Wannabe Arow Owner Qs

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
There are plenty of silvers out there, just wait until you get a bigger tank before you get one. Fish need room to swim, turn around, and swim some more. What good is a fish if its stressed and stunted and hates you.
 
As others have said before - you will need a bigger tank than what you already have. 8'x3' is ideal though you may go as low as 6'x2' (even in that you would probably need to use a separator for ease of feeding). The later foot print would probably last you couple of years. The downside of having a smaller aquarium is moving fish later on - the bigger the fish the more stress for it (and you). The upside of having a puny fish in an oversized aquarium is ease of tank maintenance (less frequent water changes for a while).

Please be aware that the vibrant color that you see in young aro will fade in time so prepare for a blander looking aro (though in some cases they do develop pinkish spots within scales). The fins will not remain in the same proportion as they are on juvi aro - so be aware of that too before you get one.

If all of the above is OK, then by all means get aro - it is a very pleasurable pet. But i would strongly suggest that you start with a bigger tank to give yourself headstart.
 
I'd pay $600 for an Asian in a heartbeat. $250 for a black sounds crazy though.
 
aldiaz33;3598139; said:
I hate to be blunt, but leave the aro at the store until you can realistically get a larger tank. As others have mentioned you'll need an 8' x 3' tank if you really want to keep the fish for life. People that have said a 150 or a 180 is enough have either never seen a full grown aro or are just plan inhumane. Silver Aros get huge.

^ I agree 100%. Get the larger tank first. Silver Arowana's are common enough that you should pretty much be able get one at any time. And there prices seem to be dropping. To give you an idea I got my silver at the end on February of this year, it was 3-4 inches at the time. Today it is pushing 16-17 inches ( eye measurment). Do not bother to start it in a 30 gallon or think a 150 will last, it will out grow those before you even give your fish a name. Mine is currently in a 6x2x2 and by no means do i feel that this suffcient for its current size let alone for life. These fish are true monsters. It may very well be a uniquely beautiful silver arowana at a good price that your LFS has but if you do not have a good home for it to begin with it it will only be down hill from here. If you will defineatly be getting it a proper home in the very near future then by all means pick it up they are beautifully majestic fish. Just my two cents. :headbang2
 
Where in maryland are you? I can recommend a few stores where you can get a cheap silver
 
OP you've asked exactly the same questions (bar the tank mates) i did about 2 years ago. My advice would be to think properly first. Do you really want the fish and are you prepared for the work that'll go with it? Do you know enough to look after it? Once you decide yes to both these questions work backwards.
Decide how big a tank you're going to get and what filtration you'll have on it then make sure you've got ther funds ready BEFORE you buy the fish. Use your tank as a grow out but buy your set up at about the same time you buy the fish and set it up. Cycle it and after about 2 months of the silver or jar being in the grow out put it in the new tank. If you go with a silver you need a very big tank, 72 x 30 0r 90 x 30 minimum, you could get a 180 gal but it would be pointless because you'll need to upgrade again, or sell the fish when you can't keep it. The latter means you didn't really think things through at the start. If you go with a jar 60 x 30 minimum. The main thing IMHO people need to think about is not "can i keep this fish?" it's "can i afford and house the tank the fish needs?"
 
MonsterFishKeepers.com