New to arowanas, looking for suggestions!

[giants17]

Hey everyone I just recently joined MFK but I've been keeping fish for about 14 years now. I live in Massachusetts and I've owned everything from cichlids to wolffish but have always envied arowanas. I recently just acquired a 210G fish tank and I am looking to fill it, aiming for my first arowana but I want to do it the right way. So I am looking for any suggestions anyone could provide about this fish etc. I've read through other threads and any web information I could find but was hoping for some input from people who have owned one and any advice they could share. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Bazinga]

Hey everyone I just recently joined MFK but I've been keeping fish for about 14 years now. I live in Massachusetts and I've owned everything from cichlids to wolffish but have always envied arowanas. I recently just acquired a 210G fish tank and I am looking to fill it, aiming for my first arowana but I want to do it the right way. So I am looking for any suggestions anyone could provide about this fish etc. I've read through other threads and any web information I could find but was hoping for some input from people who have owned one and any advice they could share. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

all i can say is put good weight on your lid and dont feed it feeders.

 

[giants17]

all i can say is put good weight on your lid and dont feed it feeders.

I definitely have heard some horror stories about them jumping out anywhere they can, thanks for the input though I appreciate it. Is there any arowana you would recommend over another?

 

[gavigan1]

Aro's are my favorite fish! If I could have only 1 fish or 1 tank it would have aro. Here are some random thoughts, opinions and lessons learned.... Small aros get sucked into overflows and have difficulty finding food in a large tank. I use gutter gaurd zip tied around overflow boxes. They are a bit delicate when small so I recommend medium sized rather than a small. Stay away from Aros with egg sacks unless you have a dedicated tank and time to raise them up. If you get a small one keep some guppies in the tank and get them on soaked krill then eliminate feeders. Silvers will get drop eye, so I prefer blacks(since asians are illegal). Aros get spooked easy and jump. I use a enclosed canopy with 12 in of hieght to avoid head injuries. If you use standard aquarium lids or canopies be sure doors are secure so you aro doesnt wind up on the floor. Choose tank mates wisely. No fin nippers or aggressive tank mates when the aro is small. Remember they eventual will eat most any fish that fit in thier mouths. For the most part they dont get along with each other and get quite big so I would recommend only 1 for your current tank. They spend most thier time at the top, dont care much for current and enjoy pleanty of swimming room. Hope this helps. BUMP for the best freshwater fish out there(Im bias though).

 

[giants17]

Aro's are my favorite fish! If I could have only 1 fish or 1 tank it would have aro. Here are some random thoughts, opinions and lessons learned.... Small aros get sucked into overflows and have difficulty finding food in a large tank. I use gutter gaurd zip tied around overflow boxes. They are a bit delicate when small so I recommend medium sized rather than a small. Stay away from Aros with egg sacks unless you have a dedicated tank and time to raise them up. If you get a small one keep some guppies in the tank and get them on soaked krill then eliminate feeders. Silvers will get drop eye, so I prefer blacks(since asians are illegal). Aros get spooked easy and jump. I use a enclosed canopy with 12 in of hieght to avoid head injuries. If you use standard aquarium lids or canopies be sure doors are secure so you aro doesnt wind up on the floor. Choose tank mates wisely. No fin nippers or aggressive tank mates when the aro is small. Remember they eventual will eat most any fish that fit in thier mouths. For the most part they dont get along with each other and get quite big so I would recommend only 1 for your current tank. They spend most thier time at the top, dont care much for current and enjoy pleanty of swimming room. Hope this helps. BUMP for the best freshwater fish out there(Im bias though).

That's some awesome advice I'll certainly keep in mind. I'm definitely considering getting a black over a silver now as well. I heard that some cats can be kept with them is this true?

 

[ilovearowana]

I raise arowana!! hehe a silver, Jardini



Tips,,, hmm since u have raised fish for 14 years wow.

Arowana hmmm dont over feed it.
Yah never feed them guppies ,feeders.
Well they basically love to eat Live shrimp from markets. Also Arowana is really picky with food. Becareful what you feed them. For example, like live shrimp from the market. I feed him a week of shrimp and switched back to regular pallets they stopped eating for about 4-5 days. After that they started to eat again.

Well personal experience i keep arowana with Blood parrots make sure you have at least more than 8 blood parrots with 1-3 arowana, or discus fish and others which i am not familiar with keeping them together.

oh yah i also raised Flowerhorns. Kamfa.

 

[ilovearowana]

red tail are nice with silver arowana. But cats are waay too big.. they can grow about 22 inch.

 

[giants17]

red tail are nice with silver arowana. But cats are waay too big.. they can grow about 22 inch.

Yeah I understand that some species get really large but also know that others (raphael catfish) don't get nearly as big. But I guess I'll scratch that off the list for possible tankmates. Any suggestions?

 

[ilovearowana]

thats not true because it also depends on your tank.

 

[giants17]

I raise arowana!! hehe a silver, Jardini



Tips,,, hmm since u have raised fish for 14 years wow.

Arowana hmmm dont over feed it.
Yah never feed them guppies ,feeders.
Well they basically love to eat Live shrimp from markets. Also Arowana is really picky with food. Becareful what you feed them. For example, like live shrimp from the market. I feed him a week of shrimp and switched back to regular pallets they stopped eating for about 4-5 days. After that they started to eat again.

Well personal experience i keep arowana with Blood parrots make sure you have at least more than 8 blood parrots with 1-3 arowana, or discus fish and others which i am not familiar with keeping them together.

oh yah i also raised Flowerhorns. Kamfa.

I remember reading that somewhere, what would you recommend feeding them?

That's awesome though I've raised flowerhorns as well!