This fish will grow up to be very large and should be kept in a tank no smaller than 100 gallons if you want it to grow healthy. They are said to be very slow growers and with my experience with these fish it is every bit true. They are said to grow much slower than Silver Arowanas.

When buying this fish make sure that it no longer has the yolk sac attached to it. They are much more fragile if the yolk sac is still attached and this should be avoided because they have high blood pressure which gives them a lesser chance of survival.

Tank Setup

Provide a large aquarium with a sandy substrate. Leave plenty of open swimming space near the top of the tank, and decorate the aquarium with bogwood and hardy plants. The tank should be no less than 75 gallons.

Feeding

It is best to start off feeding your Arowana bits of tropical flake food, then switching to small pellets and live foods. Some Arowanas, however, will only take live foods, at least to begin with. Feeding the fish crickets or meal worms daily is beneficial. It is said that if you feed the meal worms bone marrow, then feed the worms to your Arowana then it greatly enhances the color of your fish.

Water Chemistry

It is important to your fish's health that the water is in perfect condition; pH 6.5-6.8 and a temperature of up to 82 degrees. The water in the tank should be very calm. Use a strong filtration system, also carrying out weekly water changes.

Breeding

As with other Arowana species, the Black Arowana is a mouthbrooder, the male incubating the eggs and fry in his mouth. The fry appear months later when they are about 4 inches long with a yolk sac.