WeeNe858;719834; said:
so you have to have papers to sell and buy arapaimas?
They are CITIES protected, so you have to prove they were shipped over international borders legally. That sheet must stay with the fish for it's lifetime. A lot of states also prohibit them, so you have to make sure you're in good with those laws as well. All arapaima are shipped into the US. Nobody has breed them in the States........ yet.
As for how long one would live in a 240....
The four footer we got was brought into the US as a hatchling in '05 (according to the previous owner - and from my experience with them, it's close to accurate). Hope that gives you an idea of how fast they grow. They need a very large turning space when compared to how tight an arowana can turn.
One of the biggest issues for keeping them is small tank size while they are young. These things grow very fast, and confinment at a young age will lead to one of two problems: heart defect or a liver issue. Their metabolism is very high in order to grow fast when young. They need a lot of food and a lot of swimming space to burn that food off. I'd start with something in the 750 gallon range for new hatchlings.