The majestic Silver Arowana

Hey all,

This blog is dedicated to my experience in fish keeping, the fish that I've kept or still keeping, and even fish that I always found interesting but just couldn't rear it. Well today, I'll write about the Silver Arowana. A mercury-like slender body swimming in the Amazonian waters.

Description:

Scientific Name: Osteoglossum bicirrhosum (Osteoglossum means bone-tongued and bicirrhosum means two barbels in Greek)

Common Names: Arawana, Aruana

Origin: Amazon River Basin, Rupununi and Oyapock Rivers in South America and also still waters in Guyana.

Physical Characteristics:

Scales: This is has large scales.

Body: This fish has a long body.

Fins and tails: Its tail is tampered and dorsal and anal fins extending all the way to the small caudal fin, with which they are nearly fused

Size: Up to 36 inches or more in captivity but in the wild it has known to grow over 48 inches!

Colour: Unlike the Black arowana, Silver arowanas have the same coloring throughout their lifespan.

Other :

The species is also called monkey fish because it of its ability to jump out of the water and capture its prey. It usually swims near the water surface waiting for potential prey. Although specimens have been found with the remains of birds, bats, and snakes in their stomachs, its main diet consist of crustaceans, insects, smaller fishes and other animals that float on the water surface, for which its draw-bridge-like mouth is exclusively adapted for feeding.

Arowana are sometimes called Dragon Fish by aquarists because their shiny armor-like scales and double barbels are reminiscent of descriptions of dragons in Asian folklore.

In the Aquarium:

To keep fish this large, one must have a large enough aquarium to house it. The minimum tank size will be 8' by 4' by 4' if one is planing to keep it till adult. If you are not planing to keep it until it grows so big, a smaller aquarium can be obtained but the dimensions must be as follows: The width is at least the length of the fish and the length twice of the length of the fish. If not enought space is allowed for it to grow, the fish will experience stunted growth which is the external organs of the fish will stop growing while the internal organs still does and when the internal organs are too large the fish will die. You must also have a strong and firm hood above your aquarium because Arowanas have been known to jump. An adult Arowana and jump up to 8' in the air to catch small birds, insects, frogs or even small monkeys in the wild.

Water Conditions

Although Arowanas can withstand a range of pH levels, it prefers soft water with a pH level between 6.0 and neutral. Arowans are large carnivores so they produce a lot of waste and a strong filtration is a must. Commercially available black water additives can help simulate the Silver Arowana's natural habitat, although they can adapt to most water supplies and thrive. You must also change 15-20% of the water once or twice a week to maintain optimum water conditions. The water temperature should range from 24°C (75°F) to 28°C (82°F), with the ideal about 26°C (79°F).

Feeding

There are many different types of food that an Arowana can consume so it will be hard to list them all down. Here is a link to the best food for arowanas article I have ever read: MFK: Foods For Aros

Thanks