Silver Arowana

Raskolnikov

Raskolnikov

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Jan 2, 2005
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To any of you who have or had a silver arowana, I was wondering what you fed it and what tank size and tankmates (if any) you have it with. I've been hearing a lot of conflicting info on this fish, and if possible I would like to get one for my 210g tank. This would give the fish an actual horizontal table of 23" x 71" to swim in.

So far I've heard that it's aggressive, it's peaceful, it maxes out at around 24", it maxes out at around 48", it will be fine in a 180g tank, and that one would need at least 300g to house one. I've rarely come across so much conflicting info concerning a hobby fish.

So I'm thinking that perhaps it's too large of a fish for me to currently house, and at best I'd be able to care for one for a while and then have to resell it after it gets about 18-20" long. Not exactly what I was looking for.

Thoughts?
 
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My uncle fed his one a spider once...
 
I don't have a silver, i have an asian, but i do know a bit about silvers (while researching arowanas).

A 210g would house one for probably between 1.5 years to 2 years max. I know of many people who have had their silver go from 5"- 18" in a little over a year. The largest silvers i've seen are ~3-3.5 feet long, so i wouldn't doubt a 4 foot max.

As for feeding, lots of fish, shrimp, krill, earthworms, crickets, and pellets
 
This fish needs an unusual shapped tank. Most tanks are long, skinny, and deep. But this fish really need a shllow more square tank. This is because the fish is a top water fish and doesn't go down to the bottom that much. Also, when it gets larger, it will have trouble turining in your tank. Even tanks that are 200 or more gallons aren't that wide. They are mainly long and deep.

You really should consider the dimensions of the tank rather than the number of gallons for a fish like this. I would say at the very least, the shortest dimension should be 2-3 times the length of the fish.

I would recommend a DIY tank as the best option if you really must keep this fish. I haven't seen many commercial tanks that fit the fish's needs. It is in the category of too big for most aquariums, but the extrememly large aquarium might be able to hold one or two.

Check this picture out. The tank is 180 gallons and the arrowana can barely turn.

http://anythingfish.com/images/Ted/PhotoGallery/Assorted-180-1-4464.jpg

:OT:

You might also look at this link for more picutres. This guy takes in fish that people have that outgrow their tanks. He made a 2400 gallon tank and he has some real monsters in it. And BTW, I would say he is still over stocked. His web site said that he had severe ammonia problems.

http://anythingfish.com/images/Ted/PhotoGallery/TedsMasterIndex.htm
 
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