# Guidelines in caring of arowana



## kojing (Mar 14, 2006)

A must-read article to arowana novice keepers. If you want to get more info from arowana experienced keepers in GTA, check out extremehub.com

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Below are some general guidelines for those who want to be good arowana keepers. It is relatively easy for owners to raise these beautiful, majestic looking fish in an aquarium tank if certain requirements are fulfilled. Changing of water, ensuring good water parameter and providing good food sources are just some basic requirements every hobbyist needs to practice.

*Tank* size is a very important aspect as it affects how the fish is going to turn out when matured, whether it is straight swimming with fins fully opened or one that is sickly, stunted and hunched. The larger the tank size is, the better. In general, a bare minimum size for an adult arowana should be 5 ft by 2 ft. One general rule is that the length of the tank must be at least 3 times longer than the length of the fish. As for the tank's width, it must be at least 1.2 times longer than the length of the fish. It is ideal to place the fish tank in a quiet spot of the house to avoid asserting unnecessarily stress to the fish by human traffic. Surrounding stress can easily affect the fish's base color, especially for Cross Back Golden. Sufficient lighting is also required for arowana to ensure good color developments and it is ideal for tanks to expose to some natural morning or evening sunlight. However, too much sunlight can lead to algae problems such as green water or drastic temperature change in smaller tank etc. Avoid switching on the aquarium light suddenly in a darkened room, or the fish may panic and injure themselves. Switch on the room lights first, then a few minutes later switch on the tank light.

*Temperature* is best at 26 - 30 degrees unless when treating sick fish. A lower temperature might easily invite diseases while a higher temperature can help to keep diseases away. However, too high a temperature can also cause some of the softer tissues around the head to wrinkle faster. Temperatures must be maintained as stable as possible be it day or night as great fluctuations can be harmful or kill the fish. Aquarium heater may be needed as a protection from sudden fall in temperature at night or in unusual weather. It also helps fish to increase metabolic rate, which, in turn promotes frequent feeding that leads to rapid growth.

To find out information on the following: 
*Ph or hardness level*
*Water change frequency*
*Nitrate and ammonia*
*Proper Tank Cover* 
*How many fishes can I raise in a tank?*
*How to acclimating newly arrival Dragon Fish?*

check out extremehub.com


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## Brian (Mar 14, 2006)

Is that your information or did you get it from somewhere?


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## kojing (Mar 14, 2006)

I got this article from my friend through email. I do not know if he wrote it or got it from somewhere. He is an experienced aro keeper and has successfully breeded Asian aros (or dragon fish) before.

He asked me to translate the article into Chinese and Japanese because many GTA arowana keepers are from Asia and do not read English well. I am going to post the Chinese and Japanese versions in extremehub.com

kojing


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## Louis (Apr 14, 2006)

Personally I find that arowanas are relatively easy to care for. They are not very picky when it comes to water conditions, although they are very similar to that of Discus.

Ive been raising arowanas for about five years now, and the only tricky part I find about them is feeding. They are very very picky about what you feed them. They often have to be trained to accept certain dry foods, and this can take weeks, even months of starvation.

Very elegant and exotic fish to own. If you have never had one before, I'd recommend getting one, even if its just a silver. These fish live very very long (have a friend that has a Red tail gold for about 15 years already).

If you still want some more info, check out www.arofanatics.com. IT is the largest arowana dedicated forum with tons of articles and FAQs on how to get started. I personally have been part of the adminstration team of this website for about 3 years already, and we have over 18,000 members.

Cheers!

Louis


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## kojing (Mar 14, 2006)

Hi Louis,

I think the number 1 concern is to have a secure cover, because aro is tempted to jump off from the tank 

My dad recently brought home a 6-8" super red aro. It costed him about $2000 canadian dollars but he said it is still better than getting a common silver. The fish is in top grade and came with micro tag/certificate. 

Aro can live for about 30 years if kept in good condition. It takes them 1.5 to 2 years to reach adult size. 

Once I am finanically independent, I will get myself a cross back golden. 

We are opening a new aro club (note it is not a forum but a club) here in Canada. It is free of charge. Please join to share your knowledge with other members. I am volunteer to assist the team to find new members right now.

I am at work right now but will send you a link to join the club once back home. Anyone interested is also welcome to join.

kojing


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## ranmasatome (Mar 14, 2006)

arofanatics....
Come singapore and get some...


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## Louis (Apr 14, 2006)

That is another good point to bring up. A juvenile arowana can easily jump out of a gap as small as 1 cubic inch. 

I have a good friend in Indonesia that exports Indo Reds. If only I had the time to take care of all the paperwork and permits to import then, id grab a few. 

kojing, id be happy to come aboard the new club! Please send me the link when you have some time!

Cheers!

Louis


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## Ciddian (Mar 15, 2006)

I would love to keep one, one day for sure... 

Would you say they all have thier own personalities? That is a fish you can definatly grow close too since they live so long..


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## Louis (Apr 14, 2006)

Ciddian said:


> I would love to keep one, one day for sure...
> 
> Would you say they all have thier own personalities? That is a fish you can definatly grow close too since they live so long..


Yes indeed, they do have their own personalities. I have two at the moment. The larger one is rather calm and passive, while the smaller one is quite aggressive and likes to dart around while I prepare food for it. Often times this one will even jump and catch the food in his mouth before it even falls into the water.


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## kojing (Mar 14, 2006)

Hi folks,

The link below will direct you to the membership request. You'll also be requested to join our discussion board 
http://www.extremehub.com/phpbb/groupcp.php?g=123

If you're from overeseas, feel free to drop by the board and send a greeting to us.

FYI. Hendri Leong from IndoDragon.com also dropped by our board regularly to show us pictures of his farm. For those who do not know him, he is a well-known asian aro breeders, currently working on his aro book which hopefully will be in the market later this year).

kojing


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