There are a bunch of aquarium enthusiast out there like me who like to see big things in their aquarium, but we must know one thing for sure that everything inside our aquarium big or small comes with a big responsibility. To be a responsible aquarist we need to collect as much information as possible before we start with this beautiful hobby of being an aqua parent.
YESS.. You got it right we are talking about the mighty monster family fish The Arowana.
With out adding too many frills to this article, lets straight jump into knowing what we need before bringing this fortune making super fish home.
The very first thing we need to consider is making a list of the following things to buy much before we bring the fish home.
A minimum 6 to 8 feet long tank 1.5 to 2 feet height and breadth, which will hold close to 350 to 450 litres of water. The fish grows to a size of 2.5 to 3 feet in a matter of just 1.5 to 2 years. So one has to demark a place at their home and build a super strong base stand at a height of not more than 2 feet from ground level.
Second most important equipment one has to buy is a good submersible water pump of minimum 3000 LPH capacity.
Third in the list of important things is an over head sump to hold all the filter media. The media has to be a combination of Mechanical and Bio Filter media. For more details on media there are ample information on the internet to explore.
If you wish to make this a community tank, pause for a while and at least watch a 100 videos on why you should not. The reason I say this is because till the time the arowanas are babies every thing goes good with other fishes, but as they start growing they would need maximum space of the aquarium and any hindrance on their way will create a stress in them leading to health issues. Also if the other fish is small enough to fit the arowanas mouth within no time you will find them disappearing in to their tummy. The best is to have just one arowana in the tank or maximum two of them. You may have to consider increasing your tank size in a couple of years as they grow.
You need to set up your tank along with the filter media with an over head sump and cycle the water for minimum of two to three weeks. The water condition is what it takes for your arowanas to thrive and grow in a healthy way.
Last but not the least you must know that arowanas are popularly known as water monkeys, they have a tendency to jump out of the water and they jump with a real strong thrust about 4 to 5 feet high. So we need to ensure that we have a very strong and heavy tank top cover to avoid seeing the fish on the floor.
The startup story does not end here. Once these basic things are done you have to know where exactly you can get your favorite arowana fish. There could be plenty of options available, but you need to research on who is the best and trust worthy dealer in your vicinity. You can also consider importing them from various breeding farms. Arowanas have at least 10 plus variants to name a few..
Asian Arowana
Silver Arowana
RTG Arowana
Golden Arowana
Cross Back Arowana
Asian Pearl Arowana and so on..
These variants are available from price range of a few thousand to a few millions. Yes you read it right a few millions. How ever a starter is good to go with a Silver Arowana depending on your budget.
The one you see in the image above is a 2 years old Silver Arowana. They were around 9 inches when I got them home and now they have grown close to 2 feet long. I am already considering to give them a bigger home in my living room.
Arowanas have a life span of 10 to 14 years in captive conditions if taken very good care and can grow up to 2.5 to 3 feet plus.
To take care of any fish in your tank, all you have to master is to take care of the water conditions. Best water condition and best of the best food in minimum quantity is what makes a healthy fish.
Secrets of keeping the water Clean
The water condition is determined mainly not by its appearance but by its alkaline levels. One has to ensure that the PH and Ammonia level in the water is always 24/7 and 365 days maintained at its minimum. A PH level between 6 to 7 is good for arowanas. The ammonia in water is a resultant of the Poop and Pee of the fish. So more the number of fishes in the aquarium higher the ammonia levels. The more you feed your fishes the more they excrete resulting in higher chemically concentrated harmful water.
For all baby arowanas its recommended to feed maximum twice a day in minimum quantities as much as they can finish in 3 to 5 minutes. Any extra left over food should be instantly removed from the tank. As the food tends to decay and the arowanas just do not eat any left over stale food.
Best filtration method and equipment.
After trying quite a few method of filtration setup, like sponge filters, power head filters, below the tank sump filters etc. I have experienced one or the other issues like water leakages and/or sudden spike in ammonia levels, cloudy water and so on..
The best method I squared up on after trying all the above is a DIY Over head Sump Filter with an inclusion of small aquaponic element in the bio media stage. This overhead sump would never ever leak unless it is a weak built. Periodic power cuts even when you are not home will never bother you of a flooded floor.
This over head Sump includes mechanical filters like a sock filter, poly filter floss which holds the debris on this stage. Then comes your bio media. Best out of the many in my experience are the lava rocks, they are porous and has good surface area for essential bacterial colonization. Rest all I feel is too complicated to handle and needs periodic replacements thus adding up to your maintenance cost.
The most important media which is very effective in converting all the ammonia into nitrite and then nitrates which is negligibly harmful for your fish is the plant setup which is also called the aquaponic element of your sump. The best that is easily available is the Pathos also popularly known as the money plant. Its thrives very well with out any soil in this water and effective utilizes the ammonia for its growth and helps in converting nitrites to nitrates. The plant also helps in increasing the oxygen levels in the room which is an added advantage to the fish keeper. Next comes another set of thin mechanical filter which further filters smallest particles in the water resulting into a crystal clear water.
I have been using this filter past more than an year and not even one single day my fishes experienced and ammonia spike.
Last but not the least is regular and periodic water changes. weekly once 25 to 30 percent and monthly once 50 to 60 percent water change.
If you are committed to do these minimum list of activities, you can enjoy the fish keeping hobby with no hassle and have healthy arowana fishes swimming and moving their happy tail fins in your home, bringing you health and prosperity for ever.
If you have more ideas on better fish keeping do mention in the comment section and let us know more about your experiences.
Till then
Happy Fish Keeping :)
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