Tips for Keeping Arowana

Alright, so I have researched probably every single article and watched every single video on the internet about keeping arowanas. I know what the water parameters are supposed to be, I'm aware of their jumping tendencies, I have a big enough tank to hold one, but I feel like there is more to what I have researched that I should know. Not surface level stuff like tank mates, or diet, I know it all, but things that would give me the best first time experience with one, as I would hate to accidentally kill an arowana. Part of me thinks that I should just go and get one, since I have researched everything I can about them, and just try. Everybody has to try something at some point, otherwise they won't gain the experience with keeping that specific fish.

I suppose my question is: What are some things you have learned from keeping an arowana that you wished you had known before getting one?

 

You should mirror the diet of Arowanas in the wild as much as possible to guarantee they thrive and are comfortable in your aquarium.

This means including as much live feed as possible in the diet. Variety is, however, essential to avoid creating a nutritional deficiency in your fish.

 

How big is your tank? And which species of arowana?

 

It is 120 gallons, but I'm getting it small, and I'll grow it out until it gets too big.

 

They grow too fast for 120 gallons to be of any use.

 

I'm going to be honest, you are looking at an absolutely humongous tank depending on the species. Most people say 8'x2'x2' as a start but thats pretty small for any arowana.

 

They grow too fast for 120 gallons to be of any use.

I recognize that, I know after birth they grow roughly 2 inches per month. Also, I plan on getting a silver arowana considering it's the only legal arowana in the US

 

You want a Silver Arowana?

They are a massive powerful 4-foot fish that needs to be able to jump and should live for 50 years.

This is a fish that does not belong in any home aquarium.

In short, it should not be legal for you to buy one in my opinion and if that seems harsh then you have no idea.

You say you have read everything about them but I very much doubt you have.

 

I've never owned an Arowana, but like you have read a lot about them. IMO, a 120 long might keep a juvenile six or seven months.
The aquarium lid will have to be tied down w/ bungie cord or with clamps.
Many Arowana are lost by crashing up through glass aquarium tops.
The MFK's forum has an entire section dedicated to Arowana keepers. It would be worth reading before committing.

 

Yeah, thanks about the MFK forum. I'll check it out.

I've never owned an Arowana, but like you have read a lot about them. IMO, a 120 long might keep a juvenile six or seven months.
The aquarium lid will have to be tied down w/ bungie cord or with clamps.
Many Arowana are lost by crashing up through glass aquarium tops.
The MFK's forum has an entire section dedicated to Arowana keepers. It would be worth reading before committing.

Yeah. possibly.

You want a Silver Arowana?

They are a massive powerful 4-foot fish that needs to be able to jump and should live for 50 years.

This is a fish that does not belong in any home aquarium.

In short, it should not be legal for you to buy one in my opinion and if that seems harsh then you have no idea.

You say you have read everything about them but I very much doubt you have.

That last thing you said kinda made me laugh. Arowanas are the most popular fish in the aquarium hobby, most sought after, and asian arowanas, the most expensive.

 

Arowanas are the most popular fish in the aquarium hobby, most sought after,

Not exactly accurate.

 

Not exactly accurate.

One of the most, at the very least. Change my mind.

 

One of the most, at the very least. Change my mind.

Corydoras, rams, angelfish, discus, swordtails, mollies, guppies, neon tetras, bettas , fancy plecos.

I think the appearance of arowana being "popular" is that they look cool and thats it, but nobody actually keeps them.

 

yes people keep them. Lot's of people, assuming they can fit it in their house.

 

, yes people keep them. Lot's of people, assuming they can fit it in their house.

Honestly besides youtubers (who sometimes do this stuff for a living) I’ve heard of very few people who actually own arowanas. IMO fancy strains of fish like bettas, guppies, and bn plecos are usually the most common fish that everyone wants in the hobby.

 

Yeah, but they're still regular people. Even still, doesn't mean "nobody actually keeps them", FinalFins just very few. This thread hasn't exactly been helpful, just people who think they can see my aquariums and say that they're too small, when they don't know what fish I already have, and what size tanks I keep other than the 120.

 

You never said anything about other tanks. It sounded like you didn’t have a bigger tank yet. That’s the thing, we don’t know what you already have so we’re going off what you said.

 

your tank u are

It is 120 gallons, but I'm getting it small, and I'll grow it out until it gets too big.

the tank u are getting is way to small for the fish u are talking about one they are fast swimmers and amazing jummpers i would recommend a 190 gal tank other wise u are being crule to the fish

 

your tank u are

the tank u are getting is way to small for the fish u are talking about one they are fast swimmers and amazing jummpers i would recommend a 190 gal tank other wise u are being crule to the fish

something I've noticed a lot in fish keeping is that there is a lot of subjectiveness in this hobby. Everyone bases their best info on their experiences. In my 3 years in the hobby, I've had happy fish almost all the way. Hardly ever do they die, or are stressed, and when they are, I research what could be wrong. I didn't make up my rules on how to keep fish. If you have a problem with it, take it up with the writers of the hundreds of thousands of articles I have read and the makers of the countless videos I have watched. I didn't teach myself all of this.

 

i know and i am sorry for saying what i said i wont say it again

 

i know and i am sorry for saying what i said i wont say it again

It's fine, haha! I get into these interactions all the time. However, nobody really ever says sorry, so I appreciate it.

 

all good

 

something I've noticed a lot in fish keeping is that there is a lot of subjectiveness in this hobby. Everyone bases their best info on their experiences. In my 3 years in the hobby, I've had happy fish almost all the way. Hardly ever do they die, or are stressed, and when they are, I research what could be wrong. I didn't make up my rules on how to keep fish. If you have a problem with it, take it up with the writers of the hundreds of thousands of articles I have read and the makers of the countless videos I have watched. I didn't teach myself all of this.

You can't believe everything thats on the internet.

The reason we judge with experience is because we HAVE experience. And that experience is often better than what anyone could write.

I'm also TRYING to be helpful, by pointing out you will need a much larger tank than what you specified as an adult. But you seem like you don't want to accept it.

 

You can't believe everything thats on the internet.

The reason we judge with experience is because we HAVE experience. And that experience is often better than what anyone could write.

I'm also TRYING to be helpful, by pointing out you will need a much larger tank than what you specified as an adult. But you seem like you don't want to accept it.

I said countless times I'll get a bigger tank, when it is required of it.

 

you read hundreds of thousands of articles in 3 years? how'd you find the time to do water changes on all of those humongous tanks that we don't know about?

 

you read hundreds of thousands of articles in 3 years? how'd you find the time to do water changes on all of those humongous tanks that we don't know about?

Beardedtetra i agree with u u can learn alot in 3 years but some of what this person has learned may be false info some of it may be true but alot of things this person say may be hog wash but beardedtetra is a great person i agree with every thing u say hole heartedly

 

you read hundreds of thousands of articles in 3 years? how'd you find the time to do water changes on all of those humongous tanks that we don't know about?

Well, I started when I was 13 and I'm now 16...and I'm homeschooled....so I have a lot of time on my hands, haha. Also, plenty of the money I make goes towards fish, that's how I have the tanks that I do. I've only done saltwater onces, but the rest of my tanks are freshwater, so water changes are relatively easy, especially since I figured out how to do an auto fill and drain system on my bigger tank.

 

very cool how do u do auto fill and drain i havent heard of that way of doing it i am intrested in learning more please

 

very cool how do u do auto fill and drain i havent heard of that way of doing it i am intrested in learning more please

Yeah, sure I'll dm you. Not sure if I can explain very well, as it requires a bit of plumbing which is hard to explain over DM, haha.

 

cool u mean pm private message on here i am up for learning thats why i messaged u thanks

 

cool u mean pm private message on here i am up for learning thats why i messaged u thanks

Yeah, DM and PM same thing. DM means "direct message" and, yeah, PM "private message". I'll contact you tomorrow, as it is late here.

 

Hey I brought a 7cm saratoga leichardti knowing full well they can reach 90cm, so where kinda in the same boat. He's currently 10cm and in a 5ft tank, he wasn't eating pellets so he wasn't even growing, now he gets frozen brine/mysis shrimp or live crickets as I'm waiting till he's big enough to go in my 6x2x2. I plan on growing him to around 40cm in the 6ft then offloading him on gumtree as I've seen plenty of larger ones sold and brought on there. All this means I get to keep one of the greatest fish in the aquarium industry from a small size and he will go to someone with more space when he's bigger. A bonus is the leichardi saratoga species has been stocked in SEQ which is near by, meaning they could even go into appropriate outdoor ponds, some people even have indoor ponds too.

 

Ok, I remember very little with my arowanna but I will add just a little. My first tank 27 years ago was a 150 gallon. I was fortunate to have had a marine biologist/ fish store owner take me under his wing and teach me proper care. First, as everyone has said... A nice tight lid. I used rocks to hold mine down. They are beautiful fish to keep but do require a lot of special care. I kept mine until he reached about 20" . Lots of live food but remember as they grow they eat bigger fish. So tank mates must be bigger than their mouths and those can open incredibly wide! (Seriously, he ate my favorite fish, a 4" clown loach. Broke my heart) Mine lived with a pair of Oscars. The 3 were very good fish friends and never had issues with each other. I ran into issues while doing weekly water changes. He would get really nervous and it had to be a 2 person job so he woulndt jump when the lid was off. They also have incredible eyesight. Mine would see me walk through the door with a bag of goldfish and go nuts. He would try to jump out every time I'd feed him, out of pure excitement. If you're serious about growing one out, make sure you have a back up plan. It's hard finding people willing to take on such a large fish much less finding someone who has a large enough tank. Mine went to live in a 1000 gallon aquarium at a trusted fish store in Cali. I wish you the best of luck. Just make sure you have back up plans when it's time for him to move to a bigger home.

 

Ok, I remember very little with my arowanna but I will add just a little. My first tank 27 years ago was a 150 gallon. I was fortunate to have had a marine biologist/ fish store owner take me under his wing and teach me proper care. First, as everyone has said... A nice tight lid. I used rocks to hold mine down. They are beautiful fish to keep but do require a lot of special care. I kept mine until he reached about 20" . Lots of live food but remember as they grow they eat bigger fish. So tank mates must be bigger than their mouths and those can open incredibly wide! (Seriously, he ate my favorite fish, a 4" clown loach. Broke my heart) Mine lived with a pair of Oscars. The 3 were very good fish friends and never had issues with each other. I ran into issues while doing weekly water changes. He would get really nervous and it had to be a 2 person job so he woulndt jump when the lid was off. They also have incredible eyesight. Mine would see me walk through the door with a bag of goldfish and go nuts. He would try to jump out every time I'd feed him, out of pure excitement. If you're serious about growing one out, make sure you have a back up plan. It's hard finding people willing to take on such a large fish much less finding someone who has a large enough tank. Mine went to live in a 1000 gallon aquarium at a trusted fish store in Cali. I wish you the best of luck. Just make sure you have back up plans when it's time for him to move to a bigger home.

Thank you very much! This was very insightful.

 

I don't remember what livestream it's in or I'd link it. But since you mentioned aquarium coop, Cory has gone into the negatives of owning an arowana and why he probably wouldn't do so again. I'll see if I can find it.

 

In this hobby, it's so easy to become infatuated with a rare exotic fish. I speak from experience being a past -temporary owner of Pacu, Red Tail Catfish & Dovii. Lol.
Fortunately I was able to return all my mistakes.
The important point is to seriously consider what you're getting into before taking the plunge.
I enjoyed keeping the noted monster fish although ill prepared to do so.
Returning & rehoming fish is at the very least inconvenient and IMO getting more difficult to do.

 

In this hobby, it's so easy to become infatuated with a rare exotic fish. I speak from experience being a past -temporary owner of Pacu, Red Tail Catfish & Dovii. Lol.
Fortunately I was able to return all my mistakes.
The important point is to seriously consider what you're getting into before taking the plunge.
I enjoyed keeping the noted monster fish although ill prepared to do so.
Returning & rehoming fish is at the very least inconvenient and IMO getting more difficult to do.

Yeah, I'm sure it is getting harder to rehome, especially big fish. I'm fairly ready to keep a small arowana. I have the tank, the chemicals, the temperature, food, and a secure and tested lid. Thanks for the advice.

 

Yeah, DM and PM same thing. DM means "direct message" and, yeah, PM "private message". I'll contact you tomorrow, as it is late here.

cool i know it was late where u are the other day