Arowana Care

Arowana Care

Arowanas as pets. What exactly are they? Are there any unique behavioural traits? How do you house and keep them? What tank substrate do they require? What temperatures do they require? What are their dietary requirements? How should you handle them? Are there any species aware diseases you should be aware about?

Over recent years there has been an increased popularity in the upkeep of arowanas. One of the reasons is that these are beautiful rainbow coloured fish with cultural significance. Endemic to Myanmar, they thrive in the marsh lands and swamps of that country. They benefit the farmers by feeding on pests and parasites in the paddy fields.

Some behavioural traits of the arowana are distinctive. Such as the ability to leap about 3 feet in the air when hidden in the dark and dank and stagnant acidic waters to seize insects perched on the leaves overhead. As arowanas seize small lizards and birds they have voracious appetites. When there are small fish, crabs, crustaceans, shrimps, insect larvae, prawns, lizards they will seize them as prey. Therefore be aware that your arowana has an insatiable appetite.

Arowana 400 gallon Tank Size

Early in your arowana’s life is when you should buy one. At 15 inches long they can more easily be cared for and maintained. Adult arowanas reach 35 inches in length and more. Always keep large glass aquarium tanks of about 40 gallons capacity. Our arowana fish patrols the surface depths. Only bottom feeding species and scleropage species of equal size should be allowed to share the tank. Once you have bonded with your pet arowana by continuously feeding it you should be able to finger feed it.

When setting up your aquarium tank substrate there are some important considerations. Never include any plastic plants as your arowana will consume these. As they can’t tell the difference they could easily be damaged by toxins. Because they are freshwater fish you should eliminate all traces of salinity by installing power filters to keep your tank filtered and aerated.

Another important fact when setting up your tank is to stock an abundance of leaves, peat and decaying wood and tree bark. By keeping ketapang leaves in abundance in your tank they will decompose into organic acids releasing nitrogen into your aquarium tank. Layers of peat at the bottom of your tank to depths of 3 inches are essential before you cover these with abundant decayed wood and tree bark and dried ketapang. Monitor your tank acidity PH levels as arowana fish prefer PH levels of 5 and above.

For your tank temperatures, the temperature range should be between 90-100 degrees fahrenheit constantly without fluctuations. Our arowana fish is sensitive to any temperature fluctuations. Throughout the day, you should try to keep your arowanas aquarium tank in dark shaded corners with exposure to direct sunlight or if this is not possible then use undertank heating pads.

Arowana Tank Mates

Even though your arowana fish has voracious appetites, you should not feed this fish more than 4 times per week when it reaches maturity but you should feed your juvenile arowana twice per day on any of the following options as they thrive on diverse diets: shrimps, krill, daphnea, goldfish, guppies, millipedes, earthworms, mealworms, carrot slices, fruit slices, scorpions and Hikari sticks as well as defrosted vegetable and protein fish flakes because arowanas require plenty of protein every day. However they will grow obese if you feed them many times daily.

Because your arowana fish ranges in size between 15-40 inches dependent on which stage it is at in its lifecycle you require fish nets and another 400 gallon freshwater glass aquarium tank. Once every week you should clean out your aquarium tank to prevent the build up of bacteria and fungi and parasites.

While you clean out your tank, your spare tank will house your arowana fish. During this time, you can check on the health of your arowana for any signs of parasites. If the eyes are clouded and scales are infected with growths, consult your veterinarian.

During the breeding season between March-April you can keep pairs of male and female arowanas. By keeping separate tanks with the correct substrate the female arowana can lay her clutch of eggs amid the leaf litter at the bottom of the tank. In 4 weeks they will hatch and by 3 months old they will be fully grown adult arowanas. Whether you want more arowanas depends on their breeding cycle and whether you want to purchase more 40 gallon aquarium tanks.

Such is the niche popularity of arowanas that they have their own dedicated community of enthusiasts where you can receive further advice on breeding and rearing. Most arowanas are kept by enthusiasts who live to collect them. Many arowanas are bred to be sold onto collectors. Since arowana fish as pets are prized you will also make new circles of friendsarowana aquarium care, #arowana fish, #arowana aquarium fish, arowana aquarium plants, arowana aquarium temperatures, arowana breeding, arowana care, arowana collectors, arowana diet, arowana farm, arowana feeding, arowana fish, arowana fish facts, arowana fish food, arowana food, arowana freshwater fish, arowana freshwater tanks, arowana mating, arowana plants, arowana pond, arowana substrate, arowana tank, arowana tank acidity, arowana upkeep, asian arowana, gold arowana, golden arowana, how to care for arowanas, how to care for platinum arowanas, how to care for silver arowanas, how to care for super red arowanas, how to keep arowanas, keep arowanas, pearl arowana, red arowana