Starting my research need aero help

[Cliff.W.]

The only thing I am planning on having in the tank will be the aro and some type of catfish like a synodontis or something no bigger then 8"

Yah I think your tank will be more than fine =) Dont forget to post pictures once its all up and running.

 

[Cliff.W.]

Arowana, all species, need to be kept in a tank that has a length at least 3x the aro's length and a width/depth at least equal to the aro's length.

A 4 foot tank is only good for a 16"er, maybe stretch to a 18" aro.

Aro's dont 'Need' but it is regarded as 'Best Recommended and Best for its health' for the aro to be in a tank that is 3x the aro's length. Aro's won't die just cause their in a tank that is instead 2x its length and not 3x. IF the tank was 1x the aro's length? then yes the Aro would "need" a bigger living environment. Or sometimes not even cause I see all these Aro's at LFS in a tank thats split in 2 and they barely have any swimming space but yet they are in those tanks permanently until they even furthur out grow the tank or get sold. Which can take a months cause i always see the same fish every week. Now I would totally say that those Aro's at the LFS "Need" to be in a bigger tank.

The 3x length is a good rule to follow I agree. I still regret buying the 75g in the first place when I shoulda just went out and got the full shabang 180g or 200g. Then I wouldn't have this issue right now... ugh... oh well... whats done is done. Gonna wait until my RTG outgrows the 75g.

 

[Bderick67]

Whatever you need to tell yourself to feel like your not doing the arowana wrong. 1x or 2x they are both too small, you have to draw the line at a minimum somewhere. Funny by ratio of fish lenth to tank length most bettas are kept in bigger tanks then arowana, very sad. If ya can't afford the proper tank then recomend finding a different fish to keep.

Thanks for the replys. Yes I am in texas and I am probably just going to go with a silver.

My tank set up right now is a 6ft long 125 with small gravel substrate. For filtration I have 2 aqua clear 110's that are hooked up to an undergravel system (to lazy to take the under gravel out.) For flow I have 3 maxi jet 12's and one korila 4.

do you think I will need a better filtration setup? The tank has been established for 8 years but was moved about 1 year ago.

You 125g will house a silver aro upto abround 18-20" long. With the growth rate of an average silver your tank will be too small within a year.

 

[Madding]

Wow I'm surprised so many people here are telling someone that a 125 gallon is fine for a Silver... that is so clearly untrue and everybody who's kept Aro's knows it.

 

[Cliff.W.]

If ya can't afford the proper tank then recomend finding a different fish to keep.

that's a low blow just to keep ur ego up. Is that necessary? since I already mentioned that I regret buying the 75g and saving funds for the future upgrade?

 

[Bderick67]

that's a low blow just to keep ur ego up. Is that necessary? since I already mentioned that I regret buying the 75g and saving funds for the future upgrade?

It is what it is.

 

[Gshock]

Cliff you should keep your own advice in mind then. Next time you're looking for a house, might as well head to home depot and get yourself one of those garden sheds. It'll save you thousands of dollars. Like you said, its not like you NEED the extra space in the house. Im sure you wont DIE from the shed.

 

[aidenb]

that's a low blow just to keep ur ego up. Is that necessary? since I already mentioned that I regret buying the 75g and saving funds for the future upgrade?

Not really a low blow, it's completely logical, if you can not afford to keep and aro properly find something Else cool that you can keep. I'll admit, some of us aro keepers are quite well off financially but that's what allows us to have these setups, and even if your not save up first and then get the fish.

 

[Gator]

-1 for a silver in that tank. silver will get 16"+ within a year easily, if you cant house the fish properly dont get it. Cliff stop with the bad advise already.

 

[jclyde13]

This is what i have and do for my 11" RTG aro...

Tank:
I have a 75 gallon dimension 48" x 20" x 24" I believe my RTG would last about a year or so in this tank cause my RTG would probably be 24inches(low assumption, 1 inch a month growth rate). And being 24" in length it would have trouble making turns inside a tank thats only 20" in width. So when the time comes I'm going to upgrade probably to a 180g or 200g tank with dimensions most likely 72" x 36" x 24".

Water:
I just do 1 x 25-30%wc/week changes adding only a little salt once in a while. I net out debris inside tank every day or when i see.

Food:
My RTG gets fed pellets, silverslides, krill, and its favorite Meal Worms! My RTG can probably chow down 20 worms if I ever throw that many in there at once. But With my mealworms I feed the worms carrots for carotene (enhances color) so the nutrients will transfer to my RTG.


Hope this helps your research....

Other things I have in the tank:

Power Pump- My RTG seems to love swimming against the current.
Bubble Disk- Some people say aros dont like bubbles? Well my RTG loves to swim over bubble disk.

You are about 70-90 gallons off, a 6x3x2 is about 270 gallons, and like the others said, a 125 is only good for an aro under 24 inches. A 6x2x2 is the absolute minimum fo an adult aro (though many say that a 240-300 gallon is required).