Shocking Tank.....

[thecoolguy]

ok, so i visited a fellow aro guy here in china that i met at a local lfs.....and what i saw was quite amazing...and wanted some critical opinions.....

so, i will just describe his setup and his practices.....

he has been raising aros for 4-5 years (mainly silvers) and keeps them up to 15-18inches in a 20GAL......

he only keeps 1 in the 20gal, and tells me that he usually moves them out at 18-19" into large comm tanks or sells them.....he has about 4-5 of these small tanks.....

filtration - each 20gal runs a cannister and a OHF with about 4-5 separate trays/compartments -- water was crystal clear

fish seem healthy, growing fine, no hunch backs.....

his water change schedule: 30% every other day -- he vacs out all poop each day (sometimes twice)

i was kind of shocked at this situation, but given i just met the guy, didn't want to lecture him on tank size given i just started in the fish hobby......so what is the deal here?

should i tell this guy he has gotta stop or what? i wish i had pics, but i don't carry my camera around all the time....next time for sure....

 

[StiffMeister]

many asians have a different view on stocking tanks (not negative about asians here...). Ofc 20 gallon for such an aro is way too small but if he keeps the fish happy, what is there to say...

 

[ethnics]

u have no room to say anything. he's beein doin it for 5 years n aint gonna change his ways now, especially after he's been doin it with the same results every time.

im not surprised in any way that u just mentioned an asian dude keeping a big ass aro in a 20gal lol

 

[Miguel]

I fully agree with Ethnics!!! We westerners cannot pretend to lecture the whole bloody world! Acknowledge that he invited you to his place ( which, in China, is not a given ) and learn to observe other cultures.

I am sorry if i am being too personal, but we really should stop, ALL OF US, our permanent lecturing posture.....

 

[cichlaguapote]

I think most of us see something wrong with that and wouldn't condone it but some people as ethics said have different views. He probably found the cut-off point for how big you can grow an arow in a 20g before stunting/bad things start to occur.

I would not try it but you'll never change someone else's views when they don't want to change.

 

[tonymofo]

I fully agree with Ethnics!!! We westerners cannot pretend to lecture the whole bloody world! Acknowledge that he invited you to his place ( which, in China, is not a given ) and learn to observe other cultures.

I am sorry if i am being too personal, but we really should stop, ALL OF US, our permanent lecturing posture.....

That's what I like to see people being opened minded, If people thought like this maybe we all can get a little further in life!!!!

 

[santoury]

Hey
My first reaction is that the poor fish don't really have room to swim, but does that make the fish unhealthy, or unhappy? I don't think so. If you have a good rapport with your pet, and gives it what it needs, and spend time with it, etc - that's gonna make the pet happy.
And this guy clearly does care about his arowanas - he simply doesn't give them much space at all.
I would much rather be loved, in a 20 gallon tank (Yeah, if we could fit!) than be in a 20 gallon tank, unloved. Or a 150 gallon tank unloved.
Come to think of it, in a dorm room, each person has roughly 6x20 feet of space.
So, like the others are saying, I think open-mindedness is good as long as the fish are happy and healthy, and they are.

 

[tonymofo]

Hey
My first reaction is that the poor fish don't really have room to swim, but does that make the fish unhealthy, or unhappy? I don't think so. If you have a good rapport with your pet, and gives it what it needs, and spend time with it, etc - that's gonna make the pet happy.
And this guy clearly does care about his arowanas - he simply doesn't give them much space at all.
I would much rather be loved, in a 20 gallon tank (Yeah, if we could fit!) than be in a 20 gallon tank, unloved. Or a 150 gallon tank unloved.
Come to think of it, in a dorm room, each person has roughly 6x20 feet of space.
So, like the others are saying, I think open-mindedness is good as long as the fish are happy and healthy, and they are.

Yes like a dorm room. when the Aros graduate they are ready for the real world or bigger tank or new owner!

 

[thecoolguy]

thanks for the input guys......

i will definitely refrain from saying anything, and probably just learn!

besides the fact that it was shocking, it was still pretty amazing, the fish were like his children - and i must say, i don't know that much about aro's yet, but these fish seemed healthy and happy.....

open mindedness is a great thing -

 

[Crustman]

They might not have enough space in their small apartments in a huge city like Hong Kong or another Metropolis. There was something on the internet about 200 or so Japanese being scammed and were sold sheep instead of poodles that they wanted for their small apartments. Even with a fairly large house, the largest tank I can have is 120 gallons but my silver is growing too large too quickly. I feed him shrimp and scallops every day.