I will be setting up a 500 gallon soon and I want to get silvers. These are generally to expensive so I would rather raise them myself. Should I buy 1 to 2 inch fish and start them in a 55 gallon or would I be better off buying them at 3 or 4 inches and put them directly in the 500 gallon? The big tank would give them plenty of room to move but will a tank that big make it hard for them to find their food? Does any one have experience growing baby silvers to 4 foot or more?
Tank to grow massive silver arrowanas
- Thread starter Tien
- Start date
I personally love to keep really baby fishes and grow them up myself, it's the satisfaction at the end of the day when they're 2 foot monsters and you're sitting on your couch watching them swim. 55g for 1-2" specimens is still a bit off in my opinion. I'd keep 3-4" Silvers in a 20g until they're about 6-8" before throwing them into the 55g. Makes growing up much easier as finding food wouldn't be a problem.
I know a lot of people here will school u about tank size but for small aro I would put it is small tank when my arowas like 5 inch I house him in 20g long syle tank with dinky ac20 and I house him with 2 bichirs too!! Now the grown up twice the size and will not stop growing anytime soon so is my tank.
10 or 20 gallon to start them out. then move them to the 55 when they ahave some size on them. Feed live brine shrimp live blackworms and then get them on to freezedried foods once they start bulking up and eating good
i don't think they will have a problem finding food i am pretty sure their natural habitat is a little bit more than 500gal and they have been living there for a long time so i don't see why u could not put them in the big tank unless somebody else in there would snack on them
Tien;4976333; said:
tien, hi.. how many silvers do you want to buy? its usually better to get them at the 4"+ mark as they are more stable.. an aro community with jus 2 aros could be a hit or a miss.. it has worked for some people and not so for others.. assuming you will introduce them into a cycled 500 gallon tank it shouldnt be a problem.. but if you are in a hurry put them in a smaller tank for now and then move em to the larger one when cycling is done.. like someone else said i dont think they will not have trouble finding food as they come from a river system.. i've 4 silvers and i've had them all from 4"(except the first aro.. was around 6" when i got her).. now 3 are around 24" and one around 20".. i dont know about 4 foot.. but i hope(more of dream) they'd hit that size.. all the best cheers..
But anyday.. a pond or such is better than a tank if you can afford to spend the time and money and space on one 