i redid thearo info sticky, combined some repeats and eliminated the misleading info. i also added some things and organized it better. my goal was to make it easier to read and find the needed info. how does it look now?
arowana basics
ALL AROs NEED A STRONG TOP ON THE TANK AS ALL CAN JUMP OUT!
Tank placement is debatible. Some say put the tank so it wont get to much traffic as to not spook the aro. I have experianced that if the aro is exposed to traffic it will get use to the activity and be calmer all around. If aros are kept in to small of a tank they can get jumpy. They can be housed with almost any fish as long as it is not to agressive and of correct size not to be eatten or eat your aro. Lighting is all on you as they don't need any exact lighting. Tank decor should be minnimal at the surface for large aros and not sharp to harm the aro. Water changes should be done weekly to bi-weekly in amounts from 20-75% depending on your prefurence and tank needs. Your tank should have lots of airation and some current, but not to strong to over power your aro. In the wild they don't seem to cross rapids witch points to them liking the slower currents of the river and its backwaters. Aros don't need blackwater extract, but if you like you could add it.
all young aros-
All young aros should be kept alone till atleast 6-10" in size as they are very fragileat this size.Give young aros what they will eat to eat...ofer them a large verioty of foods as they need all the nutrition they can get to bulk up. You should start you young aro in a small tank to make sure it is eatting and it can be observed better in close contact. You should be sure to include some floating cover, like plants, to make your young aro feel safe. When they still have their egg sacks they don't "need" to eat anything else, but if they will that is best. When they have their
egg sacks i have found that they should be kept alone. Were as they get to 4"+- they may be kept with potental aro tankmates of the same size. If you do try to commune them at this size daily monitoring is required to ensure they don't get to agressive tward one another. Idealy you should just wait to mix them till the 6-10" mark.
silver arowana-
min tank-8'x3'x2' for an adult aro. Silver aros are very large and can get 4'+, although 3' is more common.They tend to get drop eye more then others. There is a whole deal on them done by DeLgAdO, witch is later
on in the additional info section. I have seen first hand and many others that the most direct cause is headtrauma. They are such strong jumpers that the often injury themselves by jumping into the top or worse the
floor and DE sets in almost instantly in many cases. Silvers can grow very fast, i personaly have had on getto 24"+ in 10 months.
Black/blue arowana-
min tank-8'x3'x2' for an adult aro. Blacks tend to be alittle smaller then silvers, but are often mixed with them. they seem to be more resistant to DE and i have only seen one with it. They are more costly then silvers,
but are generaly availible. Blacks are more fragile at smaller sizes then silvers, but become just a strong as silvers as adults.
jardini arowana-
min tank-6'x2.5'x2' for an adult aro. Jars are more commonly availible and are generally more expensive then silvers, but less then Blacks. They tend to be more agressive and there tankmates are discribed my Steve_89 later in this thread. I have found that they switch to non live food easier then other aros. They grow slower then the black and silvers with the max size around 2.5'.
leichardi arowana-
min tank-6'x2.5'x2' for an adult aro. Leis are harder to find and are more expensive. They are similar to the jardini and should be treated the same.
african aro-
min tank-6'x2.5'x2' for an adult aro. These aros are not true aros, but they are around. They are harder to find and are harder to keep as young aros. From what i have seen they grow and get to similar sizes as the leis and jars. They don't seem to be agressive and could be mixed well after they are eatting prepared food.
asian aros-
min tank-6'x2.5'x2' for an adult aro. These aros are illegal in the US and are commonly farm bred in asia. They get to around 2.5'. They have many different grades and colors. The agresstion verys more with them then with other aro sp.
NOW FOR YOUR ARO SELECTION HERE IS grmanrocks
Ive been searching for about 9 months now trying to find an arowana for my future 195 gallon tank. Now bare in mind my generalizations are based on various sources and not on actual experiance. That said heres what i've discovered:
Choosing an arowana is like choosing between one difficulty and another.
This is for the following reasons:
1) Silver Arowana:
Cheap(in the US at least), docile, fairly hardy, and easy to find. Sounds good right? Not really, for one they reach a size that rivals that of a captive Ariapima. But thats why we love arowanas right? So whats really wrong with them? The fact that the majority offered for sale are captive bread thus creating an abundance of defects and disorders, not to
mention less attractive fish.
The Verdict: If you can ensure the fish you're buying is wild caught , and can provide it with an adequate home then go ahead, this is the perfect Arowana for you.
2) Black Arowana:
One of my personal favorites this fish is very simmilar to its silver cousin but without the common defects beceause they are all wild caught(as far as I know at least). The downside: These fish are quickly becoming very rare due to the lack of wild numbers to sustain a fishing for them, thus they command a high price and I myself couldnt justify keeping a fish that contributed to the destruction of a majestic species of this caliber.
The Verdict:I dont think this is a good fish for any hobbiest to keep untill something is done about their wild status.
3) Jardini/Leichardti:
Hailing from down-under these 2 fish are included together due to much debate as to if they are really a different fish at all. These fish are very attractive and quite the addition to a tank...... until they bring the demise af every fish that shares their tank. Keeping these fish in a community can be done but not without risk and sometimes proves impossible.
The Verdict: If you can enjoy a tank with one resident then this fish is great for you. However if you enjoy a collection of
impressive specimines and just one large, respected, and beautiful arowana then I suggest you look elsewhere.
4) African Arowana:
Whats that giant minnow thing called? Its an African Arowana! Ok, so they aren't exactly beauty queens but they are an arowana and my personal favourite. They get about as big as Aussies (slightly smaller than the South American varieties). The only problem is that they are filter feeders and need to be fed, even in adulthood, at least twice a day, not all of us have that time and capital rescorce to accomadate these feedings.
The Verdict: If you can afford and have the time to feed this fish twice a day and dont mind its drab coloring then I highly recomend this fish.
5) Asian Arowana:
The Co De Gras of arowanas. Problem is its illegal in the US. Still its the most beautiful arowana to about anyone you ask.
The Verdict: Too bad, maybe someday we could keep these fish without having nightmares about prison. To those of you outside of the U.S
you better have on of these, they are in many ways the perfect arowana, not as big as the others, not picky, very personable, and just
plain pretty, this is THE FISH man!
There you have it, if some one has posted something along these lines then I apologise but I see a lot of posts along the lines of What kind of arowana?, Which one for me? and so on so I figured I'd compile what little I do know into an informative post for people who are new to the keeping of arowana ,like I am.
now the foods
i combined sodenoshirayuki and haos lists.
First off, this is for ALL aros, so don't ask if silvers or blacks or aussies or asians need something different. This will be for 3 sizes, baby, medium sized, and the big boys.
Remember, the key to a good diet is variety and freshness, no food has all the needed nutrients, thus you need to mix it up to maintain and
healthy diet, which spoiled food is never a good thing.
Arowana is a carnivorous fish. In wild, its food consist mainly insects, fishes, prawns, worms and small amphibians. Live food is preferred
by arowana though they can be trained to accept other food. Variety in food is a MUST to avoid nutritional deficiency. Small arowana (below 15cm> should be fed three times a day, medium arowana (15-35cm) twice a day and large arowana (above 35cm) once a day or alternate day.
If arowana is overfed for a long period of time, it may lost its appetite and starve itself for a periods of a few days. Overfeeding can also shorten the lifespan of arowana and affect its breeding capability. Live food is generally more nutritious then its counterpart. However, the risk of introducing disease into the tank is increased when live food is used. This is especially true when the live food is waterborne (live in water). Live food should be quarantine for at least a few days before feeding to the arowana. If you have doubt in certain food, the golden rule is "If in Doubt, Don't Use It". There are always other types of food available.
bref discription of some food availible
Crickets-
Crickets are nutritious food for arowana. The risk of disease transmission is very low. Use the appropriate size crickets for different size arowanas. Hard shell of crickets should be removed when feed to baby arowana to avoid intestinal injury. Use only farm raise crickets as wild caught crickets may be contaminated with insecticide. You may feed the crickets’ vitamin A rice food like carrot before feeding it to arowana. This is a good way to transfer nutrient. Vitamin A enhances color of arowana (esp. red). Crickets may be frozen to avoid hassle, the percentage of nutrients retained when frozen is uncertain and require further study.
Cockroach-
Similar to cricket. Do not feed dead cockroach to arowana as it might have been killed by insecticide. It is advisable to keep the cockroach for
a couple of days before using it; any insecticide contaminated cockroach would be death by then.
Centipedes-
Centipedes are very nutritious food for arowana. They are commonly used in Asia to enhance and intensify the color of arowana. Unfortunately the
availability of this food is low. Frozen centipedes are more readily available then live one.
Live fish-
Almost any bite size fish that is not poisonous can be arowana's food. Feeder gold, meadow, baby koi, baby catfish and small chidlid are
commonly used. There is potential risk of disease transmission when this type of food is used. Quarantine is a MUST as it will screen out most
(but not all) sick fishes. To transfer nutrient or medication to arowana, you may feed them to feeder fish right before using it. Goldfish are
believed to contained enzymes that will lead to nutritional deficiency in arowana, use it sparingly or avoid using it.
Fish meat-
Fresh fish meat can be used. Trim all the fat away and cut them to bite size, wash them before use to avoid contamination of the water. Use
frozen fish meat with caution, as it may contain denatured protein witch may lead to liver and internal organ sickness in long run. Frozen products also can contain presurvitives that can kill your fish. You should try to find some without any presurvatives.
Live prawns/shrimps
Prawns/shrimps are rich in vitamin A which enhances arowana's color. They are very nutritious food. Avoid feeding baby arowana shrimps as
their shells are hard to digest and may cause intestinal injury. Do not leave live prawns/shrimps as they can die and rot causing amonia spikes.
Once again, there is also a potential risk of disease transmission. Diseases from saltwater rarely if ever transfure to freshwater, but it is
possible.
Prawn meat Use only fresh prawns. Removal of head is recommended as it is hard to digest and also the gill may have high concentration of germs/toxin. Prepare the prawn into bite sizes and wash it before use. You can also use frozen raw shrimp. Younger aros deshell them and break them up so the aro can eat them. Older aros can eat the shell and it can improve the red tones in the fish.
krill-
Krill is a nutritious food and it is readily available. Use appropriate size krill for different size arowana. Crush the shell then soak the krill to soften the shell prior to feeding baby arowana as hard krill may cause intestinal injury. It is also kinda spendy so it can be used sparingly or to get an aro eatting.
Bloodworms-
Bloodworms are mainly used to feed baby arowana. They are nutritious food. Rinse away impurities before use. Do not feed it when frozen as it may cause intestinal upset. Avoid old age bloodworms as it is hard for baby arowana to digest. Live bloodworms are preferable but commercially available bloodworms are equally good when fresh. Freeze dry bloodworms may also used.
Tubifex worms-
Tubifex worms are collected in highly contaminated drain and should be avoid unless properly treated. Commercially breed tubifex worms claim to be cleaner but its source are sometime questionable. Remember the golden rule: "If in Doubt, Don't Use it". This goes to frozen tubifex worms too. Freeze dry tubifex worms are cleaner but possibility of germs survived through very low temperature cannot be ruled out. High heavy metal content in the source is also a worry.
Mealworms-
Mealworms are healthy and nutritious. Avoid feeding them to baby arowana as their hard shell is difficult to digest and may cause digestive problem or/and intestinal injury. Use worms that have just shed its shell. Darker color mean older shell. So choose pale looking mealworm. Drowning the worm proir to feeding is recommended if the fish accept dead worm. Head can be removed to minimize digestive problem.
Earthworms-
Earthworms are very healthy and nutritious. Risk of disease transmission is minimal. Squeezing the soil out before feeding is recommended. Or better still, feed the earthworm with nutritious food to clear the soil and transfer the nutrient. This is a highly recommended food by most aquarist.
Pellets/food sticks-
There are many commercial pellets/food sticks available. Their nutritious value varies. Choose reputable brand. Pellets/food sticks specially formulated for arowana is recommended. However, this should not be the only food of arowana.
Amphibians/Frogs-
Frogs are very nutritious food for arowana and are commonly used in Asia. You should be certain that the frogs are not poisonous before feeding them to arowana. Do not feed posinous frogs to arowanas. Frogs are believed to enhance arowana's color.
Lizard/Gecko-
Lizards and geckos are also very nutritious food for arowana and are often loved by the fish. They are usually not commercially available or demand a very high price. Geckos are found in almost every house in tropical region. Catching them is hard work but often rewarded as they enhances arowana's color. Quarantine is also recommended as they might have eaten insecticide contamination insects, even though the probability is small.
aro size to food list
Baby Aros
Freeze Dried Plankton-
This is like minature krill for small aros. This contains alot of karotene which is good for colour and it also floats so its easier for aros to start
eating. Remmeber to break off the pointy parts.
Freeze Dried/frozen Bloodworms-
Freeze dried/frozen bloodworms are very nutritious. It is also usually accepted right off the bat so you can use it to get your new baby aros to start eating. This also floats, thus it is easier for baby aros to eat. Frozen blood worms will sink after alittle time.
Baby Crickets-
Aros can almost never resist crickets. They contain little nutrients by themselves so make sure you feed them carrots before you feed the crickets to your aro. Make sure they are BABY crickets as the regular crickets will have a harder exoskeleton and will be too big for the baby aros.
Hikari Aro Foodsticks (broken into smaller peices)-
If your baby aro is eating well, it might be time to introduce one of its staple foods, foodsticks/pellets. As long as you break up the pellet/foodstick, it will be fine for your aro. This isn't just for hikari aro foodsticks, this applies with all pellets/food sticks (ie.Tropical Cichlid arowana sticks) but it is just an example as this is very well known.
Market Shrimp (deshelled, defrosted and cut small)-
Market shrimp can also be fed to aros at this size. Make sure you remove the shell and defrost fully, as frozen foods can do harm to aros. Cut it really small, small enough for it to fit in an aro's mouth.
Flake-
High quality flake can also be fed to baby aros, but should not be fed as they grow as this is not something that could fill up a bigger aro. (thanks to Bderick67 for the tip)
Medium Aros
*Everything in the "Baby Aros" section can be fed*
Hikari Aro Food sticks-
At this size, your aro is able to eat full sticks. This should be a staple food. Do not only feed this though, it is best to have variety. Again, this applies to other pellets as well, not just Hikari. Hikari is just an example, this can be applied to all other pellets.
Market Shrimp-
Market shrimp now can be fed in bigger peices, usually whole shrimps can be fed when they are deshelled with the tail removed. I personally feed with shell on as the shell contains most if not all the karotene, thus cutting it up into smaller peices is needed. Either way is fine. (WARNING: Feeding the tail has been known to puncture stomachs of aros, so only do
it if you feel safe, I wont take responsibility for it.)
Crickets-
There is really no need for this anymore and really doesn't need to be part of an aro's diet, but if your aro is sick or has lost its appetite, this is a great food to get them eating again. Again, feed crickets carrots before feeding them to aros.
Mealworms-
Mealworms contain alot of karotenoids, like karotene that will boost colours on an aro. Feeding this can be very beneficial.
Fillets-
Some people (me included) like to feed their arowana letfover fillets. This is perfectly fine as long as you know 100% that the fillets are fresh. This should not be a staple though, once in a while is good.
Freeze Dried/frozen Krill-
This is the bigger version of freeze dried/ frozen krill. All that orange you see is all beneficial karotene that will benefit your aro's colour. Remember to break off sharp points as it has been seen that sharp peices can puncture stomachs and kill aros.
Mussels, Oysters, kockles-
Mussels, oysters, and kockles are all fine to feed. Shouldn't really be used as a staple though.
Anchovies-
Anchovies are high in salt and is very beneficial to the aro's digestive system. This should not be fed too much as salt is very bad is there is too much, but a little bit will clean out their digestive system. (Thanks to Frank for the idea.)
Bloodworms-
There is no longer a need for freeze dried/ frozen bloodworms,but you still can feed bloodworms if your aro will accept it. Not recommended that you feed live bloodworms as they can transmit parasites. Also not really necessary in a staple, but thats up to you.
Nightcrawlers-
Nightcrawlers eat through the ground and collect minerals as they eat decaying matter. The minerals can benefit fish alot.
Big Aros
*Everything in the "Medium Aros" section can be fed*
Market Shrimp-
Your aro should now be able to eat full shrimp with no problems. If you feel comfortable, you can just thaw them and feed them without deshelling or taking off the tail, but again, it has been known that aros die from sharp peices of shrimp tail.
Frogs-
Frogs can be fed even at the average size but MIGHT be too big so I added it in the big size. Make sure the frogs you are feeding are not poisonous.
So to end it off, to give you a general idea of a feeding schedule it is only fair that I post my own personal one.(sodenoshirayuki)
So here it is:
1. Hikari: aro food sticks, carnivore, massivore, cichlid gold- contains most if not all necessary nutrients for an aro
2. Market prawns- whole with shell for big aros, cut up with shell for smaller aros. Shell on for karotene= better colour.
3. Mealworms- for carotanoids again for better colour.
4. Crickets (very rare)- Only used as a treat if an aro is sick or won't eat. Always fed carrots before feeding to aro.
5. Anchovies- Becuase of their high salt content, it is good for a fish's digestive system. But also becuase its high in both salt and fat, I only feed this once every 2 weeks.
6. Krill- I usually don't have krill but whenever I feed like getting some, i will feed it. Also packed full of karotene which is good for colour.
7. Everything else- Ocaisonally, I will have left over fish fillets, mussels, and sometimes oyster.
also it never herts to give your older aros a day or 2 off eatting to clean the system.
diseases of arowana
Arowana_kiss is responsible for this tid bit.
When a fish is placed in a artificial environment from its natural habitat, the chances of the fish getting disease is high. The stress due to the changed environment and also other stress factors like different feeding regime from the natural habitat and bad water quality management will also cause the fish to acquire disease. Therefore, one should be aware that keeping the stress level low is the best way to prevent disease rather than curing the fish after it acquired the disease. Generally the dragon fish have a great resistance against diseases so long as they are not weakened by bad treatment, such as spoilt food, polluted and contaminated water, lack of oxygen, sudden change in water temperature, or other conditions the result of human negligence and ignorance that will cause stress and injury to the fish. Remember that the fish remains healthy as long as it is allowed to live in an
environment to which it has adjusted.
The List below are some of the more common diseases associated with the dragon fish, their symptoms and suggested remedies.
1. Tilted (overturned) Gill Covers
Cause-
Fouled water as a result of rotting food particles and excretions. The strong presence of NH3, NO2 and NO3 can reduce the content of oxygen in the water.
Space constraint-
When the Dragon Fish is growing, it not only needs nutrition, it also needs a lot of room to move about. Otherwise, the gill covers may be affected. They may tilt over.
Change in temperature-
The temperature of the water in the aquarium should always be maintained. The sensitive gills can be affected when it is either too hot or too cold suddenly.
Symtoms-
At the initial stage, the movement of the gill covers is not regular and breathing is also faster and abnormal. Next, the gill covers may become concave and the edge may curl upwards, causing the gills to be exposed in the water. Finally, at the serious stage, the fish pushes its head up constantly to the surface for air while at the same time loses its appetite. This means the internal gills have become damaged and probably infected with bacteria, affecting the function of breathing and this can lead to death eventually.
Cure-
When it is first discovered that the Dragon Fish is not breathing properly, the water should be changed immediately. Every 2 to 3 days, 20% of the water in the aquarium should be changed. Air pump should be further activated and air bubble stones could be added so that oxygen level in the aquarium could be increased. Also, change the filter media to coral sand.
Next stage-
When the edge of the gill cover is slightly curled but not yet hardened, other than changing water, and increasing air/oxygen supply, strong water current could be created. There may be 50% chance of a cure without the need to operate.
Final stage-
When the gill cover is tilted and hardened exposing the gills, the only way left is to trim off the tissues of the tilted region. Tools needed are scissors, surgical spirit, gloves, plastic bag and a rubber sheet. Also water-proof fine sand paper to polish clean the gill cover affected by cut tissues. The above tools must be properly sterilised.
When all equipment have been properly treated, the Dragon Fish should be transferred to a smaller fish-tank leaving the original tank to be filtered and pumped with air to increase oxygen content. With 1/3 of water in the small tank, anesthesia should be administered within the plastic bag which contains the sick Dragon Fish. It must be established prior to the operation that the Dragon Fish has completely lost consciousness before it can be removed (take care not to cause dehydration). Then use a clean pair of scissors to trim the edge of the gill covers.
After cutting, it is necessary to apply antiseptic medications to the trimmed edges. The Dragon Fish should be promptly put back into its own aquarium to await its regaining of consciousness. More antiseptic medication may be added to prevent wound from being infected with bacteria.
When it regains consciousness, switch off all lights and allow the Dragon Fish to recuperate. Feeding can be stopped if it has no appetite. Additional equipment may be fitted to create waves in the aquarium. The cut portion must grow again before the operation is considered successful.
2. Cloudy Eyes
This can be caused by:
Eye-injury as a result of bad handling
Contaminated water
Symptoms-
Initially, one eye may appear cloudy. It then becomes moldy as though a membrane is hanging over it. Eventually, the eyes may swell and are covered with blueish white foreign matter. At this stage, if they are not treated may result in death or blindness.
Cure-
At the initial stage 1/3 of water should be changed and coarse salt should be added.Water temperature should also be increased to 30°C to 33°C. Observe for 2 days. If condition improves, water should be changed every third day (1/4 of water) and more salt may be added until complete recovery. At the intermediate stage, medications may be needed to
bathe the fish in. Such medications will have their own instructions to be adhere to on application. When eyes become moldy, recovery may take 3 to 5 months. If swelling subsides, medication may be reduced or stopped eventually. After recovery, eyes may appear smaller but that should be normal.
3. Protruding Scales Disease
This often occurs when Dragon Fish is young. The adult Dragon Fish seldom gets affected by this disease.
Cause-
Events causing extreme temperature changes within the aquarium.
Contaminated water.
Symptoms-
Initial stage- Scales tilt at every 5th to 8th scale. Blood traces may be seen at the root of scales. If not arrested at this stage, scales will gradually tilt, redness may appear and the scales will not be able to protect body causing bacteria attacks to the body of the Dragon Fish. The scales may all drop off causing the body to decay and the fish to die.
Cure Add coarse salt and increase temperature to 32°C to 34°C. Increase oxygen content in the water and change water (1/4) every 3 to 4 days.
Water may be heated prior to change. Add copper sulfate medications to the water.
4. Rotting Gills Disease
Caused by a type of parasite which cannot be seen by the naked eye. These parasites hide in the gills sucking and absorbing all the nutrients
from the Dragon Fish. The cells of these parasites multiply speedily at 25°C. This disease is highly contagious.
Cause:
Polluted water or water which has not been changed for a long period.
Symptoms:
The fish is breathing very fast and its color is dull.
Cure:
Similar to that of the "White Spots" Disease (see section on the "White Spots" disease)
5. Stomach Ailments
This occurs when fish is very young - mainly due to eating stale food or it may have been injured by the sharp pincer of the prawns causing the
internal wall of the stomach to be infected with bacteria, resulting in a swollen belly.
Symptoms-
Initial stage - Swollen stomach with a red swollen anal region. At the advanced stage, the Dragon Fish may be seen to have lost its balance dipping its head downwards.
Cure-
At the moment cure is limited, but commercially available fish medications may be given and water may be changed with temperature increased by 2°C to 3°C.
6. 'Red Spots' Disease
This is often regarded as a terminal disease and it affects mostly young fishes.
Symptoms-
Red spots occur on the lower back portion of the body. Early stage - patches of red spots, gradually swelling occurs, scales are upturned and finally the fish may slowly rot to death.
Cure-
Try increasing temperature to 36°C plus bathing it with fish medications available commercially.
7. Parasites
Most of these parasites come from the live food that are used to feed the Dragon Fish and are passed to the Dragon Fish during feeding. the parasites that affect the Dragon Fish are mainly the fish lice and the anchor worm.
Fish lice
Approximately 3 to 5 mm long, can be seen with the naked eye on the external body. It has a flattened body shell. It has a needle-like structure at the mouth to suck out the body fluid causing the fish to lose its lusture, at the same time causing the fish to be uncomfortable, scraping the side or bottom gravel of the aquarium.
Anchor worm
Found mainly around the fins or within the body of the fish. The head of the worm is forked and it sucks the nutrients from the fish directly. The length is about 1 cm. The affected region is often red and swollen with traces of blood and then decay sets in. An affected fish may appear to be irritable, scraping and rubbing against the sides of the aquarium and losing its appetite in the process.
Cure
The above parasites can be killed by using copper sulfate medications. The fish lice can also be gotten rid of by keeping the Dragon Fish in a concentrated salt solution. Oxygen content should be increased in the aquarium during this soaking period.
Note: Once the Dragon Fish has been infected by parasites, the tank must be sterilised.
8. 'White Spot' Disease
This disease is very common among fishes. It originates from a type of ICH bacteria. It can multiply alarmingly fast, and can flourish at body temperature 25°C from a single cell to 3000 over cells in a hour. Under high temperature, it can stop multiplying and even die.
Cause-
ICH bacteria only attack the fish with low resistance. The bacteria suck up the body fluid of the fish. The affected region looks like white powder.
Symptoms-
At initial stage, the disease affects mainly the fins. The fish that has been infected with this disease tends to scratch itself against the sides or bottom of the aquarium to rid its itch. Its appetite deteriorates greatly and fin ends starts to rot. Lastly when it attacks the gills, the fish may die. The illness should be arrested at once as it is highly contagious.
Cure-
1% salt
0.8 gm of Quinine in every litre of water.
Use available commercial preparation from Aquarium shops.
Warm the water by increasing by 2°C to 3°C in temperature and adding air-pumps to increase the oxygen level in the aquarium.
In the process of treatment, the Dragon Fish should be fed nutritious food so as to build up its physical resistance. Upon recovery, it is advisable to disinfect the entire aquarium.
INFORMATION FROM Panda Aquatic Centre
additional info of interest
steve_89's Tankmates with JARDINI (READ!!!)
Ok so this question is asked frequently on MFK. I will try and answer it. This is what I believe, feel free to add what you like and what you have experienced with keeping these guys with tankmates.
Jardini have the reputation of being the bad guys of the arowana world. They can be very nasty and a lot of us have discovered the hard way that these guys should either be kept alone or tankmates should be selected with care. I would advise you not to introduce a Jardini into a tank with a fish you dearly love. You may wake up in the morning and find them dead...
Obviously you will not want to risk any unnecessary deaths but if you insist on keeping a Jardini with tankmates it comes down to a case of trial and error. It may or may not work. Its that simple...
Don't lose hope though, there are cases where Jardini have successfully been kept in community tanks. The only thing you might lose is a lot of money and a lot of fish on the way to finding a combination that finally works. But I am sure the feeling of accomplishment will be great
Jardini also have a reputation to suddenly become aggressive after they hit the 8 inch mark. This has been found out by a lot of hobbyists so do not be fooled into thinking your Jardini is one of the rare tankmate tolerant ones. You may come home to find out that suddenly your Jardini has gone on a killing spree. It has happened before…A few tankmates I would suggest are the giant gourami, peacock bass and clown knives. A few people I know have had this combination work for them. Basically, just try to keep tankmates of a bigger size than the Jardini.
Another commonly asked question is if Leichardti will tolerate tankmates. This is hard to answer. Once again a case of trial and error. I have had Leichardti beat up 12 inch + fish. In my experience they can be just as nasty. I have seen them in large community tanks though.
Any other questions regarding the keeping of Jardini and tankmates?
Feel free to ask.
Steve
Delgado's Educating MFK on the Silver Arowana (REVISED)
Hopefully i nailed all of the errors
some new added stuff too
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Scientific Name: Osteoglossum bicirrhosum
General:
Osteoglossum bicirrhosum a.k.a silver arowana is the most common and inexpensive of all the arowana species, and yet is one of the largest growing up to 4 feet (3 being average) and in some extremely rare cases in the wild, grow almost 5FT IN LENGTH!!!!
The Silver is more elongated and has longer fins than its Asian and Australian cousins. As with all Arowanas, it has barbel-like extensions protruding from the mouth. The body can range in color from a flat silver to a rich aray of blues, reds, and pinks. The fins can carry the same variations in color as the body but can also display striping to the point where they resemble tiger markings, which is most apparent on juveniles. If raised properly, this fish can break beyond the boundaries of being just a "plain old Silver" and become a top quality fish that demands just as much attention as their Asian counterparts. A very common deformity that is striking more and more Silver Arowanas kept in captivity today is drop eye, a condition where the eye(s) constantly look down. It is of great debate of what actually causes this conditioned, but a few of the theory can be ruled out or severely questioned, such as a fatty diet. A majority of owners have raised there fish on a low fat diet and consequently
they still acquire it. The genetics theory has flaws of its own, Some hobbyist claim that it’s the captive bred silvers that acquire the drop eye due to inbreeding causing a weak gene pool, but how can this be when the majority of the country’s silvers are coming out of wild from south America? According to some (consider them semi-unreliable sources) that it is the captive bred silver arowana that are less prone to drop eye, if this is in fact true then is inbreeding really responsible for causing weak genes in fish in general or is it the wild strains of fish that are less hardy than there captive bred counterparts??? .
Getting back on topic, some say that reflection from the bottom of the tank causes the fish to look down.To answer this I did a lil investigation. and this is done on an acrylic tank bottom, not a glass one but I think the result on the glass would be the same. (feel free to question this experiment)
See the reflections??? That’s from our point of view..
Now I took some saran wrap, wrapped up my carema in it, tied it off and made it water proof. The second time, well……..now my camera is drying in front of a fan..lol.. Lets take a look under water from a fishes point of view (I zoomed out as far as I could, the figure at the top of the pic is my aros head)
its the wooden bottom, but Wheres the reflection????? If theres is no reflection then what are they looking down at/for??? You might be thinking that the fish would probably be looking down at the tankmates swimming at the bottom level of the tank, but wait…….. what if the arowana has no tankmates???...and theres No reflection????Then what the heck would the fish looking down for???? Until science (or some hobbiyst with a pay load of cash) steps up, the true cause(s) may remain unknown leaving us to dwell on theorys.
Habitat/distribution:
Silver Arowana are found naturally in white and black water floodplains and forests of South America in the freshwaters of the Amazon River Basin and maybe in the Rupununi and Oyapock Rivers, and in some still waters of Guyana as well. There is indication that they don’t go through rapids, as they haven’t promulgated further upstream. Most of the Silver Arowana are found in the swamp and flooded areas in the shallower water.
care:
Silver arowanas will adapt to most water supplys with ease, though they do need exellent water quality as in 0 ammonia & nitrite. Nitrates should be kept as low as possible, 20ppm of nitrate being ideal but lower is better. 50-75% water changes should be done at least once a week for these are large producers of high protein waste, more water changes are even better. Temperature should be between 80 and 84 degrees F. slightly higher will not harm them. Minimum tanks size for this fish (though very debatable) should be no less than 270 (6ftx3ftx2ft) gallons for a single arowana. For this fish to live comfortably, grow and live to its FULL potential however, A 478 gal (8ft x 4ft x2ft ) would be the ideal tank size for LIFE (this is of great debate as well). Silver Arowanas are known to be quite "skittish" as far as fish go. They get scared very easily so a heavy tight fitting lid is a nessesity, and these fish are powerful jumpers, a sturdy lid made of materials such as acrylic should be used as arowana have been know to smash straight through glass lids, also a heavy object should be place over the lid as a large silver can knock a lid clear off the tank (as i have experienced) as for tank mates it all comes down to the fish’s personality itself. As rule of thumb, no tankmate should be kept with this fish that can fit in its mouth. Anything smaller and its at your own risk. ( i have successfully kept small fish with a silver arowana, smallest being 2.5 inches and not a single attempt to eat it or any other of my fish for that matter). Again it all comes down to the personality of the individual fish
Feeding:
the Silver Arowana is a pure carnivorous fish and will take a variety of meaty foods. The most important thing is to get your fish on a high quality commercial diet of pellets or food sticks, This should be the staple of the fishes diet, avoid goldfish as they have a high fat content, contain an enyme that inhibits the absorbtion of thiamin and can carry diseases & parasites.
Live feeders are a good food source given that they are quarantined and gut loaded, now when I say "gut load" I don’t mean buy them stuff the heck out of them and then feed them. To get the best out of your feeders, instead of feeding them prior to feeding your predators, wait a little while, let the feeders grow and bulk up. Feed a high quality commercial food and keep the water as pristine as possible, you increase the nutrient potency of the fish by letting them “fatten up”, not nessesarily making them higher in fat content, but make the fish grow leaner, stronger and healthier, once they reach this point you are ready to feed them out, also a healthy feeder will be full of energy and give your arowana literally an “run” for there money or should I say “exercise” . Silver Arowanas can eat a wide variety of foods: pellets, grocery store shrimp, krill, night crawlers, superworms, earth worms, scallop's, blood worms, tubefix worms (NO LIVE: these are collected from contaminated areas), rosie red minnows, various live fish such as guppies, sunnies (sunfish), mollies, crickets, various fish fillet (catfish, tilapia, halibut, etc) , squid, grasshopper (for larger arowanas).frogs, specifically bullfrogs, centipedes, crayfish and even pinky mice. Sometimes a little patients is required to get this fish to eat certain food items such as for example pellets. This can be accomplishes by periods of fasting until they accept the food item.
THIS ONLY APPLIES TO HEALTHY SILVER AROWANAS. Sick or malnurished fish may get worse or may not survive from fasting, a suppliment of garlic extract or other food enticer may get this fish to accept it's food. The idea is to keep the diet as varied as your possibly can (or afford), the purpose of a varied diet is make sure the fish is getting all the nutrients it needs that it’s not getting from a single type of food.
Tip: if you want the full potential color out of your Silver Arowana, start at a young age. Feed a high quality color enhancing food such as hikari carnivorous food sticks, cichlid gold, or a new life spectrum formula, omega
one is a good brand also. Another way is to purchase crickets of the correct size, and gut load them on the commercial food (soak first) and add baby carrot to the diet( the carrots also provide moisture for the crickets), once your crickets are done eating you are ready to serve them out to your young silver. The carrots should greatly enhance the pink and reds in the fish.
Special note: a vitamin supplement should be added to the diet daily for
extra health benefits. Very good for conditioning a silver before breeding. It also restores the nutrient value of defrosted frozen foods as many
nutrients are lost in the defrosting process.
breeding:
Silver arowanas aren't that hard to breed as some may think, provided the tank/pond is big enough and you have a pair. A pair is obtained by raising a group together and watching them pair off. If you live in a warmer climate successful breeding will be more easily accomplished if you have an outdoor pond. Arowanas are mouth brooders, meaning the eggs are hatched in the parent's mouths specifically the males mouth. The growing fry will also be raised in this location till they are about 42 days old.
noted observation: from my experience the female seems to stop eating 3-4 week before she lays her eggs. And becomes very agressive in that time.
Longevity:
The average lifespan of a silver arowana in captivity is between 15-20 years. However with optimal care throughout its whole life, this fish is said to up to 50 years (possibly more).
arowana basics
ALL AROs NEED A STRONG TOP ON THE TANK AS ALL CAN JUMP OUT!
Tank placement is debatible. Some say put the tank so it wont get to much traffic as to not spook the aro. I have experianced that if the aro is exposed to traffic it will get use to the activity and be calmer all around. If aros are kept in to small of a tank they can get jumpy. They can be housed with almost any fish as long as it is not to agressive and of correct size not to be eatten or eat your aro. Lighting is all on you as they don't need any exact lighting. Tank decor should be minnimal at the surface for large aros and not sharp to harm the aro. Water changes should be done weekly to bi-weekly in amounts from 20-75% depending on your prefurence and tank needs. Your tank should have lots of airation and some current, but not to strong to over power your aro. In the wild they don't seem to cross rapids witch points to them liking the slower currents of the river and its backwaters. Aros don't need blackwater extract, but if you like you could add it.
all young aros-
All young aros should be kept alone till atleast 6-10" in size as they are very fragileat this size.Give young aros what they will eat to eat...ofer them a large verioty of foods as they need all the nutrition they can get to bulk up. You should start you young aro in a small tank to make sure it is eatting and it can be observed better in close contact. You should be sure to include some floating cover, like plants, to make your young aro feel safe. When they still have their egg sacks they don't "need" to eat anything else, but if they will that is best. When they have their
egg sacks i have found that they should be kept alone. Were as they get to 4"+- they may be kept with potental aro tankmates of the same size. If you do try to commune them at this size daily monitoring is required to ensure they don't get to agressive tward one another. Idealy you should just wait to mix them till the 6-10" mark.
silver arowana-
min tank-8'x3'x2' for an adult aro. Silver aros are very large and can get 4'+, although 3' is more common.They tend to get drop eye more then others. There is a whole deal on them done by DeLgAdO, witch is later
on in the additional info section. I have seen first hand and many others that the most direct cause is headtrauma. They are such strong jumpers that the often injury themselves by jumping into the top or worse the
floor and DE sets in almost instantly in many cases. Silvers can grow very fast, i personaly have had on getto 24"+ in 10 months.
Black/blue arowana-
min tank-8'x3'x2' for an adult aro. Blacks tend to be alittle smaller then silvers, but are often mixed with them. they seem to be more resistant to DE and i have only seen one with it. They are more costly then silvers,
but are generaly availible. Blacks are more fragile at smaller sizes then silvers, but become just a strong as silvers as adults.
jardini arowana-
min tank-6'x2.5'x2' for an adult aro. Jars are more commonly availible and are generally more expensive then silvers, but less then Blacks. They tend to be more agressive and there tankmates are discribed my Steve_89 later in this thread. I have found that they switch to non live food easier then other aros. They grow slower then the black and silvers with the max size around 2.5'.
leichardi arowana-
min tank-6'x2.5'x2' for an adult aro. Leis are harder to find and are more expensive. They are similar to the jardini and should be treated the same.
african aro-
min tank-6'x2.5'x2' for an adult aro. These aros are not true aros, but they are around. They are harder to find and are harder to keep as young aros. From what i have seen they grow and get to similar sizes as the leis and jars. They don't seem to be agressive and could be mixed well after they are eatting prepared food.
asian aros-
min tank-6'x2.5'x2' for an adult aro. These aros are illegal in the US and are commonly farm bred in asia. They get to around 2.5'. They have many different grades and colors. The agresstion verys more with them then with other aro sp.
NOW FOR YOUR ARO SELECTION HERE IS grmanrocks
Ive been searching for about 9 months now trying to find an arowana for my future 195 gallon tank. Now bare in mind my generalizations are based on various sources and not on actual experiance. That said heres what i've discovered:
Choosing an arowana is like choosing between one difficulty and another.
This is for the following reasons:
1) Silver Arowana:
Cheap(in the US at least), docile, fairly hardy, and easy to find. Sounds good right? Not really, for one they reach a size that rivals that of a captive Ariapima. But thats why we love arowanas right? So whats really wrong with them? The fact that the majority offered for sale are captive bread thus creating an abundance of defects and disorders, not to
mention less attractive fish.
The Verdict: If you can ensure the fish you're buying is wild caught , and can provide it with an adequate home then go ahead, this is the perfect Arowana for you.
2) Black Arowana:
One of my personal favorites this fish is very simmilar to its silver cousin but without the common defects beceause they are all wild caught(as far as I know at least). The downside: These fish are quickly becoming very rare due to the lack of wild numbers to sustain a fishing for them, thus they command a high price and I myself couldnt justify keeping a fish that contributed to the destruction of a majestic species of this caliber.
The Verdict:I dont think this is a good fish for any hobbiest to keep untill something is done about their wild status.
3) Jardini/Leichardti:
Hailing from down-under these 2 fish are included together due to much debate as to if they are really a different fish at all. These fish are very attractive and quite the addition to a tank...... until they bring the demise af every fish that shares their tank. Keeping these fish in a community can be done but not without risk and sometimes proves impossible.
The Verdict: If you can enjoy a tank with one resident then this fish is great for you. However if you enjoy a collection of
impressive specimines and just one large, respected, and beautiful arowana then I suggest you look elsewhere.
4) African Arowana:
Whats that giant minnow thing called? Its an African Arowana! Ok, so they aren't exactly beauty queens but they are an arowana and my personal favourite. They get about as big as Aussies (slightly smaller than the South American varieties). The only problem is that they are filter feeders and need to be fed, even in adulthood, at least twice a day, not all of us have that time and capital rescorce to accomadate these feedings.
The Verdict: If you can afford and have the time to feed this fish twice a day and dont mind its drab coloring then I highly recomend this fish.
5) Asian Arowana:
The Co De Gras of arowanas. Problem is its illegal in the US. Still its the most beautiful arowana to about anyone you ask.
The Verdict: Too bad, maybe someday we could keep these fish without having nightmares about prison. To those of you outside of the U.S
you better have on of these, they are in many ways the perfect arowana, not as big as the others, not picky, very personable, and just
plain pretty, this is THE FISH man!
There you have it, if some one has posted something along these lines then I apologise but I see a lot of posts along the lines of What kind of arowana?, Which one for me? and so on so I figured I'd compile what little I do know into an informative post for people who are new to the keeping of arowana ,like I am.
now the foods
i combined sodenoshirayuki and haos lists.
First off, this is for ALL aros, so don't ask if silvers or blacks or aussies or asians need something different. This will be for 3 sizes, baby, medium sized, and the big boys.
Remember, the key to a good diet is variety and freshness, no food has all the needed nutrients, thus you need to mix it up to maintain and
healthy diet, which spoiled food is never a good thing.
Arowana is a carnivorous fish. In wild, its food consist mainly insects, fishes, prawns, worms and small amphibians. Live food is preferred
by arowana though they can be trained to accept other food. Variety in food is a MUST to avoid nutritional deficiency. Small arowana (below 15cm> should be fed three times a day, medium arowana (15-35cm) twice a day and large arowana (above 35cm) once a day or alternate day.
If arowana is overfed for a long period of time, it may lost its appetite and starve itself for a periods of a few days. Overfeeding can also shorten the lifespan of arowana and affect its breeding capability. Live food is generally more nutritious then its counterpart. However, the risk of introducing disease into the tank is increased when live food is used. This is especially true when the live food is waterborne (live in water). Live food should be quarantine for at least a few days before feeding to the arowana. If you have doubt in certain food, the golden rule is "If in Doubt, Don't Use It". There are always other types of food available.
bref discription of some food availible
Crickets-
Crickets are nutritious food for arowana. The risk of disease transmission is very low. Use the appropriate size crickets for different size arowanas. Hard shell of crickets should be removed when feed to baby arowana to avoid intestinal injury. Use only farm raise crickets as wild caught crickets may be contaminated with insecticide. You may feed the crickets’ vitamin A rice food like carrot before feeding it to arowana. This is a good way to transfer nutrient. Vitamin A enhances color of arowana (esp. red). Crickets may be frozen to avoid hassle, the percentage of nutrients retained when frozen is uncertain and require further study.
Cockroach-
Similar to cricket. Do not feed dead cockroach to arowana as it might have been killed by insecticide. It is advisable to keep the cockroach for
a couple of days before using it; any insecticide contaminated cockroach would be death by then.
Centipedes-
Centipedes are very nutritious food for arowana. They are commonly used in Asia to enhance and intensify the color of arowana. Unfortunately the
availability of this food is low. Frozen centipedes are more readily available then live one.
Live fish-
Almost any bite size fish that is not poisonous can be arowana's food. Feeder gold, meadow, baby koi, baby catfish and small chidlid are
commonly used. There is potential risk of disease transmission when this type of food is used. Quarantine is a MUST as it will screen out most
(but not all) sick fishes. To transfer nutrient or medication to arowana, you may feed them to feeder fish right before using it. Goldfish are
believed to contained enzymes that will lead to nutritional deficiency in arowana, use it sparingly or avoid using it.
Fish meat-
Fresh fish meat can be used. Trim all the fat away and cut them to bite size, wash them before use to avoid contamination of the water. Use
frozen fish meat with caution, as it may contain denatured protein witch may lead to liver and internal organ sickness in long run. Frozen products also can contain presurvitives that can kill your fish. You should try to find some without any presurvatives.
Live prawns/shrimps
Prawns/shrimps are rich in vitamin A which enhances arowana's color. They are very nutritious food. Avoid feeding baby arowana shrimps as
their shells are hard to digest and may cause intestinal injury. Do not leave live prawns/shrimps as they can die and rot causing amonia spikes.
Once again, there is also a potential risk of disease transmission. Diseases from saltwater rarely if ever transfure to freshwater, but it is
possible.
Prawn meat Use only fresh prawns. Removal of head is recommended as it is hard to digest and also the gill may have high concentration of germs/toxin. Prepare the prawn into bite sizes and wash it before use. You can also use frozen raw shrimp. Younger aros deshell them and break them up so the aro can eat them. Older aros can eat the shell and it can improve the red tones in the fish.
krill-
Krill is a nutritious food and it is readily available. Use appropriate size krill for different size arowana. Crush the shell then soak the krill to soften the shell prior to feeding baby arowana as hard krill may cause intestinal injury. It is also kinda spendy so it can be used sparingly or to get an aro eatting.
Bloodworms-
Bloodworms are mainly used to feed baby arowana. They are nutritious food. Rinse away impurities before use. Do not feed it when frozen as it may cause intestinal upset. Avoid old age bloodworms as it is hard for baby arowana to digest. Live bloodworms are preferable but commercially available bloodworms are equally good when fresh. Freeze dry bloodworms may also used.
Tubifex worms-
Tubifex worms are collected in highly contaminated drain and should be avoid unless properly treated. Commercially breed tubifex worms claim to be cleaner but its source are sometime questionable. Remember the golden rule: "If in Doubt, Don't Use it". This goes to frozen tubifex worms too. Freeze dry tubifex worms are cleaner but possibility of germs survived through very low temperature cannot be ruled out. High heavy metal content in the source is also a worry.
Mealworms-
Mealworms are healthy and nutritious. Avoid feeding them to baby arowana as their hard shell is difficult to digest and may cause digestive problem or/and intestinal injury. Use worms that have just shed its shell. Darker color mean older shell. So choose pale looking mealworm. Drowning the worm proir to feeding is recommended if the fish accept dead worm. Head can be removed to minimize digestive problem.
Earthworms-
Earthworms are very healthy and nutritious. Risk of disease transmission is minimal. Squeezing the soil out before feeding is recommended. Or better still, feed the earthworm with nutritious food to clear the soil and transfer the nutrient. This is a highly recommended food by most aquarist.
Pellets/food sticks-
There are many commercial pellets/food sticks available. Their nutritious value varies. Choose reputable brand. Pellets/food sticks specially formulated for arowana is recommended. However, this should not be the only food of arowana.
Amphibians/Frogs-
Frogs are very nutritious food for arowana and are commonly used in Asia. You should be certain that the frogs are not poisonous before feeding them to arowana. Do not feed posinous frogs to arowanas. Frogs are believed to enhance arowana's color.
Lizard/Gecko-
Lizards and geckos are also very nutritious food for arowana and are often loved by the fish. They are usually not commercially available or demand a very high price. Geckos are found in almost every house in tropical region. Catching them is hard work but often rewarded as they enhances arowana's color. Quarantine is also recommended as they might have eaten insecticide contamination insects, even though the probability is small.
aro size to food list
Baby Aros
Freeze Dried Plankton-
This is like minature krill for small aros. This contains alot of karotene which is good for colour and it also floats so its easier for aros to start
eating. Remmeber to break off the pointy parts.
Freeze Dried/frozen Bloodworms-
Freeze dried/frozen bloodworms are very nutritious. It is also usually accepted right off the bat so you can use it to get your new baby aros to start eating. This also floats, thus it is easier for baby aros to eat. Frozen blood worms will sink after alittle time.
Baby Crickets-
Aros can almost never resist crickets. They contain little nutrients by themselves so make sure you feed them carrots before you feed the crickets to your aro. Make sure they are BABY crickets as the regular crickets will have a harder exoskeleton and will be too big for the baby aros.
Hikari Aro Foodsticks (broken into smaller peices)-
If your baby aro is eating well, it might be time to introduce one of its staple foods, foodsticks/pellets. As long as you break up the pellet/foodstick, it will be fine for your aro. This isn't just for hikari aro foodsticks, this applies with all pellets/food sticks (ie.Tropical Cichlid arowana sticks) but it is just an example as this is very well known.
Market Shrimp (deshelled, defrosted and cut small)-
Market shrimp can also be fed to aros at this size. Make sure you remove the shell and defrost fully, as frozen foods can do harm to aros. Cut it really small, small enough for it to fit in an aro's mouth.
Flake-
High quality flake can also be fed to baby aros, but should not be fed as they grow as this is not something that could fill up a bigger aro. (thanks to Bderick67 for the tip)
Medium Aros
*Everything in the "Baby Aros" section can be fed*
Hikari Aro Food sticks-
At this size, your aro is able to eat full sticks. This should be a staple food. Do not only feed this though, it is best to have variety. Again, this applies to other pellets as well, not just Hikari. Hikari is just an example, this can be applied to all other pellets.
Market Shrimp-
Market shrimp now can be fed in bigger peices, usually whole shrimps can be fed when they are deshelled with the tail removed. I personally feed with shell on as the shell contains most if not all the karotene, thus cutting it up into smaller peices is needed. Either way is fine. (WARNING: Feeding the tail has been known to puncture stomachs of aros, so only do
it if you feel safe, I wont take responsibility for it.)
Crickets-
There is really no need for this anymore and really doesn't need to be part of an aro's diet, but if your aro is sick or has lost its appetite, this is a great food to get them eating again. Again, feed crickets carrots before feeding them to aros.
Mealworms-
Mealworms contain alot of karotenoids, like karotene that will boost colours on an aro. Feeding this can be very beneficial.
Fillets-
Some people (me included) like to feed their arowana letfover fillets. This is perfectly fine as long as you know 100% that the fillets are fresh. This should not be a staple though, once in a while is good.
Freeze Dried/frozen Krill-
This is the bigger version of freeze dried/ frozen krill. All that orange you see is all beneficial karotene that will benefit your aro's colour. Remember to break off sharp points as it has been seen that sharp peices can puncture stomachs and kill aros.
Mussels, Oysters, kockles-
Mussels, oysters, and kockles are all fine to feed. Shouldn't really be used as a staple though.
Anchovies-
Anchovies are high in salt and is very beneficial to the aro's digestive system. This should not be fed too much as salt is very bad is there is too much, but a little bit will clean out their digestive system. (Thanks to Frank for the idea.)
Bloodworms-
There is no longer a need for freeze dried/ frozen bloodworms,but you still can feed bloodworms if your aro will accept it. Not recommended that you feed live bloodworms as they can transmit parasites. Also not really necessary in a staple, but thats up to you.
Nightcrawlers-
Nightcrawlers eat through the ground and collect minerals as they eat decaying matter. The minerals can benefit fish alot.
Big Aros
*Everything in the "Medium Aros" section can be fed*
Market Shrimp-
Your aro should now be able to eat full shrimp with no problems. If you feel comfortable, you can just thaw them and feed them without deshelling or taking off the tail, but again, it has been known that aros die from sharp peices of shrimp tail.
Frogs-
Frogs can be fed even at the average size but MIGHT be too big so I added it in the big size. Make sure the frogs you are feeding are not poisonous.
So to end it off, to give you a general idea of a feeding schedule it is only fair that I post my own personal one.(sodenoshirayuki)
So here it is:
1. Hikari: aro food sticks, carnivore, massivore, cichlid gold- contains most if not all necessary nutrients for an aro
2. Market prawns- whole with shell for big aros, cut up with shell for smaller aros. Shell on for karotene= better colour.
3. Mealworms- for carotanoids again for better colour.
4. Crickets (very rare)- Only used as a treat if an aro is sick or won't eat. Always fed carrots before feeding to aro.
5. Anchovies- Becuase of their high salt content, it is good for a fish's digestive system. But also becuase its high in both salt and fat, I only feed this once every 2 weeks.
6. Krill- I usually don't have krill but whenever I feed like getting some, i will feed it. Also packed full of karotene which is good for colour.
7. Everything else- Ocaisonally, I will have left over fish fillets, mussels, and sometimes oyster.
also it never herts to give your older aros a day or 2 off eatting to clean the system.
diseases of arowana
Arowana_kiss is responsible for this tid bit.
When a fish is placed in a artificial environment from its natural habitat, the chances of the fish getting disease is high. The stress due to the changed environment and also other stress factors like different feeding regime from the natural habitat and bad water quality management will also cause the fish to acquire disease. Therefore, one should be aware that keeping the stress level low is the best way to prevent disease rather than curing the fish after it acquired the disease. Generally the dragon fish have a great resistance against diseases so long as they are not weakened by bad treatment, such as spoilt food, polluted and contaminated water, lack of oxygen, sudden change in water temperature, or other conditions the result of human negligence and ignorance that will cause stress and injury to the fish. Remember that the fish remains healthy as long as it is allowed to live in an
environment to which it has adjusted.
The List below are some of the more common diseases associated with the dragon fish, their symptoms and suggested remedies.
1. Tilted (overturned) Gill Covers
Cause-
Fouled water as a result of rotting food particles and excretions. The strong presence of NH3, NO2 and NO3 can reduce the content of oxygen in the water.
Space constraint-
When the Dragon Fish is growing, it not only needs nutrition, it also needs a lot of room to move about. Otherwise, the gill covers may be affected. They may tilt over.
Change in temperature-
The temperature of the water in the aquarium should always be maintained. The sensitive gills can be affected when it is either too hot or too cold suddenly.
Symtoms-
At the initial stage, the movement of the gill covers is not regular and breathing is also faster and abnormal. Next, the gill covers may become concave and the edge may curl upwards, causing the gills to be exposed in the water. Finally, at the serious stage, the fish pushes its head up constantly to the surface for air while at the same time loses its appetite. This means the internal gills have become damaged and probably infected with bacteria, affecting the function of breathing and this can lead to death eventually.
Cure-
When it is first discovered that the Dragon Fish is not breathing properly, the water should be changed immediately. Every 2 to 3 days, 20% of the water in the aquarium should be changed. Air pump should be further activated and air bubble stones could be added so that oxygen level in the aquarium could be increased. Also, change the filter media to coral sand.
Next stage-
When the edge of the gill cover is slightly curled but not yet hardened, other than changing water, and increasing air/oxygen supply, strong water current could be created. There may be 50% chance of a cure without the need to operate.
Final stage-
When the gill cover is tilted and hardened exposing the gills, the only way left is to trim off the tissues of the tilted region. Tools needed are scissors, surgical spirit, gloves, plastic bag and a rubber sheet. Also water-proof fine sand paper to polish clean the gill cover affected by cut tissues. The above tools must be properly sterilised.
When all equipment have been properly treated, the Dragon Fish should be transferred to a smaller fish-tank leaving the original tank to be filtered and pumped with air to increase oxygen content. With 1/3 of water in the small tank, anesthesia should be administered within the plastic bag which contains the sick Dragon Fish. It must be established prior to the operation that the Dragon Fish has completely lost consciousness before it can be removed (take care not to cause dehydration). Then use a clean pair of scissors to trim the edge of the gill covers.
After cutting, it is necessary to apply antiseptic medications to the trimmed edges. The Dragon Fish should be promptly put back into its own aquarium to await its regaining of consciousness. More antiseptic medication may be added to prevent wound from being infected with bacteria.
When it regains consciousness, switch off all lights and allow the Dragon Fish to recuperate. Feeding can be stopped if it has no appetite. Additional equipment may be fitted to create waves in the aquarium. The cut portion must grow again before the operation is considered successful.
2. Cloudy Eyes
This can be caused by:
Eye-injury as a result of bad handling
Contaminated water
Symptoms-
Initially, one eye may appear cloudy. It then becomes moldy as though a membrane is hanging over it. Eventually, the eyes may swell and are covered with blueish white foreign matter. At this stage, if they are not treated may result in death or blindness.
Cure-
At the initial stage 1/3 of water should be changed and coarse salt should be added.Water temperature should also be increased to 30°C to 33°C. Observe for 2 days. If condition improves, water should be changed every third day (1/4 of water) and more salt may be added until complete recovery. At the intermediate stage, medications may be needed to
bathe the fish in. Such medications will have their own instructions to be adhere to on application. When eyes become moldy, recovery may take 3 to 5 months. If swelling subsides, medication may be reduced or stopped eventually. After recovery, eyes may appear smaller but that should be normal.
3. Protruding Scales Disease
This often occurs when Dragon Fish is young. The adult Dragon Fish seldom gets affected by this disease.
Cause-
Events causing extreme temperature changes within the aquarium.
Contaminated water.
Symptoms-
Initial stage- Scales tilt at every 5th to 8th scale. Blood traces may be seen at the root of scales. If not arrested at this stage, scales will gradually tilt, redness may appear and the scales will not be able to protect body causing bacteria attacks to the body of the Dragon Fish. The scales may all drop off causing the body to decay and the fish to die.
Cure Add coarse salt and increase temperature to 32°C to 34°C. Increase oxygen content in the water and change water (1/4) every 3 to 4 days.
Water may be heated prior to change. Add copper sulfate medications to the water.
4. Rotting Gills Disease
Caused by a type of parasite which cannot be seen by the naked eye. These parasites hide in the gills sucking and absorbing all the nutrients
from the Dragon Fish. The cells of these parasites multiply speedily at 25°C. This disease is highly contagious.
Cause:
Polluted water or water which has not been changed for a long period.
Symptoms:
The fish is breathing very fast and its color is dull.
Cure:
Similar to that of the "White Spots" Disease (see section on the "White Spots" disease)
5. Stomach Ailments
This occurs when fish is very young - mainly due to eating stale food or it may have been injured by the sharp pincer of the prawns causing the
internal wall of the stomach to be infected with bacteria, resulting in a swollen belly.
Symptoms-
Initial stage - Swollen stomach with a red swollen anal region. At the advanced stage, the Dragon Fish may be seen to have lost its balance dipping its head downwards.
Cure-
At the moment cure is limited, but commercially available fish medications may be given and water may be changed with temperature increased by 2°C to 3°C.
6. 'Red Spots' Disease
This is often regarded as a terminal disease and it affects mostly young fishes.
Symptoms-
Red spots occur on the lower back portion of the body. Early stage - patches of red spots, gradually swelling occurs, scales are upturned and finally the fish may slowly rot to death.
Cure-
Try increasing temperature to 36°C plus bathing it with fish medications available commercially.
7. Parasites
Most of these parasites come from the live food that are used to feed the Dragon Fish and are passed to the Dragon Fish during feeding. the parasites that affect the Dragon Fish are mainly the fish lice and the anchor worm.
Fish lice
Approximately 3 to 5 mm long, can be seen with the naked eye on the external body. It has a flattened body shell. It has a needle-like structure at the mouth to suck out the body fluid causing the fish to lose its lusture, at the same time causing the fish to be uncomfortable, scraping the side or bottom gravel of the aquarium.
Anchor worm
Found mainly around the fins or within the body of the fish. The head of the worm is forked and it sucks the nutrients from the fish directly. The length is about 1 cm. The affected region is often red and swollen with traces of blood and then decay sets in. An affected fish may appear to be irritable, scraping and rubbing against the sides of the aquarium and losing its appetite in the process.
Cure
The above parasites can be killed by using copper sulfate medications. The fish lice can also be gotten rid of by keeping the Dragon Fish in a concentrated salt solution. Oxygen content should be increased in the aquarium during this soaking period.
Note: Once the Dragon Fish has been infected by parasites, the tank must be sterilised.
8. 'White Spot' Disease
This disease is very common among fishes. It originates from a type of ICH bacteria. It can multiply alarmingly fast, and can flourish at body temperature 25°C from a single cell to 3000 over cells in a hour. Under high temperature, it can stop multiplying and even die.
Cause-
ICH bacteria only attack the fish with low resistance. The bacteria suck up the body fluid of the fish. The affected region looks like white powder.
Symptoms-
At initial stage, the disease affects mainly the fins. The fish that has been infected with this disease tends to scratch itself against the sides or bottom of the aquarium to rid its itch. Its appetite deteriorates greatly and fin ends starts to rot. Lastly when it attacks the gills, the fish may die. The illness should be arrested at once as it is highly contagious.
Cure-
1% salt
0.8 gm of Quinine in every litre of water.
Use available commercial preparation from Aquarium shops.
Warm the water by increasing by 2°C to 3°C in temperature and adding air-pumps to increase the oxygen level in the aquarium.
In the process of treatment, the Dragon Fish should be fed nutritious food so as to build up its physical resistance. Upon recovery, it is advisable to disinfect the entire aquarium.
INFORMATION FROM Panda Aquatic Centre
additional info of interest
steve_89's Tankmates with JARDINI (READ!!!)
Ok so this question is asked frequently on MFK. I will try and answer it. This is what I believe, feel free to add what you like and what you have experienced with keeping these guys with tankmates.
Jardini have the reputation of being the bad guys of the arowana world. They can be very nasty and a lot of us have discovered the hard way that these guys should either be kept alone or tankmates should be selected with care. I would advise you not to introduce a Jardini into a tank with a fish you dearly love. You may wake up in the morning and find them dead...
Obviously you will not want to risk any unnecessary deaths but if you insist on keeping a Jardini with tankmates it comes down to a case of trial and error. It may or may not work. Its that simple...
Don't lose hope though, there are cases where Jardini have successfully been kept in community tanks. The only thing you might lose is a lot of money and a lot of fish on the way to finding a combination that finally works. But I am sure the feeling of accomplishment will be great
Jardini also have a reputation to suddenly become aggressive after they hit the 8 inch mark. This has been found out by a lot of hobbyists so do not be fooled into thinking your Jardini is one of the rare tankmate tolerant ones. You may come home to find out that suddenly your Jardini has gone on a killing spree. It has happened before…A few tankmates I would suggest are the giant gourami, peacock bass and clown knives. A few people I know have had this combination work for them. Basically, just try to keep tankmates of a bigger size than the Jardini.
Another commonly asked question is if Leichardti will tolerate tankmates. This is hard to answer. Once again a case of trial and error. I have had Leichardti beat up 12 inch + fish. In my experience they can be just as nasty. I have seen them in large community tanks though.
Any other questions regarding the keeping of Jardini and tankmates?
Feel free to ask.
Steve
Delgado's Educating MFK on the Silver Arowana (REVISED)
Hopefully i nailed all of the errors
some new added stuff too
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Scientific Name: Osteoglossum bicirrhosum
General:
Osteoglossum bicirrhosum a.k.a silver arowana is the most common and inexpensive of all the arowana species, and yet is one of the largest growing up to 4 feet (3 being average) and in some extremely rare cases in the wild, grow almost 5FT IN LENGTH!!!!
The Silver is more elongated and has longer fins than its Asian and Australian cousins. As with all Arowanas, it has barbel-like extensions protruding from the mouth. The body can range in color from a flat silver to a rich aray of blues, reds, and pinks. The fins can carry the same variations in color as the body but can also display striping to the point where they resemble tiger markings, which is most apparent on juveniles. If raised properly, this fish can break beyond the boundaries of being just a "plain old Silver" and become a top quality fish that demands just as much attention as their Asian counterparts. A very common deformity that is striking more and more Silver Arowanas kept in captivity today is drop eye, a condition where the eye(s) constantly look down. It is of great debate of what actually causes this conditioned, but a few of the theory can be ruled out or severely questioned, such as a fatty diet. A majority of owners have raised there fish on a low fat diet and consequently
they still acquire it. The genetics theory has flaws of its own, Some hobbyist claim that it’s the captive bred silvers that acquire the drop eye due to inbreeding causing a weak gene pool, but how can this be when the majority of the country’s silvers are coming out of wild from south America? According to some (consider them semi-unreliable sources) that it is the captive bred silver arowana that are less prone to drop eye, if this is in fact true then is inbreeding really responsible for causing weak genes in fish in general or is it the wild strains of fish that are less hardy than there captive bred counterparts??? .
Getting back on topic, some say that reflection from the bottom of the tank causes the fish to look down.To answer this I did a lil investigation. and this is done on an acrylic tank bottom, not a glass one but I think the result on the glass would be the same. (feel free to question this experiment)
See the reflections??? That’s from our point of view..
Now I took some saran wrap, wrapped up my carema in it, tied it off and made it water proof. The second time, well……..now my camera is drying in front of a fan..lol.. Lets take a look under water from a fishes point of view (I zoomed out as far as I could, the figure at the top of the pic is my aros head)
its the wooden bottom, but Wheres the reflection????? If theres is no reflection then what are they looking down at/for??? You might be thinking that the fish would probably be looking down at the tankmates swimming at the bottom level of the tank, but wait…….. what if the arowana has no tankmates???...and theres No reflection????Then what the heck would the fish looking down for???? Until science (or some hobbiyst with a pay load of cash) steps up, the true cause(s) may remain unknown leaving us to dwell on theorys.
Habitat/distribution:
Silver Arowana are found naturally in white and black water floodplains and forests of South America in the freshwaters of the Amazon River Basin and maybe in the Rupununi and Oyapock Rivers, and in some still waters of Guyana as well. There is indication that they don’t go through rapids, as they haven’t promulgated further upstream. Most of the Silver Arowana are found in the swamp and flooded areas in the shallower water.
care:
Silver arowanas will adapt to most water supplys with ease, though they do need exellent water quality as in 0 ammonia & nitrite. Nitrates should be kept as low as possible, 20ppm of nitrate being ideal but lower is better. 50-75% water changes should be done at least once a week for these are large producers of high protein waste, more water changes are even better. Temperature should be between 80 and 84 degrees F. slightly higher will not harm them. Minimum tanks size for this fish (though very debatable) should be no less than 270 (6ftx3ftx2ft) gallons for a single arowana. For this fish to live comfortably, grow and live to its FULL potential however, A 478 gal (8ft x 4ft x2ft ) would be the ideal tank size for LIFE (this is of great debate as well). Silver Arowanas are known to be quite "skittish" as far as fish go. They get scared very easily so a heavy tight fitting lid is a nessesity, and these fish are powerful jumpers, a sturdy lid made of materials such as acrylic should be used as arowana have been know to smash straight through glass lids, also a heavy object should be place over the lid as a large silver can knock a lid clear off the tank (as i have experienced) as for tank mates it all comes down to the fish’s personality itself. As rule of thumb, no tankmate should be kept with this fish that can fit in its mouth. Anything smaller and its at your own risk. ( i have successfully kept small fish with a silver arowana, smallest being 2.5 inches and not a single attempt to eat it or any other of my fish for that matter). Again it all comes down to the personality of the individual fish
Feeding:
the Silver Arowana is a pure carnivorous fish and will take a variety of meaty foods. The most important thing is to get your fish on a high quality commercial diet of pellets or food sticks, This should be the staple of the fishes diet, avoid goldfish as they have a high fat content, contain an enyme that inhibits the absorbtion of thiamin and can carry diseases & parasites.
Live feeders are a good food source given that they are quarantined and gut loaded, now when I say "gut load" I don’t mean buy them stuff the heck out of them and then feed them. To get the best out of your feeders, instead of feeding them prior to feeding your predators, wait a little while, let the feeders grow and bulk up. Feed a high quality commercial food and keep the water as pristine as possible, you increase the nutrient potency of the fish by letting them “fatten up”, not nessesarily making them higher in fat content, but make the fish grow leaner, stronger and healthier, once they reach this point you are ready to feed them out, also a healthy feeder will be full of energy and give your arowana literally an “run” for there money or should I say “exercise” . Silver Arowanas can eat a wide variety of foods: pellets, grocery store shrimp, krill, night crawlers, superworms, earth worms, scallop's, blood worms, tubefix worms (NO LIVE: these are collected from contaminated areas), rosie red minnows, various live fish such as guppies, sunnies (sunfish), mollies, crickets, various fish fillet (catfish, tilapia, halibut, etc) , squid, grasshopper (for larger arowanas).frogs, specifically bullfrogs, centipedes, crayfish and even pinky mice. Sometimes a little patients is required to get this fish to eat certain food items such as for example pellets. This can be accomplishes by periods of fasting until they accept the food item.
THIS ONLY APPLIES TO HEALTHY SILVER AROWANAS. Sick or malnurished fish may get worse or may not survive from fasting, a suppliment of garlic extract or other food enticer may get this fish to accept it's food. The idea is to keep the diet as varied as your possibly can (or afford), the purpose of a varied diet is make sure the fish is getting all the nutrients it needs that it’s not getting from a single type of food.
Tip: if you want the full potential color out of your Silver Arowana, start at a young age. Feed a high quality color enhancing food such as hikari carnivorous food sticks, cichlid gold, or a new life spectrum formula, omega
one is a good brand also. Another way is to purchase crickets of the correct size, and gut load them on the commercial food (soak first) and add baby carrot to the diet( the carrots also provide moisture for the crickets), once your crickets are done eating you are ready to serve them out to your young silver. The carrots should greatly enhance the pink and reds in the fish.
Special note: a vitamin supplement should be added to the diet daily for
extra health benefits. Very good for conditioning a silver before breeding. It also restores the nutrient value of defrosted frozen foods as many
nutrients are lost in the defrosting process.
breeding:
Silver arowanas aren't that hard to breed as some may think, provided the tank/pond is big enough and you have a pair. A pair is obtained by raising a group together and watching them pair off. If you live in a warmer climate successful breeding will be more easily accomplished if you have an outdoor pond. Arowanas are mouth brooders, meaning the eggs are hatched in the parent's mouths specifically the males mouth. The growing fry will also be raised in this location till they are about 42 days old.
noted observation: from my experience the female seems to stop eating 3-4 week before she lays her eggs. And becomes very agressive in that time.
Longevity:
The average lifespan of a silver arowana in captivity is between 15-20 years. However with optimal care throughout its whole life, this fish is said to up to 50 years (possibly more).
