and injured itself during the night, just check all you water params and give it sometime.
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It's been in there since Monday. I relocated all of the other fish (SAL and catfish) and did a 25% water change before adding the arowana. It started eating within a few hours of being in the 55 gallon. Water parameters are fine; no ammonia or nitrites, nitrate is around 10 ppm.

I didn't think about the possibility of it jumping and injuring itself; I'll be sure to keep a close watch over the arowana.
 
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