Introduction
Arowana, other known as dragon fish are predatorial species with a large presence. Part of the Osteoglossidae family, the head is bony and elongated body is covered by large, heavy scales. These looks give them their nickname "Dragon Fish," or 水龙 (shui long) in Chinese.
Arowana can live over twenty years in captivity. Although unconfirmed, there have been reports of arowanas living up to nearly 50 years.
Care
Arowana may be scared of sudden movements, such as when approaching the aquarium or turning the lights on.
Be sure to place your Arowana in a place with low foot traffic to avoid it from being scared.
Diet
Recommended Food: We feed our arowana Hikari Food Sticks.
Juvenile arowanas may be fed small live fish and other small insects such as worms, roaches and crickets.
As they grow, consider slowly accustom your fish to accept non-live frozen foods such as shrimp, prawns, shellfish, and other meal fish.
Eventually, arowana may also be fed processed food such as pellets. Be aware that this process will not easy and that the amount of protein is sufficient.
Habitat and Environment
- Ammonia (NH4): keep at 0 ppm at all times
- Nitrites (NO3): keep at 0 ppm at all times
- Nitrates (NO4): keep bellow 40 ppm
- Temperature around 30°Celcius (86°Fahrenheit)
- Water Hardness 6.0-7.0 pH
Behavior & Compatibility
Arowanas are known to be territorial and aggressive, with Australian arowana being known as the most aggressive. Keeping more than 1 arowana in the same tank is not recommended, especially for beginners.
Popular tank mates include peacock bass (Cichla sp.), silver dollar (Myleus sp.), stingrays (Potamotrygon sp.), big catfish, and other well-behaved monster fish.
Be careful that the tank mates are large enough not to be eaten, and gentle enough to not bully or eat the arowana.
Tank Conditions
The minimum tank size is 220 gallons for a South American arowana or 120 gallons for an Asian or Australian arowana. Make sure that the glass is at least half an inch thick as Arowana are very powerful.
Remember to have a sturdy tank lid as arowana are known to jump out of the tank given the opportunity.
Plants and decorations are not ideal as they could injure your arowana. Substrates are generally not needed as they could pose problems with cleaning.
Recommended Equipment
- Sump Filter - holds filtration media
- Canister Filter - pressure water from tank towards compact filtration system
- Trickle Filter - layers of stacked plastic filtration boxes
- Viewing Light - LED energy saving lights
- Tanning Light - accentuate the color
Different Types of Arowana
- Silver (South American)
- Black (South American)
- Jardinii (Australia)
- Green (Asian)
- Banjar Red/Yellow Tail (Asian)
- Red Tail Golden (Asian)
- Golden (Asian)
- Red (Asian)