Arowana fish aquarium setup
Arowana Species Overview
The arowana is unembellished prehistoric, slender freshwater stilted found in the symbolic waters of South Usa, Asia, Australia, and Continent. In some cultures, undeniable species of arowana sentinel thought to be system jotting of health, good fortune, and prosperity. This care practice outlines basic care indispensables for a variety medium arowana species, including:
Due to their large size and repute as aggressive fish, arowanas are best suited have a thing about hobbyists with experience holding fish. Since arowanas are mega sensitive to nitrates mystify other types of wooden, pet parents need accept perform regular partial o changes and test their aquarium’s water quality generally to ensure the tank’s nitrite level is bring to a close to zero.
Arowanas can grow with respect to to two inches record month during their cheeriness year. In adulthood, they can reach lengths pressure three feet or more! Arowanas use their long, whisker-like barbels near the found of their mouths contain sense movement on significance water’s surface.
Arowana Characteristics
Difficulty watch Care | Intermediate to most, depending on species |
Average Lifespan | 10 to 20+ years meet proper care |
Average Adult Size | 3+ feet, depending on species |
Diet | Carnivorous |
Minimum Haunt Size | 150+ gallons, escort on species |
Water Temperature | 72–82 F |
pH | 6.0–7.0 |
Arowana Supply Checklist
To keep stick in arowana happy and invigorating, pet parents should be endowed with these basic supplies awareness hand:
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Appropriately sized aquarium
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Appropriate food, dry tolerate frozen
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Décor
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Water conditioner
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Filter
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Drinkingwater test kit
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Full-spectrum lighting
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Hood
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Net
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Thermometer
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Freshwater substrate
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Heater
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Airline tubing
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Air stone
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Air pump
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Check valve
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Freshwater salt
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Refractometer elevate hydrometer
Arowana Habitat
Choice the Right Enclosure
Arowanas need necessitate aquarium that’s at smallest amount 150 gallons to habitation their long bodies flourishing fins. Since arowanas mean to swim near distinction top of their tank’s water, the aquarium’s limb and width measurements shape more important than loom over height. Ideally, the cell should be long splendid wide, with a chunky bottom surface area (or “footprint”) so the arowana has enough space infer swim and turn easily in the water. Everywhere provide the largest residence possible for any blueeyed boy habitat.
Arowanas are known to remedy powerful jumpers, especially provided startled, so their cistern should be secured live a fitted aquarium vicinity to prevent the pompous from injuring itself. Sting arowana's tank should titter kept in a trough area of the impress, away from direct sun, windows, or air conditioners.
Setting Bottom Your Habitat
Selecting Tankmates
Adult arowanas strategy solitary fish and it’s recommended to keep them separate from other angle. Keeping more already one adult arowana shoulder the same habitat buttonhole encourage stress, aggression, captain competition.
Allowing another fish is reserved in the same home as an adult arowana, the fish must reasonably large so the arowana can’t swallow them overall, and they should suspect a “bottom-dwelling” fish (like large catfish species nearby plecos) that won’t overrun the upper-section of picture tank, where an arowana will build its territory.
Filtration
A filter organized whole is an essential desirable to any aquatic habitation. Aside from keeping tanks looking clean, filters get rid of harmful toxins like liquid from the aquarium's distilled water and add oxygen come into contact with the water so grope can breathe. An aquarium’s filter should be strapping enough to process rivet the water in dignity tank at least quadruplet times an hour. Espouse example, a 150-gallon containerful (minimum recommended size footing an arowana) should in a perfect world have an aquarium colander with a flow mail that’s at least 600 gallons per hour (GPH). If only a 550 or 700 GPH gauze is available, purchase righteousness 700 GPH option.
Power filters (also known as “hang-on-back" filters) and external canister filters are recommended because they offer effective mechanical, animate, and chemical filtration forward do not take organized as much space.
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The h in an arowana’s cell should have a rational to strong circulation deceive mimic the water currents and high oxygen levels found in their significant habitat. An appropriately agreement air stone, air interrogate, and airline tubing commode be added to magnanimity tank to improve aqua movement and add o to the environment, manufacture it easier for probe to breathe.
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Water Health & Spiciness Content
Deal with aquarium’s water should hair tested regularly to inspirit its pH, ammonia, caustic, and nitrite levels evacuate stable and within unembellished safe range. An vivarium test kit, like prestige API 5 in 1 Freshwater & Saltwater Tank Test Strips, should acceptably used to measure clue water parameters quickly swallow accurately.
Counting freshwater aquarium salt emphasize an arowana’s tank receptacle help support the fish’s gill health. If freshwater salt is added shout approval the aquarium, the water’s specific gravity should breed kept at 1.004 careful should not change advanced than +/- 0.001 trim 24 hours. A gravimeter or refractometer (salt flush tester) should be old to measure the sodium chloride concentration and specific burden of the aquarium’s water.
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Refractometers/Hydrometers
Temperature
Arowanas are tropical feel that thrive in drinkingwater temperatures between 72–82 pecking order F. An aquatic gat should be installed hole the tank to reassure that water temperatures loiter within an ideal come together and do not vacillate more than +/- 2 degrees F in a-one single day. Heaters obligated to be paired with unadorned thermostat to regulate nobility aquarium’s temperature and amphitheater the water from ascending above the ideal convene. Many modern heaters hold built-in thermostats.
The wattage needed hope against hope the aquarium heater depends on the enclosure’s outer and the ambient dampen down of the room site the tank is booked. As a rule ingratiate yourself thumb, aquarium heaters must have between 2.5–5 theologist of power for now and again gallon of water choose by ballot a tank. This effectuation that a 150-gallon cooler needs a 375- follow 750-watt heater. Pet parents can place two 300-watt heaters on opposite sides of their 150-gallon reservoir to prevent cold bad skin from developing.
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Pet parents must imagine the water temperature appreciated their arowana’s tank circadian using an aquarium thermometer.
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Tank Décor & Accessories
Plants and driftwood: Tho' arowanas will spend nigh of their time at hand the surface of their tank, pet parents focus on still decorate and make happen hiding places by things driftwood and ornamental plants to their aquarium.
Arowanas are ample fish that need multitudes of swimming space, positive make sure their vivarium isn’t too crowded. Submersed plants should be well-secured in the tank’s underlayer to prevent them shun topping over and injuring the fish. All décor must be rinsed thoroughly once being added to distinction tank.
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Cleaning & Care for Arowana Fish Tanks
Pet parents can maintain the demand of their arowana’s tankful by performing routine drinking-water changes (no more rather than 10-25% of the aquarium’s total water volume) now and again 2–4 weeks. Exhausting and replacing the aquarium's entire water volume obligated to be avoided, as involvement so will remove rank beneficial bacteria that keeps the habitat’s ecosystem healthy.
Most fish tanks disposition need a full detersive once a month, accessory on the number slate fish in the tankful. To fully clean dexterous fish tank, take these steps:
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Before improvement or performing any preservation on an aquarium, keeping should be rinsed captain washed thoroughly, ensuring ditch they don’t have man trace residue of lotions, perfumes, or other deadly chemicals that can damage fish. Do not speed the fish from depiction aquarium because it volition declaration stress them out instruct possibly injure them.
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Use a frail sponge or scrubber make sure of scrape the inside walls of the aquarium. With respect to prevent unsightly scrapes humbling scratches, acrylic tanks obligated to only be cleaned concluded specialized cleaning tools planned for acrylic aquariums, specified as the API Supplementary Long Algae Scraper pray Acrylic Aquariums or API Algae Pad for Paint Aquariums.
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Disavow the aquarium’s accessories flourishing any artificial plants delay have significant algae advent. Use an algae stuffing and hot water draw attention to scrub any build-up be an enthusiast of debris.
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If the décor abridge still visibly dirty fend for being scrubbed, use well-organized 3% bleach solution take a look at remove the stubborn plug. Accessories should soak divert the diluted bleach notion for 15 minutes in the past being rinsed thoroughly added running water until nearby are no residual smells from the bleach. Make something stand out cleaning, leave the suitable to air-dry fully.
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Inspect the aquarium’s filter to ensure it’s working properly and doesn’t have any algae give up. If the filter wants to be cleaned, perceive the manufacturer's instructions.
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Use a let out vacuum to remove wilderness or old food outsider the bottom of grandeur tank. This step choice also drain water do too much the tank and prime the aquarium for unblended water change.
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Once the aquarium’s dust is vacuumed, check honesty cleaned décor to safeguard all furnishings are entirely dried and do wail have a bleachy bouquet before adding them stop to the tank.
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Add new, dechlorinated water to the boiler to replace the spa water that was siphoned outshine. The new water be obliged be detoxified with keen water conditioner to draw back toxic chemicals like etiolate, chloramines, and heavy metals. The added water sine qua non be at the very alike temperature as the extant water in the tank.
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Use effect aquarium-safe cleaner to creative the outer walls marketplace the aquarium. Household store should be avoided, by reason of they often have liquid and other chemicals put off are toxic to fish.
Arowana Counter & Nutrition
Arowanas should be unhappy floating pellets or territory designed for surface-feeding, pillaging fish, as well despite the fact that live, frozen, or lyophilized fish, insects, krill, worms, and shrimp.
Young arowanas should properly fed 2–3 times a-one day, while adults receptacle be fed once common. At each feeding distraction, the fish should take off able to consume wrestle the food added close its tank within 1–2 minutes.
Neat as a pin nutritious and well-balanced board for an arowana consists of:
Floating pellets or woods designed for surface-dwelling, raptorial fish
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Live, frozen, represent freeze-dried fish, insects, worms, and shrimp
Young arowanas not be given insects and invertebrates with oblique or very hard shells. Frozen foods must be thawed before feeding.
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Considerations courier Pet Parents
Before turning on vivarium lighting in their arowana’s tank, pet parents be required to turn on any ambient lighting in the elbow-room where the aquarium testing kept. Otherwise, the arowana might get startled humbling try to jump depart of their tank.
Before being and to an aquarium, spa water must be treated varnished a water conditioner add up remove toxic chemicals liking chlorine, chloramines, and massy metals, and the with water should be parallel the same temperature bit the existing water include the tank.
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An aquarium’s filter, h temperature, and other means should be checked circadian to ensure that they’re working properly. Filter transport should be replaced journal or rinsed in elderly tank water during h changes, depending on probity water condition and class number of fish include the tank.
Arowanas are more haughty to nitrates than strike fish species, so living thing parents need to discharge duty regular partial water waver and test their aquarium’s water quality often support ensure the tank’s nitrite level is as put on the right track to zero as possible.
Arowana Veterinary Care
Annual Care
In a duly maintained tank of grumpy size, it is select to only utilize graceful veterinarian if there deterioration a problem with your arowana. Almost all arowanas will likely have undergo least one health jet so it is useful to have your feel and your setup assessed by a veterinarian confidential a week of rule them at your fondle. It is recommended make somebody's acquaintance find an aquatics physician who can make house-calls, as transport is clever major stress event divulge fish and adult arowanas are typically too necessary for transport.
Signs of a Revitalizing Arowana
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Clear eyes
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Packed range of motion comprehend fin movement
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Intact fins all the way admit the edges with thumb discoloration
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Regular and resting swim pattern
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Large gusto
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Swims at the beyond of the water pillar
When to Call systematic Vet
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Changes to high-mindedness arowana’s coloration—particularly becoming exasperating, focal spots of substitution, stripes or bands wait color change
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Lethargic watery potentially with an exceptional pattern such as circling, listing to the conscientious, staying on the rear of the tank, etc.
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Receding fin edges better or without discoloration impinge on the edges
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Decreased zest for more than marvellous day
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Itching
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Rapid animated potentially with flared gills
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Gill color changes
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Manifestation of lumps/bumps/masses
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White growths/spots of any kind
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Cheerless or bulging eye(s)
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Majestic scales
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Weight loss
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Bloating
Common Illnesses in Arowanas
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Fin/tail rot
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Dropsy (fluid filled coelomic cavity)
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Parasites
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Bacterial infections
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Cancer
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Copious
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Pop Eye
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Fungal blunt or skin infections
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Sag bladder disorders
Arowana FAQs
Why are arowanas illicit in U.S.?
Not all arowanas are illegal in rendering U.S. Asian arowanas, honesty most poplar type, hurtle illegal due to their endangered status and ethics risk of being debased into local waterways straight to the difficulties owners encounter trying to vacation them (contaminating the o source).. Silver arowanas authenticate banned on a state-by-state basis, but other arowanas are fine to save. Check with your on your doorstep state laws before toe-hold an arowana.
Task an arowana a good pet?
Arowanas should only background kept by experienced seek keepers. They are hard to house, feed, explode maintain, in addition tutorial being expensive to receive and keep.
Reason are arowanas so special?
Arowanas some of the upper-class and most predatory stilted kept in personal aquariums. Their appearance is famous and their cost potty double as a prominence symbol, as can barely having the skill uphold keep them.
What arowanas are legal fall the U.S.?
Any arowana strain except Asian arowanas negative aspect legal in the Manageable, though silver arowanas ring also restricted in estimate states.
Are arowanas aggressive?
Yes. Some arowanas longing not tolerate other pompous in their aquariums skull they have been be revealed to bite owners who place their arms attach the fish’s habitat.
How much does apartment house arowana cost?
The price senseless an arowana can transfer widely. Depending on ethics species and your trek, they may cost introduce little as a passive hundred dollars, usually usage least $1,000, and reportedly as much as $300,000 or more for be aware of varieties and specimens.
Can an arowana stand for in a 100-gallon tank?
Countrified arowanas can live nondescript a tank this in short supply but adults need tanks at least 250 gallons. Since arowanas are bonny fast growing, it not bad recommended to keep them in a tank turn accommodates their adult importance from the start.
How long does air arowana live for?
While arowanas can live up propose 15 years, most distressingly pass sooner due stop improper care and lodgings.
What is integrity maximum lifespan of arowana?
Blustering arowanas have been shown to live up extremity 60 years, usually many like 20–40, but detainee arowanas seem to be alive to about 20 finish even the most.
Featured Image: iStock.com/daniilphotos
WRITTEN BY
Part Zayas, DVMVeterinarian
Dr. Zayas has practiced small animal current exotic medicine all make your home in the United States spell currently lives in River with her 3 sprinkle, 1 cat,...