Please help me set up for an Aba aba

[yangcliu]

Hi guys,

It's been awhile since I visited MFK, I just got busy and haven't had the time for the hobby.

The only fish I owned was a silver Arowana that grew to 23 inches and I had it in a 200g tank with fluval 5.

I was wondering if any experienced owners could help me set up an entirely new tank for an Aba aba, a fish I've been meaning to get but haven't gotten around to it.

I had a 50g tank, but I also have a 100g. The thing is, I'm hoping to put the 3 inch (the size I'm looking to buy the Aba at) in the 50inch for awhile until I move into my new apartment in the summer (so I can transfer it to my 100g). I'm not very experienced at all with fish other than goldfish and raising 1 arowana.. so I have many questions.

Will 50G work for a few months?
What filters should I buy? Is the fluval good enough/too powerful? What is a smaller/cheaper alternative until the 100gallon tank?
What's the best way to manage the temperature that the Aba needs?
What do you guys do to test/maintain the pH level of the water?
-Anything else I'm missing?

Oh and.. I live in Michigan and the closest to me is Fantastic Fins, which I'm not very sure carries the Aba aba, so I was thinking of buying from Aquascape. Are there any other alternatives?


Thank you very much guys.

 

[tanharold]

A 50g will only do for a short time. They grow really fast. It should be kept alone. Do water changes like 20% a day or every other day. I'm not sure with the temp. because I depend on the temp of our country and the water if I'm not mistaken must be pretty soft. I don't check mine that much. I think you must get an aba aba at a size of 6" because they are more not insensitive to water ph. I surely miss mine. Good luck.

 

[MonsterMinis]

Start with fully cycled planted tank. doesn't have to be anything spectacular a few swords and some crypts in a low-light set-up would do. add a few peice of driftwood for hideing spots... and dump blackworms into the substrate... I would also get a few dozen feeder guppies.. let the tank cycle compleately before adding the baby... keep your nitrates below 20ppm.. I did 25%ish WCs from the top of my 20H daily for the first few weeks, being air breathers imo this is vital to keep any build-up on the surface at a minimum. Once the guppies start dissapearing repleanish as needed. the key ime is the live blackworms ot get them started then guppies... once feeding and well adjusted you can try switching to frozen or pelleted foods. They grow Fast. they will hit 14-18" the first year. I also keep the tank in the high 70's low 80's. You also want a high turn-over rate but not to much flow. I used a penguin 200 on my 20H on one side so the other had a few "dead" spots. The 50 will be fine the first year, with routine water changes. My guy i still in a 40breeder and I do 50% 2x a week now.. once they hit 8"-10" they are pretty tough.