Silver Arowana Compatability

[MoonstruckMuse]

Hello all!
I'm a bit new to these forums, so please bear with me if I do something stupid or... yeah, stupid.

Two summers ago, our LFS had this silver arowana(4in) that had gotten mauled by some other fish. The guy essentially gave him to us, and told us he didn't really fancy the chances of the little guy living. But, of course, somehow his health turned around, and here we are, a 16" fish stuck in a 46gallon tank. Not fun for the poor dear.
There's a nice 125 gallon tank (72in long) being set up at the moment, so he'll soon be a lot more comfortable then he used to be. I don't think he'll really grow all that large, since he grew slower & a bit more stunted then other arowanas of his age, possibly because of the injury. It's been 2.5 years that we've had him, now. I heard they're supposed to be 2ft by the end of a year or something?

Right now, we've been shopping around for fish that would be compatible with the future size and requirements that he presents. He's fairly mild and not that bad of a jumper; he got along with my 14" ghost knifefish(sternachella schotti) for most of last year. Our LFS has suggested fish like Oscars, Red-tailed Catfish, Tinfoil Barbs, Silver Dollars, Pirahnas, Plecos, and fw Stingrays.
I'm not a big fan of the oscars or pirahnas, and I think the barbs dashing around might agitate him. (can anyone tell me what they'd be like with the aro?) The Red-tailed Cat is gorgeous, but the fee for buying one is rather exorbitant as well, and as a future college student..... yeah. I also heard that they may regurgitate things and drastically throw off the pH?

Silver Dollars & Stingrays... now, those sound delightful. We'd probably buy at least a school of 3-6 Dollars if we chose that, can anyone tell me if that would be manageable for a tank of this size with these specifications? Like, are they of similar pH & such?

Sting rays I REALLY adore. I just think they're adorable, even when they span 3 feet or so, heh. Again, I've seen plenty of people keep Arowanas with sting rays, and it's always quite impressive, but I must wonder... do they fight? Our LFS told us we should buy 3 of them so they aren't "overpowered" by the arowana, but that seems like too much for our tank - he said they don't care about space. Could anyone clarify? Since my tank isn't too wide, I'd love to get smaller varieties, like the P. orbignyi, hystrix, or laticeps. Would that still be too close in size for them to live comfortably? Ahhh, and of course... the barb. I've heard of them being removed surgically/people removing it at home - what are the pros and cons of this? And would this barb potentially kill my arowana?

If there's any other species that are ideal, please feel free to suggest away!

As for environment... Would it be possible to grow Nymphaea Lotus plants in the same tank? I'm hoping that'll cut down on the ammonia/nitrate/nitrite buildup, and provide shade for the arowana, as well as discourage him from jumping. The blooming lotuses would also be a rather nice touch to a tank, I think.

Thank you for all your help!

 

[CFC]

A 125 wont be large enough to keep stingrays, even the smallest species Potamotrygon scobina grows to have a disc diameter of 12" and these are by a long way not an easy fish to find, you are far more likely to find the more common rays like Potamotrygon motoro (20" disc size) or Potamotrygon orbygini (16" disc size) both of which require a tank which has a front to back measurement of at least 30 inches, your lfs guy is talking out of his behind and clearly knows nothing at all about keeping stingrays if he thinks they dont need room, stingrays are some of the most active fish going and will litterally curl up and die if kept in too small of a tank for the long term. De-barbing is cruel and unnessesary, the barb is used for defence and i have never heard of a stingray harming tankmates with it, there have been some clumsy hobbiests that have been on the wrong end of a stinger but stings from captive rays are never fatal with prompt medical care.
Unless you absolutely know that you will have a tank that is at least 60x30x24" within 2 years then rays are not a really an option.

I have no idea why the shop would recomend a redtailed catfish, this is a fish that will reach a minimum of 3 feet long and have more bulk than your average medium sized dog, you need public aquarium sized tanks or a pond to keep these fish. They also have a penchant for swallowing anything that fits into their mouth which includes long thin fish which slip down like spagetti, many an arowana has met its end in the jaws of an RTC.

And pirahnas!! That just doesnt even need further comment, the lfs worker that suggested that one seriously needs to do some research on the feeding habbits of pirahna before they go recomending them for mixed tanks.

Silver dollars, medium sized non aggressive South American Cichlids, medium sized South American catfishes and non aggressive suitably sized oddballs like bichirs and spiny eels are all possible tankmates for a silver arowana, just avoid anything that occupis the same level of the tank as arowanas can be very territorial of the surface and dont keep any habbitual fin nippers in the tank as arowanas make easy targets.

 

[cane76]

this lfs sounds exceptionally bad or at least the employee who advised you

 

[mr williams]

My lfs has a red tailed catfish but they also have a large sign indicating its not for sale and should never be put up for sale by any lfs. I thought this was most responsible.

I'm not expert but plecos sound like a good safe option to me. I've seen an oscar in with an arrow at my lfs and they seemed to fight constantly..........

 

[MoonstruckMuse]

Heh, silly LFS then.

Hmm, I knew RTC were large, but not quite so huge. All three of the LFS around where I live sell them, from some as little as 3 inches or so to the 1footers. That's rather... irresponsible, to make it so readily available & buyable. =/

Thanks for the suggestions, CFC & Mr Williams. I'll definitely look into those - plecos are always nice, I just thought they might not be able to hold their ground against an arrowana. ^^"
As for the cichlids & catfish you mentioned, could you throw out a few of their common names for me? I've probably seen them, but just don't connect the name & fish, heh. I'm not so great with names.

The bichir? I've never even considered keeping one with an Aro, though I must admit, I'd LOVE to care for one. They're so awesome. ^__^ However, I've yet to see one in any stores around me, heh. Could you give me an expected price range for one of the larger species, at about a foot or so long?

Heh, I have a feeling I'm going to stick to the Silvers & a pleco. Would 6 of them be too much & overload my tank?

Thanks SO much for all this help. It's nice to have somewhere reliable to look for more info. =)

 

[CFC]

For catfish look at some of the larger Pimelodus species such as Pimelodus ornatus or Pimelodus blochii, Sorubim lima shovel noses are another nice option. For Cichlids look at things like Severums, Chocolate Cichlids and Blue Acara's

I've got no idea on the prices of fish in the US as i'm in England but i would expect them to be similar in dollars to what we pay in pounds so for a decent sized ornate bichir you'd be looking at about $30 or so.


Redtailed catfish can get seriously large, we have an exotic pet rescue center near to where we live and they have a large indoor pool filled with unwanted overgrown fish including a 5 foot long 150lb redtailed catfish If there was ever a competition for most unsuitable aquarium fish RTC would certainly be up there with the finalists.

 

[MoonstruckMuse]

Excellent! I've seen all of those fish at my LFS, for fairly reasonable prices at nice sizes. Haha, you have no idea how excited this makes me. I'll have to stop there later tonight. =)

Augh, poor RTC. They seem to be such great fish, that's really sad.

 

[catxx]

Redtailed catfish can get seriously large, we have an exotic pet rescue center near to where we live and they have a large indoor pool filled with unwanted overgrown fish including a 5 foot long 150lb redtailed catfish If there was ever a competition for most unsuitable aquarium fish RTC would certainly be up there with the finalists.

where is this fantastical place???

 

[CFC]

Its called the Aquatic Experience and is situated next to the London butterfly house in Syon Park, Isleworth/Brentford.

Its a interesting little place with fish, reptiles, spiders and all sorts of exotic stuff, great if you have kids and dont fancy the crowds of a zoo, though its better to visit out of the school holdiays to get the best from it.

Their website seems to be down at the moment but its quite easy to find and not too pricey to get in.

 

[fish-r-fancy]

I live in Rhode Island and my lfs sells ornate bichir at 8 inches for $15 and they sell 6 inch ornates for $12.

 

[rob newland]

Wow thats cheap .
I traded a load of crummy community fish from another tank for my 6" ornate bichir but the guy said it was a rough value of £15.
Rob

 

[MoonstruckMuse]

Fish-r-fancy, I really wish I lived closer to RI now. ::sigh:: Could I maybe ask for the store's name & number? I'd love to see if I can work out some way to get one down here. <3

With milder ciclids like the severums, should they be kept in groups, an how many comprises a group?

Ah, and our LFS is trying to sell us a tiger shovelnose cat now. He says it's like a sorubim lima shovelnose, but I could have sworn I've seen some GIANT tiger swimming around before. Another fish to avoid, or is this fella actually a possibility?

 

[cane76]

tiger shovelnose cats are not a option im afraid they get far to big
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=34304

 

[fish-r-fancy]

Fish-r-fancy, I really wish I lived closer to RI now. ::sigh:: Could I maybe ask for the store's name & number? I'd love to see if I can work out some way to get one down here. <3

With milder ciclids like the severums, should they be kept in groups, an how many comprises a group?

Ah, and our LFS is trying to sell us a tiger shovelnose cat now. He says it's like a sorubim lima shovelnose, but I could have sworn I've seen some GIANT tiger swimming around before. Another fish to avoid, or is this fella actually a possibility?

The store's name is The Fish Bowl. I don't think I have the number around anywhere, but if I do I will defiently post it for you.

 

[Fate2006]

Clown Knives make a good tank mate for Silver arowanas... i've got mine with 1... tinfoil barbs I've heard are good, I've seen Bichirs and Gars kept with them too... I've got a dino bichir with mine and they're fine...