THE START OF MY AROWANA'S KEEPING HOBBY
This site was created in appreciation to those guys who had created the earlier Arowana's site for people like me, a mediocre, in upbringing these Majestic and Elegant fishes in our Aquarium tank!(Arowana Fish is a Protected Species under CITES!) This will be my turned indeed to furnish with my utmost best in my experiences this far for us to share on how best to rear these creatures from the Jurassic times!
I've started with a Pearl Arowana without knowing a single thing about these fishes and ended up dead! I guessed was due to high Ammonia level!I've started to read and read the whole of the website talking about Arowanas! From there, I've gained my confidence back! Started to buy a 1.5 Red(nicknamed Tuah). This Aro was smart and intelligent after all! He could recognised us the whole family! He would chased us from one corner to a corner to get near to us! The only members of my family that was ignored was my second daughter! No reaction from him(1.5 Red Aro)! As for me he would greeted me by moving his head,together with his body to the left and right! At first I thought he was hungry but that was not the case. Very strange indeed just like a dog which would waggled its tail in front of his master! No problem rearing this 1.5 Red! But to be franked with you, we did talked to our fishes during feeding times! I guessed we should treat them with due respect, tender loving care just like what we human always asking for! I guessed it paid off!
I bought another Arowana, a Red Tailed Golden(nicknamed Merah). Very timid, didn't touched any food for days! I've switched on the lights the whole day, spent everyday a couple of hours, tried to talk and calmed her down! It took about 5 days before she fully settled down! And the results:- Very good appetite and upturned all the decoration plants upside down!!! Very playful indeed!!! No problem too for these RTG this far.....
Well, bought another Arowana, a 1st Grade Chili Red(nicknamed Delima)...some funny incidents though....It was a Friday, raining very heavily, after 2 days of surveying for a 1st Grade Red, finally I step into one of the shop in Woodlands Ave 6 to view the Chili Red for the second time!Frankly speaking, I've fallen for this Chili Red! The LFS was asking for S$1388/-! After some serious bargaining,"die-die" he would asked for S$1100/-! He said "My best price! Cannot less anymore!" I walked away trying to solve my problem.Actually, in my wallet,exactly I have S$1k with me,coupled with some $2 dollars notes! I just can't coughed up any further...! But my desire to own him was strong...I walked in again to his shop, taking out my wallet, I gave him the $S1000/- straight to his hand with those $2 dollars notes! He was startled! I told him, "this is what I've got! You can take this S$1000 plus some of my $2 dollars notes, I must have that fish!" He looked to be very blurred a while and began to speak to his wife in chinese for about couple of minutes. After that he told me "Ok lah! You take it!" I was relieved and actually laughing inside my heart! How daring I am!!! The next day when I told my chinese friend about it, he told me that it was a believed to many chinese that during rainy days when approached by a serious buyer, it would be better for them to sell it, as actually it will bring them good luck!
This Chili Red was giving me a little bit of problem,not his fault though, due to ammonia spike(after testing the water with ammonia test kit,) he refused to eat and looked sick! Immediately, I change the water 40%, re-do back my canister setting. I was using the Fluval 403 external filters for my Chili Red and RTG while my 1.5, the Fluval 404. The bottom canister I've made used of the ceramics pre-filter(bought myself), the middle with a Bio-max ceramics(supplied by Fluval)and the top canister with a Standard supplied sponges for mechanical filtration. I've added water conditioner against chlorine, added 3x the volume of "cycle" bacteria solution and also added some "Kordon" ammonia/toxic remover plus a little bit of salt. Within minutes, the conditon of the water turned normal. Checked after 3 and 7 days still very normal and safe! Phewww!!! My advice:- Invest in these external filters,whatever model and make, if you can afford it as the Biological system would be more efficient to guarantee a healthy fishes!
Routinely, I would changed 25% of water once a week, even if the condition of the water was normal. So far my fishes were healthy, no diseases, very active and playful indeed!
The type of food that I've fed them were small frogs, Crickets(gut loaded with Arowana's pellets), Small worms(gut loaded too), centipede and live fishes. Don't ever tried to feed with home caught cocroaches! Just think, inside there in the stomach of these insects were full of gabbage and rubbish! You feed them with it??? This is what we called looking for trouble, isn't it!!! You'll see, you'll actually inviting diseases to your Majestic fishes!
Anyway, these were just my thoughts, I could be wrong,though....just do it if you think that it would be right for your Arowana Fishes!!! For those who wished to take up these hobby,you must have the patience,dedication and love for these elegant dragon fishes. I was lucky though to have a wife of the same interest in rearing these Arowana fishes! She treated these fishes like her own kids!!! Thanks Darling....!
Last but not least,please sign-in my Guest Book and tell me if any other matters that you think is good to be put up to be shared by everybody and I welcome all tips and comments from everyone of you.I will try my very best to fullfill the request.
My warmest regards and Good Luck!!!
by Adila1982@yahoo.com
