# Arrowanas



## Beerleader (May 31, 2005)

I recently purchased a small/juvenile Arrowana. I do realize this fish is going to grow anywhere between 4 to 6 feet, but does anyone know their rate of growth? How quickly can I expect him to reach maximum size, and how long will a 55 gallon house this fish. I purchased him about 3 weeks ago and he has already doubled in size. He was maybe 2 to 3 inches but did not contain a yolk sac since I read that this was not a good thing. But he is already about 6 inches. I am prepared to buy a 250 gallon or larger to house him in, so its not a matter of worry or expense, this is why I got this fish in particular. Also he is very skittish and freaks out fairly easy if I must reach into the tank to adjust temp. or any other reason...will this ever get better?? And what tank mates might you suggest if any at all. I was told at least 3 arrowana's at once but I do not want 3 of these fish due to their size. Thanks for any tips on tankmates, rate of growth, and how to make him like me!! :-D


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## Guest (May 31, 2005)

sunds like you're gonna have a lot of fun with this guy. I've neer kept n arrowana myself, but im trying to persuade my prents to get a bigger tank so that I can.
as for the skittish thing, it will take time just like any other fish, id imagine. Id get a stingray to put in with that arrowanna. maybe a polka dot or a histrix.


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## Beerleader (May 31, 2005)

Yeah I think he's gonna be so awesome to watch grow from such a tiny size to so HUGE! It will be a neat transition, but so far I'm thinking a pretty fast one since he's already grown so much. And yeah the worst thing about how skittish he is that he jumps so well, so I have to get my fiance' to stand around to block any/all areas while doing a tank clean because hes like having Michael Jordan in a tank haha  he can really jump!!! But I love him already so glad I got him, and wow I never considered a stringray thats a GREAT! idea, I assume they would get along, I was told mainly as long as other fish can't fit into his mouth but needs the same water etc..I was told an Archer maybe?? I saw it, it was a neat fish but I really don't know anything about them, the guy in the LFS told me about 'em as possible tank mates if both purchased young, so now I wonder about its maximum size....but the Stingray is a better idea! Thanks.


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## ALFA WOLF (May 24, 2005)

GL with it were did u get it at. and how much u pay for it if at all. Ive been interested in getting one but i ust dont iek the deals on shipping or price stuff liek that.


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## Beerleader (May 31, 2005)

I purchased him from a LFS called Just Fish, he has GREAT Discus so I got one from his store. Plus he is really into FISH/a Marine biologist etc..so I take his word over a lot of other pet stores. Now I must say he is very pricy. I only paid around 40 bucks for my small one (Arrowana)but they ranged closer to 100 for larger ones, but i wanted a baby to raise him from tiny to large. But I just assumed it would be in better health and I wouldn't have to worry about parasites etc by buying it from this particular store. His Discus are all over 100 bucks but so well worth it!  I want to say his breeder for the discus are from Rocky Mountain Discus, and I think they do have a website  But I am glad I was able to get such a small Arrowana so I can watch him grow! But I can't really find anyone that knows their rate of growth, guess I should have or need to ask that guy in the store again.  I just wonder how fast he's gonna grow out of the 55 and into the 125. As for now I am assuming pretty darn quickly.


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## euRasian32 (May 19, 2005)

Scuba Kid said:


> Id get a stingray to put in with that arrowanna. maybe a polka dot or a histrix.


Hopefully, the forum moderators/designers will have a place for you and me... "Large Oddball" forum here in FF. I saw a poll about it today.

I specifically set up my 125 for Stingrays (3) and 1 arowana. I had this idea in '95 but never got around to it then due to limited cash flow, my best friend ended up stealing my idea. Yadda yadda yadda, 10 years later, Just got a 125 and I've been prepping my setup for the past few weeks. When it's all done, I'll hopefully have 2 female and 1 male Motoro, and the arowana. I did have a silver arowana for two weeks but decided to bring him back to the LFS because I knew that I couldn't afford it in the long run.

I'm starting with the Stingray though. I'm going to be very picky when selecting my arowana. I don't want a black or silver, i'm particularly looking for a bluish "jardini". I assume that you have a silver? 

I didn't get to monitor my friends tank for a long period of time, he died in a motorcycle accident. He had a "teacup" stingray, along with an arowana in a 75 gallon. I did get to witness it for about 3 months. He got his arowana at 6 inches, and it only grew 1 inch or so in the 3 month time, give or take. He strayed away from powerfeeding it, because he knew that he wouldn't have a 300 gallon for at least 2 years, but it seemed that the arowana was growing at a slow pace.

Click on the link in my sig for a cool FW stingray link. The site belongs to a dude named Frank from the Netherlands, and he's kept freshwater stingrays for about 10-15 years recently, not counting his time as an aquarist in his earlier years. There is a link to his project of an aquarium that's going to be approx 27 thousand gallons, that him and his friend are constructing.

As stated before, your fish should chill out over time. If it doesn't, i'd get a piece of acrylic cut to "divide" your tank when you do your routine maintenance.
I wouldn't keep it in that 55 for more than a year, just as long as you cut down on the feedings. It'll sprout just like it has, but the rate of growth should slow down as long as you cut down on the feeding.

What's your main source of food for the aro? 
I would stray away from feeding goldfish ONLY if you're going to get some stingray. Stingray are sensitive to skin diseases and parasites, and goldfish are the most common carriers of Anchorworm.

Edit: It would be great if you could share your experience in raising your arowana. I haven't seen many aro keepers here, yet. 
Good luck.


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## Damon (Jan 18, 2005)

I could see a forum about stingrays and other oddities (anableps, arrows, and the kind). It wouldn't get much traffic as the average fishkeeper doesn't have the size tank, or doesn't want just 1 or 2 fish in a tank that size.


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## ALFA WOLF (May 24, 2005)

Yeah not many people will go out and spend the oney on fish let alone paying for the tank or pond and filters and all that stuff u need for them to survive.


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## Beerleader (May 31, 2005)

I have just a regular Silver Arrowana, the Asians are extremely hard to come by here in Ky. Its actually even kind of difficult to find a Black one here, which I've heard are fairly easy to obtain in other places. Maybe one day I will seek out the Asians because they are beautiful! I absolutely love my silver baby, and thanks so much for posting that guys site, he has a gorgeous tank with 2 of my favs, the arrowana and discus and WOW now I really want one of those motoros after seeing his  I think my buddy Dorian(my arrow), is gonna get a new friend once he moves into a 125. He's currently in a 55 gallon but I know he's gonna outgrow it soon! I have been trying to break him from eating live food all the time. But when I bought him he was in a tank w/ small guppies all the time so he could feed whenever, but with him his whenever is turning into constant hunting. So I have been feeding him dried jumbo shrimp which he seems to really like, I will eventually try other foods that float with the occasional live feeding. But I think you are right, I am overfeeding him because his rate of growth is out of this world! and not that I don't want him to reach his maximum size but I also don't want to bloat the poor thing. This is really my first encounter with this fish, and I don't have any friends that have one due to its size I know its not something a lot of people are willing to take on. So I am learning as I go with him. But I figured since I have managed to keep these discus for as long as I have with such little knowledge of fish that hopefully I will be able to raise the arrow to a huge and beautiful fish as well!  Thanks for posting that info though, its good to know other people are into the same kind of fish I am. Have a good one.


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## Beerleader (May 31, 2005)

As stated before, your fish should chill out over time. If it doesn't, i'd get a piece of acrylic cut to "divide" your tank when you do your routine maintenance.


I think this is a good idea, never really thought about it! But seeing as he did jump out once and thankfully did not land on carpet but a table right next to the tank, but it was very scary!! and I do not ever want that to happen again..so thanks for the tip.


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## euRasian32 (May 19, 2005)

Simpte said:


> I could see a forum about stingrays and other oddities (anableps, arrows, and the kind). It wouldn't get much traffic as the average fishkeeper doesn't have the size tank, or doesn't want just 1 or 2 fish in a tank that size.


I agree, and I'll still attend FF if they don't add an Oddball forum. I've been directed to "catfish and other bottom dwellers" for my future rays. 

I have found an arowana forum, AroFanatics, but I want to be able to visit a one stop site for all my fish questions/answers/news/updates.

The average fishkeeper wants to have this, that, 2 of these, and one of those in their 10-20 gallon. I've been there, and have experienced everything that could go wrong when keeping fish, this was long before forums so help and advice were limited then. I started out with a 10 gallon, then a 38. I ended up having 6 20long's, 4 55's, 2 75's, and 4 125's, because my 38 was filled with tank busters. Example: the nearest LFS has a 125 with 2 pacus, and an irredescant shark, perfect tank size vs. fish size. They are all around 18 inches long. I've read posts where members have twice as many of the same fishe in their 10-20.

After going through all the trial and error, I settled on 1 tank that I was going to get at the end of this year, I just recently came accross a deal that I couldn't pass up so here I am. Originally looking for a 300, I settled on a 125.




ALFA WOLF said:


> Yeah not many people will go out and spend the money on fish let alone paying for the tank or pond and filters and all that stuff u need for them to survive.


I find your post conflicting. A true fishkeeper will have a tank, select a fish, and provide all the means necessary for the fishes survival. If you're not willing to keep your fish alive, you should be in the pet rock forum. I'm sorry but I was attatched to every fish that I've kept, and I can truly say that I've tried to keep them in the most stable of environments. I had a rough start but I know better now.

If I were on a limited budget where I could only afford a 10 gallon, knowing what I know, I wouldn't overcrowd that tank, I'd provide adequate filtration, I would not overfeed, I would set the tank up to my satisfaction so in 3mos to a year I wouldn't want more, I'd be picky on the fish I'd pick... etc etc.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that it can be more costly in the long run if you don't do it right the first time around.


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## euRasian32 (May 19, 2005)

Beerleader: Discus are cool and congrats with the luck you've had.

Since they are natural jumpers (national geographic has an awesome video on aro's), I may decide in the future to build a custom "open" canopy, to be at least 4 feet from the top of the tank, that way it can naturally catch their prey. The canopy would be lined with screen like material, so insects could crawl on the inside, and it would be a traingular/pyramid shaped to avoid aro injury. Just an idea for now.

For future reference... when they get bigger, 2feet+, the hood and lights will not be able to hold it down. A red brick per hood should be sufficient. 

Good idea in varying the selection of foods with the aro. Along with the guppies and shrimp... Try to find a dry supplement just in case. The LFS won't always have live foods so be prepared for whatever.
The Silver and Black are in the same genus "Osteoglossum". Osteoglossum bicirrhosum is the Silver and Osteoglossum ferreirai is the black.

Scleropages Jardini are referred to as "Asian Arowanas". However, I'm pretty sure "true" asians are illegal to import in the US. You can find lots of Jardini's available. Although referred to as asians, true asians are Scleropages formosus.


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## ALFA WOLF (May 24, 2005)

eu im sry if u thought i was talkign to u im nto talking to anybody in this forum im talking about those people that go out but a glas vase and keep good fish dont bother to clean it out and just feed it when they remember to those are the people im talkign to not anyone on thise forum cuse from what i knwo u all take good care of your fish.


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## euRasian32 (May 19, 2005)

ALFA WOLF said:


> eu im sry if u thought i was talkign to u im nto talking to anybody in this forum im talking about those people that go out but a glas vase and keep good fish dont bother to clean it out and just feed it when they remember to those are the people im talkign to not anyone on thise forum cuse from what i knwo u all take good care of your fish.


It's cool Alfa, I realized that it looked like it was directed at you in retaliation... I feel the same as you about that topic. Nice fish list you've got there. some nice, non-crowded setups with plenty of variety.

Within the past couple of weeks that I've been here, beginners post their ideas with little know-how, and get good advice, and continue to set up a happy (non-crowded) community tank, and everyone congratulates them. 
-priceless


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## ALFA WOLF (May 24, 2005)

thnx eu i may ave a nice setup but i cant beat your homemade tank to home your rays i read abotu it on your site started to drool on the keyboard.


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## euRasian32 (May 19, 2005)

No no, that's not my site... it's my favorite stingray reference site...

I've got a store bought 125. I wish i had that tank...


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## Beerleader (May 31, 2005)

*Eurasian*

Hey thanks for the advice regarding my arrowana. I did not realize they were two different types, but I did hear that it was illegal to import the true asians because they are possibly endangered..is that correct?? If so why are people out there trying to get these fish for their aquariums? I wouldn't feel right because I read somewhere that they do not breed in captivity ..or that is extremely RARE...not sure how informative or true this site I read from was but remember reading both of these things at that particular arrowana site. 
Also I love the idea you have for an adult and yes I did read about weighting the lids down w/ either a brick or a milk jug filled w/ water to hold it down. But I think your idea is really neat, I thought that myself one day not about the screen, but how cool it would be if they were in a tank that allowed them to jump as if they were in their natural environment, but I didn't have any good ideas...I'm not very creative I guess hehe. I will ask the FS guy about more food for the arrowana because since he likes the dried shrimp and I notice he eats the flake I put in for the guppies, so I assume while he's still young I can get him to eat other choices. I did give him a few tiny crickets and he loved them..but once again thats live food. But I appreciate the chat and all your ideas, you've been a great help and good fun to talk with!


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## euRasian32 (May 19, 2005)

I'm not for sure, but that's what I heard too, something about them being endangered, but I saw them for sale on Aquabid and I didn't notice any stipulation on shipping to the US. I do know that if they weren't endangered I'd be limited to looking at pictures on that website. They can cost anywhere from 1000 dollars on up... The highest one selling on aquabid right now is 3800 (ends May 31st).

Nice talking to you too. Good luck and happy fish keeping.

Charlie


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## Guest (May 31, 2005)

ive seen a gold asian go for $64,000.


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## Beerleader (May 31, 2005)

Wow those are all steep prices you both are quoting...GEEZ I had no idea. I really hope people wouldn't spend that money on an endangered fish, it really needs to stay with people that understand them, and potentially breed them. I dunno thats just the "I love every animal" person in me..I know not everyone feels that way. Sometimes being endangered just means they want it that much more...sadly but true..obviously with those type of prices, there is a demand. I know I will just admire them in pics myself..one because I could NEVER afford a fish that expensive, and second its just not really fair or right to the fish. But I do thank you guys for being really helpful. Once I figure things out such as exactly how to use this site etc hehe seeing I'm very new, I'll post some pics of my discus and the small arrowana. Hopefully this site and all my fish will still be around to keep posting its growth etc. Anyhow everyone have a good day and thanks for all this info! its been greatly appreciated.


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