how long till a baby arowana out grows a 55
- Thread starter Hans
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What species is it? It definitely needs to be out of there after the first year, assuming it is a baby now (still has the sack). You can keep the australian a little longer in the 55 than the silver, though. They do grow very fast in the first couple of years, so if you have the oportunity to transfer them to a larger tank I would do it asap. Foodwise, they can eat feeders safely by the time they are 4-5 inches, but not in large quantity. The vegetables and supplements are fair game, but if you want more carnage then you could pick up some miniature frogs as well.
If it starts in a 70-100 it will probably grow faster than in a 55. That has always been the case in my dealings with them. For the silvers I would aim at getting them out of a 90g by the end of year two, and for an australian you could go even longer. That said, it will still not be ideal. I know a lot of owners who have kept arowanas in a 90-100 gallon tank for their entire lifespans, with very mixed results. It is generally a bad idea. Dimensions are a big deal. It is best to cut down on height of the tank if you need to reduce gallonage, and anything over 4 feet in length and 2 feet in width is typically acceptable for full-grown australians. Most specialists suggest a tank in the range of 110 to 170 gallons (on the smaller side) for adult specimens, but in my practice it has seemed that anything over 125 gallons is suitable for an adult (Australian) arowana. Silvers do much better with an extra 20 to 50 gallons, but they also do not require as large as a tank width.
To answer your question more specifically, you do not need to worry about upgrading from the 90g for at least a year and a half. When you do, and when the fish is about 15 inches or so, you should aim for something 150+ gallons for a single fish. A good dimension set is 72 L x 30 W x 24 H. What a lot of expereinced owners often fail to mention, however, is that the water quality is superordinate to tank size for these particular fish. As far as I am concerned, I would feel much better with a 125g tank with excellent water conditions than a 175g with merely good conditions. Of course, 175 with excellent water sounds a lot better than both
. If you have the money and the space, go as big as you can though- It is great to watch these fish thrive, and at the 300-400g range you can actually consider keeping a group of them rather than a lone specimen.
To answer your question more specifically, you do not need to worry about upgrading from the 90g for at least a year and a half. When you do, and when the fish is about 15 inches or so, you should aim for something 150+ gallons for a single fish. A good dimension set is 72 L x 30 W x 24 H. What a lot of expereinced owners often fail to mention, however, is that the water quality is superordinate to tank size for these particular fish. As far as I am concerned, I would feel much better with a 125g tank with excellent water conditions than a 175g with merely good conditions. Of course, 175 with excellent water sounds a lot better than both
. If you have the money and the space, go as big as you can though- It is great to watch these fish thrive, and at the 300-400g range you can actually consider keeping a group of them rather than a lone specimen.
i assumed they only ate food that floated, do they go down and chase feeder fish around the depths of the tank?? or do oyu have to hand feed them?
They should chase live food around the tank - give it a try and see what happens. Hand feeding is not necessary though. How big is it now anyway?
They have a low domestic survival rate at very young ages. Many dont make it past their "sack days". You should buy them once they have lost the sack if you can.