SHOULD I BUY AN AROWANA

[Moony42]

HI TFF. IN MY LOCAL FISHSHOP I SAW A CUTE BABY AROWANA. HOWEVER I DON'T KNOW A THING ABOUT THEM. CAN YOU GUYS TELL ME WHAT SHOULD I GET AND GIVE THE AROWANA IF I BUY IT?

 

[Colin_T]

Arowana are not suitable for aquariums because they grow to 3 foot long. Do not buy one.

 

[Moony42]

HOW ABOUT A POND?

 

[Moony42]

I WILL START WITH A TANK AND THEN A POND

 

[The Lumpfish Guy]

I would suggest you don't buy this fish, as Colin says they are large fish and require large amounts of food care and have long life spans.
I have seen quite a few people starting to look at these fish, as they have become more popular as the King of DIY has on youtube. Nemo effect i think...

 

[Moony42]

I KNOW AROWANAS ARE PREDATORY BUT WHAT DO THEY EAT[WHICH FISH]

 

[PheonixKingZ]

I’m not sure what they eat. I have seen plenty of people in real life, and also in YouTube (King of DIY), keep Arawana’s correctly, you just need to make sure that before you buy any fish, you have the funds to keep the “project” going for as long as the fish is living.

 

[Colin_T]

If you are new to fish keeping, DO NOT GET AN AROWANA.

They are not a fish for beginners and should not even be for sale because they get too big for the average aquarium. Adult Arowana need a pond at least 20 foot long x 10 foot wide x 3 foot deep, or bigger.

I am not going into their food because I don't think you or anyone else should be keeping them. I'm sorry if that sounds like I'm being a bastard, but they are big fish that don't belong in tanks, and people shouldn't even contemplate keeping them unless they have had some previous fish keeping experience, and you have a huge pond for them to live in.

 

[Byron]

If you are new to fish keeping, DO NOT GET AN AROWANA.

They are not a fish for beginners and should not even be for sale because they get too big for the average aquarium. Adult Arowana need a pond at least 20 foot long x 10 foot wide x 3 foot deep, or bigger.

I am not going into their food because I don't think you or anyone else should be keeping them. I'm sorry if that sounds like I'm being a bastard, but they are big fish that don't belong in tanks, and people shouldn't even contemplate keeping them unless they have had some previous fish keeping experience, and you have a huge pond for them to live in.

Very good advice. This is one of the several fish species that it should be illegal to sell to anyone without a license (such as a public aquarium).

 

[Guppylover3x]

I agree with the above advice, these species get too large for tanks.

More experienced fish keepers that use tanks to house this species keep tanks around 400g+

Even this is not big enough sometimes, I would say it’s almost cruelty to keep them in tanks overall.

 

[FishFinatic77]

I agree with everyone else here. This fish gets HUGE, and it is hard to keep them.
If I were you, I would not attempt to keep this fish. It is not worth spending the money to buy it, and then struggle to find a place big enough for it.
This fish should really not be sold, because they may look cute when they're little, but then they turn into 4 foot long monsters.
Listen to all the advice on here, and don't buy one.

 

[Moony42]

ok guys I looked up size comparisions and saw that they grow up to monster length.
there is no way I am buying them.

 

[Stan510]

I had about 30 years ago a 30" Arowana that grew from a little girl...it became a hefty fish with red edged scales...very nice for a S.A. Arowana.
After five years,she jumped out.
Never again.
ONLY if you have a truly big home aquarium..at least 500 gallons.
They are easy to feed. Smelt,Beefheart,pellets....I had a dead mouse in a mousetrap...fed it to the fish. One gulp.
In the wild they were said to once reach 5' in length. I believe it since mine at five years was closing in on 3'.

 

[Metalhead88]

Seems like OP has been steered the right way.

Just to add, I'd never suggest purchasing any fish that you do not currently have a large enough tank set up for. The "I'm going to upgrade when he grows" idea never works out.

 

[Stan510]

I'm pretty sure mine was a female..large girth. I knew an Arowana expert who said that males have mouths that jut over the upper " lip".
Just wanted to add that..