Baby silver arowana food

8 Best Foods For Silver Arowana Fish - 2023 Reviews & Top Picks

The silver arowana is a beautiful fish that often graces large freshwater aquariums. These fish are carnivores that hunt by eating insects, fish, and other animals on or near the surface of the water. Choosing the right food for your arowana is important to maintaining its health, ensuring proper growth, and supporting longevity.

They should be fed a varied diet, so although all the foods in these reviews are nutritionally sound, they should be fed as part of a rotating diet of commercial, frozen, and fresh foods. Just like with people, feeding the same food every day isn’t the ideal way to support all nutritional needs.

A Quick Comparison of Our Favorites of 2023

Rating	Product	Details
Best Overall	NorthFin Arowana Formula	Three bag sizes 44% protein and 5% fat Floating stick form	Check Price
Best Value	Fluker’s Gourmet Style River Shrimp	Best value Single ingredient Provides live food nutrition	Check Price
Premium Choice	Cobalt Aquatics Ultra Pellet Predator Fish Food	Three canister sizes Floating stick form 44% protein and 4. 4% fat	Check Price
	Fluker’s Gourmet Style Grasshoppers	Budget friendly Single ingredient Can be fed as a daily treat	Check Price
	Exotic Nutrition Fresh Feeders Variety	Five proteins per pack Protein content up to 80% Plastic tongs are included	Check Price

The 8 Best Foods for Silver Arowana Fish Are:

1.

NorthFin Arowana Formula – Best Overall

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Package Size	250 grams (8.8 oz), 500 grams (17.6 oz), 1 kg (35 oz)
Primary Protein	Whole Antarctic krill meal
Protein Content	44%
Fat Content	5%

For the best overall food for your silver arowana, check out the NorthFin Arowana Formula food. This food is available in three bag sizes. It has a 44% protein content and 5% fat content to support the needs of your carnivorous fish. The first three ingredients are whole Antarctic krill meal, omega-3 DHA herring meal, and whole sardine meal. It is 3 mm floating sticks, making it ideal for your arowana. It’s designed to promote healthy digestion and it doesn’t contain fillers, hormones, or artificial colors. Although it is not the most expensive option of food for your arowana, it does come at a premium price.

Three bag sizes
44% protein and 5% fat
First three ingredients are marine proteins
Floating stick form
Promotes healthy digestion
No fillers, hormones, or artificial colors

Premium price

2. Fluker’s Gourmet Style River Shrimp – Best Value

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Package Size	2 oz
Primary Protein	River shrimp
Protein Content	3%
Fat Content	3%

If you’re looking to treat your silver arowana on a budget, the best food for silver arowana fish for the money is the Fluker’s Gourmet Style River Shrimp. This food is 100% river shrimp and contains 83.3% protein. It saves you from having to live feed insects to your arowana, doesn’t require you to thaw food, and is more nutrient dense than freeze-dried foods. These river shrimp are packed full of vitamins and minerals. The package uses a stay-fresh lid to keep the food fresh for up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator once opened.

This food should be fed as a treat and not a dietary staple. It is ideal for adult arowana fish since juveniles may have difficulty digesting the exoskeletons of the shrimp.

Best value
Single ingredient
3% protein
Provides live food nutrition without the inconvenience
Full of vitamins and minerals
Stay-fresh lid keeps food fresh in the refrigerator up to 2 weeks

Not to be used as a dietary staple
Not ideal for juveniles
Only available in one can size

3. Cobalt Aquatics Ultra Pellet Predator Fish Food – Premium Choice

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Package Size	8 oz, 8.3 oz, 13. 8 oz
Primary Protein	Prawns
Protein Content	44%
Fat Content	4%

The premium choice for food for your silver arowana is the Cobalt Aquatics Ultra Pellet Predator Fish Food. This food is available in three canister sizes and has whole prawns as the first ingredient. It features floating pellets that are 10 mm long and 4 mm wide, making them ideal for larger juvenile and adult arowanas. This food is fortified with probiotics and prebiotics to support digestive health and immunity, and it produces less waste than some other foods, helping maintain water quality. It doesn’t cloud the water and is made with 100% natural ingredients. It contains 44% protein and 4.4% fat.

Three canister sizes
Whole prawns are first ingredient
Floating stick form
Supports digestive health and immunity
Leads to less waste production
Doesn’t cloud the water
44% protein and 4. 4% fat

Premium price

4. Fluker’s Gourmet Style Grasshoppers

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Package Size	2 oz
Primary Protein	Grasshoppers
Protein Content	5%
Fat Content	5%

The Fluker’s Gourmet Style Grasshoppers are 100% grasshoppers and contain 92.5% protein, making them a great treat for carnivores. They’re budget friendly and have a stay-fresh lid, keeping them fresh for approximately 1 week after opening. They’re packed with vitamins and allow you to provide your silver arowana with the nutrition of live food without the inconvenience. They can be fed as a daily food item, but they are not nutritionally sound enough to serve as the primary diet. It’s a good idea to feed these only as a treat for juveniles to prevent issues with digesting the exoskeletons of the insects. These are only available in one can size.

Budget friendly
Single ingredient
5% protein
Stay-fresh lid keeps food fresh for up to 1 week in the refrigerator
Can be fed as a daily treat
Provides live food nutrition without the inconvenience

Not to be used as a dietary staple
Feed to juveniles only as a treat
Only available in one can size

5. Exotic Nutrition Fresh Feeders Variety

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Package Size	5 oz
Primary Protein	Crickets, mealworms, grasshoppers, superworms
Protein Content	7–80%
Fat Content	5–20%

The Exotic Nutrition Fresh Feeders Variety is a variety pack of five different cooked proteins with each pack weighing 0. 71 oz. This pack includes crickets, mealworms, grasshoppers, superworms, and gut loaded mealworms. It includes plastic tongs to keep you from having to handle the cooked insects by hand. All the insects are farm-raised, and each pack is resealable, allowing you to keep it fresh in the refrigerator for 7 days. This is a good option for treating your silver arowana, but none of these insects are appropriate as a sole dietary source for your fish. Be cautious feeding insects to juveniles, especially mealworms and other worms with hard exoskeletons that are difficult to digest.

Five proteins per pack
Protein content up to 80% and fat content up to 20%
Plastic tongs are included
Farm-raised insects are cooked to preserve nutrients
Resealable packs are good for up to 7 days in the refrigerator

Not to be used as a dietary staple
Use caution with feeding these insects to juveniles
Only available in one package size

6.

Fluval Multi Protein Formula Cichlid Pellets

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Package Size	17 oz, 5.29 oz, 12 oz
Primary Protein	Herring meal
Protein Content	35%
Fat Content	6%

The Fluval Multi Protein Formula Cichlid Pellets are available in three canister sizes and feature herring meal as the first ingredient. The second and third ingredients are krill and shrimp meal. It’s palatable and contains high levels of omega-3 fatty acids, which come from kelp that is harvested in an environmentally friendly way. It also contains all necessary vitamins and minerals, including stabilized vitamin C.

This food contains less protein than many other carnivore foods, so it’s not ideal as a dietary staple. It is a sinking pellet, so it should not be overfed since your silver arowana is unlikely to eat multiple pieces before they sink.

Three canister sizes
First three ingredients are marine proteins
Highly palatable
Contains environmentally sourced kelp for omega-3 fatty acids
High in vitamins and minerals

Less protein than most carnivore foods
Not to be used as a dietary staple
Sinking pellet form

7. Cobalt Aquatics Ultra Turtle Sticks Floating Fish Food

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Package Size	8 oz, 6.9 oz, 11.9 oz
Primary Protein	Prawns
Protein Content	38%
Fat Content	2%

The Cobalt Aquatics Ultra Turtle Sticks Floating Fish Food are available in three canister sizes. They are formulated for turtles and other aquatic carnivores and omnivores. They contain 38% protein and have prawns as the first ingredient. These are not an ideal pick due to their lower protein content, but they are nutritionally appropriate for your silver arowana in a pinch. These sticks won’t cloud the water and they contain prebiotics and probiotics to support digestive and immune health. They are 4 mm wide and 10mm long, making them a great size for many arowanas. Since they are formulated for aquatic turtles, they do contain foods that aren’t necessary to your silver arowana’s health, like corn and soybean paste.

Three canister sizes
First ingredient is prawns
Won’t cloud water
Supports digestive health and immunity

Less protein than many carnivore foods
Formulated primarily for aquatic turtles
Not made to replace a silver arowana’s regular diet
Contains food that isn’t necessary for silver arowana health

8.

Tetra Cichlid Jumbo Sticks

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Package Size	4 oz
Primary Protein	Shrimp meal
Protein Content	47%
Fat Content	7%

The Tetra Cichlid Jumbo Sticks are floating carnivore sticks that contain 47% protein and 7% fat. They are appropriate for growing silver arowanas, as well as those recovering from an illness or injury. They can be fed as a dietary staple, but they are richer than most other foods, so it’s a good idea to rotate them. They are fortified with many nutrients, like vitamin C, and contain an attractant that helps your fish find the food. This food is only available in one canister size, and this food is prone to discoloration the tank water to an orange color. It contains fillers, like wheat gluten and wheat starch.

47% protein and 7% fat
Good option for young and recovering silver arowanas
Fortified with nutrients
Contains an attractant

May be too rich for daily feeding
Only available in one canister size
May discolor tank water
Contains fillers

Buyer’s Guide: Selecting The Best Food For Silver Arowanas

Why is the Right Diet Important for Silver Arowanas?

Silver arowanas are true carnivores, which means that essentially all of their diet should consist of animal proteins. They need to eat more than just meat to meet all their nutritional needs, though, so finding a food that contains whole proteins is important. Choosing a diet that is high in protein and contains few plant-based foods, if any, is necessary to maintaining your fish’s health. Many varieties of freshwater predator foods are appropriate for silver arowanas, but it’s necessary to find foods that focus on the needs of carnivores. Your fish isn’t able to hunt in its natural environment, so it relies on you to provide it with a complete, varied, healthy diet.

Choosing the Right Silver Arowana Food for Your Needs

Age: Silver arowanas have very different nutritional needs at various points in their life. This means that a juvenile needs a diet that supports growth and development, while an adult needs a diet that supports overall health. Choose foods that are appropriate for the life stage your silver arowana is in.

Size: If you have a small juvenile silver arowana, your fish may not be able to eat some types of food due to the size of the pellets or sticks. Large fish may have difficulty finding small types of foods. Choose a food that matches what your fish will be able to eat.

Tank Mates: If you’re feeding a whole tank, you’ll need to choose a food or variety of foods that meet the nutritional needs of all the inhabitants in the tank. If you have fish that have different nutritional needs from your silver arowana, then you need to determine a feeding regime that will work best to ensure everyone gets fed and eats appropriate foods.

Conclusion

If you need a new food for your silver arowana or you’re looking into getting one, use these reviews to help start you off on the search of finding the perfect food for your fish. The best overall food option is the NorthFin Arowana Formula, which is nutrient dense and formulated specifically for arowanas. For tighter budgets, though, your fish will appreciate the Fluker’s Gourmet Style River Shrimp, which makes a fantastic treat that is packed with nutrients. Just remember that it doesn’t cover all nutritional needs and should be fed as a treat, not a primary diet.

Featured Image Credit: Grigvovan, Shutterstock

Silver Arowana - The Care, Feeding and Breeding of Silver Arowanas

Close up Silver Arowana fish

Silver Arowana Stats
Minimum Tank Size: 250 Gallons (946 Liters)
Care Level: Very Difficult
Water Conditions: 6.0-7.0 pH and Soft to Moderately Hard
Temperature: 75-82° F (24-27° C)
Maximum Size: 36 inches (91.5 centimeters)

The silver arowana (Osteoglossum bicirrhosum) is easily one of the most iconic fish in the aquarium hobby, even if the average aquarist could never hope to keep one. Nearly everyone has seen one of these beautiful fish at a pet store, and dreamed of the day they could afford what amounts to a small indoor pool in order to house one of these fish.

These fish are known by several names, and many aquarists refer to them to as dragon fish, because of their shiny scales, and double barbels on their chins, that make them resemble mythological Asian dragons. They are also sometimes known as monkey fish, due to their ability to leap out of the water and capture prey on low hanging branches.

And if multiple names weren’t confusing enough, they are also known by alternate spellings of arowana, which include arahuana, and arawana.

Silver arowanas are native to South America and are found in Brazil, Guyana, Colombia and French Guiana. They inhabit the Amazon basin, and the Rupununi and Oyapock Rivers, although they can also be found seasonally in other bodies of water.

In recent years, invasive populations have become established in Florida and Thailand through aquarium releases. However, at this time there doesn’t appear to be any restrictions on keeping these fish, although anyone looking to purchase one should always check with local authorities to ensure there are no regulations.

These fish can live up for 20 years in a home aquarium, and the purchase of a silver arowana should never be taken lightly. Their long life, combined with their tank busting size, makes them a fish only the most experienced aquarists should tackle.

One of the odd discrepancies in the literature about silver arowanas is that their listed maximum size varies wildly. Most of the more respected publications state the maximum size to be between 30 and 36 inches (76-91.5 cm) although some publications peg it as high as 48 inches (122 cm) or as low as 24 inches (61 cm). Why there is so much disagreement over the maximum size is unknown, but through personal experience I can state most arowanas kept in captivity grow to about 36 inches (91.5cm) in length.

Housing

For a silver arowana to be healthy in captivity, they have to be housed in the largest aquariums on the market. The bare minimum tank size for a single silver arowana is 250 gallons, and if anything less is provided, it’s almost guaranteed issues will arise. These fish should only be kept together as juveniles, unless the intention is to keep them in a large, natural pond (or a custom aquarium of similar size).

One of the most difficult problems to overcome with smaller tank sizes, is that silver arowanas are noted jumpers. It is believed that if these fish feel their tank is too small, they will repeatedly attempt to leap to freedom.

If their tank isn’t covered, then their attempted escapes will usually result in a dead fish (although they can breathe out of water for short periods of time). And if their tank is covered, they may eventually severely injure themselves as they repeated propel themselves into the cover. So it’s best to only tackle these fish if a person can provide them with an appropriately sized tank.

And it can’t be stressed enough that their fish tanks MUST be covered. These are fish that can leap up and snatch birds from tree branches, and that combined with the fact that they can be skittish when first introduced to a tank, usually results in them almost immediately leaping out of an uncovered tank.

It can be difficult choosing tank mates for silver arowanas, since for such a large fish, they are surprisingly susceptible to bullying from aggressive fish. And smaller, more docile fish aren’t an option either, since most of them usually end up in the silver arowana’s drawbridge like mouth.

But there are some tank mates that usually work, and I stress the word usually. These include similarly sized plecos, catfish, bichirs, and some of the less aggressive cichlids, like jurupari (eartheater) cichlids. Although it should be noted that the temperament of fish can vary from individual to individual, so always have a backup plan in case aggression issues arise after adding a new fish.

Any tank containing silver arowanas should have a substrate of small grain gravel, or aquarium safe sand. It should also be lightly planted, and since these fish are almost always in motion, large swimming areas must be kept clear.

A canister filter is almost always the best choice for a silver arowana tank, simply because they are the only filter that can truly handle the massive tank sizes needed. While tandem hang-on-back filters may work, they are far from ideal in most instances.

Feeding

In the wild, these fish are a menace to anything above, on, or below the water surface. They have been known to eat snakes, birds, mice, and even bats, but their preferred diet is mainly aquatic. These fish primarily feed on crustaceans, fish, and insects, and this diet should be replicated as closely as possible in the home aquarium.

Some silver arowana can be trained to take fish food pellets, but most will prefer a very meaty diet, with the regular addition of feeder fish. Some of the best foods to feed them are earthworms (be careful they aren’t taken from areas where pesticides are used), shrimp, beef heart, and crab meat.

They will also take any of the frozen fish foods, which include blood worms, daphnia, and brine shrimp, but this is generally only worthwhile when they are juveniles. As they grow, they will need to eat vast quantities of these, and the price would quickly become prohibitive.

A person should at least attempt to train a silver arowana to eat prepared fish foods, since this helps to ensure they have a balanced diet. This can often be accomplished by mixing the prepared foods in with their other food stuffs, until they learn to take the fish food on its own. One of the best choices is Hikari Carnisticks Sticks, which are perfect for large carnivores like the silver arowana.

While feeder fish are relished by silver arowanas, they come with their own set of problems. Any responsible aquarist wouldn’t touch the feeder fish available at pet stores with a 10 foot pole. They are often disease and parasite ridden, and adding them to an aquarium also adds their illnesses to the water.

If a person is dead set on using feeder fish, they should start breeding them on their own to ensure they are completely healthy. The very best feeder fish are rosy red minnows, and they are both nutritious, and fast breeders. You can learn how to breed rosy red minnows here.

Breeding

There are few recorded instances of silver arowanas breeding in a home aquarium, and most are bred in large, natural ponds. If an aquarist wants to attempt breeding them, they should be purchased as juveniles and allowed to pair off. It should be noted that the few people claiming to have had success usually had tanks well in excess of 500 gallons – something few aquarists can afford, and ever fewer house floors can support.

These fish are egg layers and care for their brood. In the wild, they pair off at the beginning of the rainy season, and build a nest where the female lays her eggs. After the eggs have been laid, the male will take the eggs into his mouth and care for the fry for the next 50-60 days.

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maintenance and care in the aquarium, what to feed, how to breed, compatibility

Arowana, or as it is also called, dragon fish is a tropical freshwater fish. With the plasticity of her movements, she resembles an Asian dragon or a snake. It is known that the first representatives of these fish appeared on earth long before humans, about 55 million years ago. In wildlife, it is found in Asia, Australia and South America.

Arowanas are very smart fish, over time they recognize their owner, let themselves be petted and eat from their hands.

Content

varieties
Reproduction of arowana
- How to tell a male from a female
Who will get along with arowana
Diseases
Photo of Arowana in an aquarium

Varieties of arowana

Some species of these fish are so rare that their value reaches tens of thousands of dollars. For the only platinum arowana in the world, a price of 200 thousand dollars was offered, but the owner refused to sell the pet. And the cost of an adult red Asian arowana reaches 80-100 thousand dollars.

Asian arowana

Asian arowana (Scleropages formosus)

The rarest and most expensive representatives in wildlife are found in Burma, Vietnam, Cambodia, South China, Indonesia. They are recognized as an endangered species, and special nurseries are currently breeding the Asian Arowana. Each of these fish has a passport and a chip. Available in red, purple, blue, gold and green. Red and gold colors are especially appreciated.

Australian Arowana

Pearl Arowana (Scleropages leichardti)

The Pearl Arowana lives in Northern Australia and New Guinea in only a few streams. Slightly cheaper than its Asian relatives, as it is still found in its natural habitat. Differs in smaller scales, there are colored spots on the fins. There are silver, yellow and copper-gold fish.

American Arowana

Silver Arowana (Osteoglossum bicirrhosum)

Silver Arowana is the most common representative of the Arowana in wildlife and in aquariums. The second American species is black, more rare. They live in South America in the Amazon and Orinoco basins. Differs from Asian and Australian species in fins. American arowanas are the most affordable.

Black Arowana (Osteoglossum ferreirai)

African Arowana

African Arowana (Heterotis niloticus)

This representative is rarely found in aquariums. The habitat is the rivers Nile and Chad. It differs from other arowanas in the shape of the head and the structure of the mouth. In adulthood, it looks more like catfish than its arowan relatives.

Maintenance and care

Keeping this fish is not a cheap pleasure, they need space and quality food.

Aquarium	An aquarium from 300 liters is suitable for a young individual. But arowanas grow very quickly, and adult fish will be cramped in such a tank. It is believed that the aquarium should be three times the length of the fish's body in order for it to be comfortable. It is preferable to choose long and wide tanks, the depth for the arowana is not so significant. Be sure to equip the aquarium with a lid, as arowanas are able to jump up to 3 meters in height.
Water	The temperature in the aquarium should be 24-30°C, the acidity should be maintained at the level of 6.5-7.5 Ph, hardness 5-15. Salt in water is not allowed. Every week it is necessary to change 20-25% of the water of the total volume. If you do not adhere to these indicators, the arowana will start to hurt.
Filter	For an arowana aquarium, only a powerful filter is suitable, with a circulation of 3-4 volumes of aquarium water per hour. Aeration is also a must, external compressors are suitable, with high performance and low noise.
Light	Arowana is afraid of sudden flashes of light, the lamp should be selected with smooth switching on and light dispersion.
Primer	Coarse river sand or smooth gravel. Once a week you need to siphon the bottom.
Plants	Arowanas do not need vegetation or decor. But if you want, you need to pick up plants with strong roots and wide leaves. For example, Vallisneria.

What to feed the fish?

Arowana is a very voracious fish. In nature, it feeds on insects, frogs, and small fish.

At home, their diet consists of animal feed:

Insects (live or dried) and their larvae - food crickets, grasshoppers, zoophobus, centipedes.
Small Live Fish - Suitable only for disease free aquarium fish. Usually they take fry of guppies, swordtails or mollies.
Frogs are a treat for the arowana. Often it is not worth giving, the fish may refuse other food. It is better to buy frogs in a pet store.
Boiled shrimp - adults are given with shell, young ones need to be cleaned.
Sea frozen fish, such as sprat or capelin. For young arowanas, it is advisable to cut the fish in half, for older ones it will not be necessary.
Boiled hake or pollock - the fish must be deboned and cut into cubes that are easily swallowed by the arowana. This food should be kept frozen.
Beef heart is not the most favorite product of arowana, but it is nutritious and affordable. A raw heart, cleaned of fat (fish do not eat it), must be cut into cubes.
You can also occasionally give mice to fish to hunt.

Insects or frozen marine fish can be taken as the basis of the diet. Adults are fed 1 time per day, young animals 2 times a day. It is useful for Arowana to arrange a fasting day. Once a week will be enough.

Reproduction of arowanas

Arowanas breed only in natural conditions or in special nurseries. In home aquariums, it is almost impossible to create conditions for fish spawning.

During spawning, the female is able to lay up to 200 eggs, but more often she spawns only a few dozen. Each one is the size of a cherry. The males carry the eggs in their mouths, where they incubate into larvae. Such care for offspring lasts about two months (it may vary slightly in different species).

Hatched larvae (5-6 cm in size) live in the mouth of the male until the yolk sac, which provides food for the fry, is resorbed. After the pouch falls off, the fish actively and eat a lot, and grow rapidly.

Many breeders sell and send out fry when they are still with caviar bags. If you bought such a fish, you should pay close attention to its nutrition:

young fish are fed with larvae of corerta or fry of guppies and mollies;
after about a week you can give freshwater bloodworm or brine shrimp;
when the fish reach 12-15 cm, they are transferred to an adult diet.

How to distinguish a male from a female

Sex differences in these fish are very weakly expressed. Males have longer anal and dorsal fins, a slimmer body with a larger head. Behave more aggressively. The easiest way to distinguish a female from a male is during the spawning season, the female has a rounded abdomen due to the maturation of eggs, and she looks fuller than the male.

Who will get along with arowana

Under natural conditions, arowanas divide the territory among themselves, and in case of violation of it, the fish attack each other. Therefore, adults are kept in aquariums one by one.

Live a little calmer with representatives of other fish. But be sure to take into account - everyone who fits into the arowana's mouth will be eaten.

In the neighbors of the arowana fit:

scalars;
large discus;
Indian knives;
cichlids;
red parrot.

Diseases

Arowanas have excellent immunity, able to adapt even to the most severe conditions. Most often they get sick from improper care or eating contaminated foods:

Overeating and obesity - reduce portion size and arrange fasting days.
Blurred eyes, folded gills due to poor aquarium maintenance, high pH or too low water temperature. At the first sign of disease, you should clean the aquarium and replace the water.
Toxicosis is caused by parasites that infect fish from food. The first signs are lethargy, loss of appetite, apathy. If you do not start treatment, the fish sinks to the bottom and does not move. Treatment is carried out with salt baths. You also need to clean the aquarium.
Injuries, bruises occur due to fights or loss of fish from the aquarium. The affected arowana is given a 30-minute salt bath (1 g per 1 liter of water) three times a day.

Arowana is a fish that brings good luck and prosperity to the house. Its content will not cause difficulties. But you need to have considerable opportunities to provide the fish with a large aquarium and quality food. 9Ol000 in aquariums you can find amazing fish of very ancient origin. It is hard to imagine, but the relatives of the arowans found dinosaurs on Earth. IN Eastern countries, this fish is a symbol of wealth and prosperity, and The cost of individual copies can reach hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Table of contents

General information

Arowan, or bone-tongues (Osteoglossidae) - a family of tropical freshwater ray-finned fish.

Majority arowan - large fish (the size can exceed 100 cm in length), therefore keeping adults is possible only in large aquariums. Despite impressive size, in nature, arowanas are able to jump out of the water for distance up to 3 m.

Arowana - intelligent pets, get used to the owner, often give themselves stroked and fed by hand.

According to Feng Shui, arowana brings good luck in business, prosperity and wealth. To do this, in offices or shops, aquariums with fish are installed in the money corner. On sale you can find numerous crafts in the form of arowana, they are considered strong talismans.

Arowana figurine

For his the unusual body shape of the fish is often called the "dragon fish". Arowanas are frequent pets in public aquariums and zoos.

Appearance

Arowanas have elongated, laterally compressed body. Natural individuals can grow up to 120 cm, in in aquariums, the body length usually does not exceed 60 cm. The body is covered with large clearly visible scales. The head is covered with bony plates. Mouth usually upper, very wide. The lower jaw has a pair of whiskers directed forward. These sense organs are able to detect even the smallest vibrations of water and help the fish to hunt.

The back is straight. The dorsal fin is small and shifted towards the rounded caudal fin. The anal fin is wide. The pectoral fins are shifted to the lower part of the body, the pelvic fins are located behind them. Teeth are located on the bones of the upper jaw.

Arowana. Exterior view of

Arowana a significant part of the time they prefer to stay in densely overgrown reservoirs, in which oxygen deficiency is not uncommon. Therefore, they have developed devices for additional breathing. Their swim bladder is covered dense network of blood vessels, and allows it to work like a lung, dissolving oxygen in the blood. Some species have developed a special supragillary an organ that captures atmospheric air.

If comfortable conditions are created, arowanas can live up to 8-12 years.

Habitat

Representatives families can be found on almost all continents: in South America, Africa, Australia and Eurasia (Southeast Asia). This is explained by the fact that fish are of ancient origin. The ancestors of the Arowana lived in the Jurassic period on the supercontinent Gondwana, which subsequently split into the above parts of the world. IN Arowanas currently live in equatorial and tropical climates. belts. They prefer stagnant waters.

Arovana species

Asian red arowana

Asian arowana (Scleropages formosus) lives in the Mekong basin (Vietnam and Cambodia), western Thailand, on the islands of Sumatra and Borneo. Unfortunately, natural the population has practically disappeared. The fish can be found in lakes and swamps.

Body size can be up to 90 cm (but rarely exceeds 60 cm in the aquarium). There are several color morphs, the most popular being the Super Red Arowana. A very popular fish in Asia, but expensive. A microchip is implanted into the body of each such fish, which contains information about the pedigree, growing area, and breeder data. Its owner receives a certificate of ownership.

Asian Red Arowana

Golden Arowana

This is a color variation of the Asian Arowana. Young specimens are not brightly colored, but in adults, the scales glisten like an ingot of gold. They live in West Malaysia.

Golden Arowana

Black Arowana

Black Arowana (Osteoglossum ferreirai) lives in the basins of the Rio Negro and Orinoco rivers (territory of Brazil and Colombia). Prefers shallow backwaters and coastal river zones. Spends most of his time floating near the surface of the water in search of mining.

Juveniles have white-yellow scale stripes. With age, the scales become dark gray. The fins are black, dorsal, anal and caudal with red edging. Body length may exceed 100 cm.

Young Black Arowana

African arowana

African arowana (Heterotis niloticus) is a rather rare species. Lives in the Upper Nile also in several river basins in Central and West Africa (Niger, Senegal, Gambia). Adult individuals bear little resemblance to representatives of their families. The size does not exceed a meter in length.

Juveniles have a silvery-brown color with strokes on the scales. The body of adults begins to cast green or blue hues (depending on the location) birth), and the fins are painted in carrot color. An interesting feature are gill covers with intricate bone ornaments and colored veins.

Australian arowana

The Australian arowana (Scleropages jardinii) lives in Northern Australia and New Guinea. The size in the aquarium does not exceed 60 cm, natural forms can grow 30 centimeters more. The scales are smaller than those of Asian relatives. Body color varies from silver to yellow or copper-gold. On the anal and dorsal fins there are small spots of yellow or orange. Under certain lighting, the scales have a beautiful shimmering reflection, like pearls, for which the fish got its second name - pearl arowana.

Australian Arowana

South American silver arowana

silver Arowana (Osteoglossum bicirrhosum) is a popular species in the aquarium trade. This due to the fact that the cost of this fish is much lower than that of Asian representatives.

Lives in the Amazon basin. In nature, it can reach 120 cm in length and 20 kg in weight, in the aquarium grows up to 1 meter. Unlike other arowanas, this species has wedge-shaped tail fin. Anal and dorsal almost merge with it. The silver arowana has a long, snake-like body. Silver color with over time acquires a bluish, reddish or greenish tint.

Arowanas are known by the locals as "river monkeys" because of their ability to jump out of the water.

South American silver arowana

Platinum arowana

Platinum arowana is a unique fish of its kind. Even though she is a natural mutation of the common silver arowana, this fish has a range of features. Firstly, it has an absolutely white color without a single spot, including on the back - a phenomenon unique to arowanas. Secondly, one of her eyes looks down. This, at first glance, may seem a serious cosmetic defect, but for collectors - just another unusual symptom. The size of the platinum arowana is about 40 cm.

The current owner of the fish is Aro Dynasty. There is information that he was offered an amount of $ 400,000 for a fish, but he refused to sell it.

Platinum arowana

Myanmar arowana

Myanmar painted arowana (Scleropages inscriptus) was discovered in southern Myanmar by explorer Tyson Robertson. The fish got its name for the unusual color of the scales. Each of them has a specific character that never repeats. Fish grow up to 60 cm.

Arowana Myanmar

Care and content

The first thing to pay attention to when keeping arowanas is the volume of the aquarium. For young individuals, up to 20 cm long, 250-300 liters will be enough. But for adults, a volume of 800-1000 liters is recommended. The dimensions of the aquarium should be such that the fish can turn around without any problems. Having an opaque lid is a must, as arowanas can instinctively try to grab any insect by jumping out of the aquarium.

Arowanas spend most of their time swimming near the surface of the water

The aquarium is most often decorated in the biotope style. Sand or small pebbles are taken as soil. Natural stones and driftwood are installed. Of the living plants, the giant vallisneria has proven itself well, only the plant must be overlaid with stones so that the arowanas do not accidentally pull it out.

The next important point is an efficient filtration system and aeration. These large fish produce a lot of waste that needs to be removed from the system, so cleaning the substrate and changing one-fourth of the water should be done weekly.

Arowana will require a spacious aquarium

Lighting is not should be bright. Ideally, fixtures are needed that will smoothly turn on the lights so that the fish are not scared.

Optimal water parameters for keeping: Т=24-30°С, pH=6.0-8.0, GH=8-20.

Compatible

In vivo conditions, arovanas have a pronounced hierarchy: a dominant individual chooses a certain area for himself and attacks any kindred who dares swim very close. For this reason, adult arowanas are predominantly kept one by one to avoid possible conflicts between individuals.

To representatives other types of arowana are calm. The fish will not get along only with small species, because sooner or later she will swallow any fish that can fit in her mouth. It is necessary to exclude fish that live in the upper layers of the water, so as not to create arowan competition.

Suitable neighbors for Arowana will be: astronotus, hybrid parrots, pterygoplichts, large angelfish, Indian knives, pacu, multifeathers, giant gourami.

Arowana in community tank

Feeding Arowana

In nature arowanas lead a predatory lifestyle. They hunt mostly near water surface. Feeds on small fish, insects, snails, frogs and other organisms sitting on the leaves of trees hanging over the water. At necessary, the fish jumps out of the water to grab its prey. known cases when the remains of birds and snakes were found in the stomach of arowans. This testifies about the fact that in food the fish are not distinguished by intelligibility.

When kept in an aquarium, primarily forage insects are used as food: crickets, grasshoppers, zophobas. Peeled shrimp, mussels without shells, pieces of squid and lean fish are also good for feeding arowana.

Insects and their larvae are the basis of the arowan diet

Several times a It is recommended not to feed the fish for a week. A similar "unloading day" is good affect the well-being of arowanas.

Propagation and breeding

Breeding arowan at home is difficult. This is due to the fact that the conditions aquariums are not always ideal for them, which is why females caviar does not ripen.