Silver Arowana Fish: Care, Behavior, Tank Size, Life, Diet Guide
Silver Arowana can also be called as the Monkey fish or dragonfish. This species of fish is generally found in the freshwater regions and it is indigenous to the areas of South America. Silver Arowana is known for its large size and its ability for hunting. And this fish is known to be a possession of any hobby aquarist. This fish is not generally recommended for the beginners, but experienced aquarium enthusiasts may have this fish to have a fantastic addition.
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Silver Arowana is not found suitable for the beginners because it gets difficult to handle them sometimes. Only experienced aquarium enthusiasts are capable of taking proper care of Silver Arowana. Large quantity of food is required to feed them. They are the cheapest type of Silver Arowana available in the market and can cost you around $40 even for a small fish. If you still want to buy them then go for at least 8 inches long fish as they are mature by this time and you can easily keep them. In this article we will discuss the care guide for this fish in detail.
| Care Level | They need a high level care as they are difficult to handle. |
| Temperament | They are generally known to be semi-aggressive. |
| Color Form | They are silver in color. |
| Lifespan | They generally have a life of around 10-15 years. |
| Size | Their size is up to 3 feet. |
| Diet | They are known to be carnivore. |
| Family | They belong to the family of Osteoglossidae and this needs to kept into consideration. |
| Minimum tank size | The minimum tank size required for them is around 250 gallons. |
| Tank set-up | For the set-up of tank you will require freshwater, rocks and caves. |
| Compatibility | Moderate |
Contents
Silver Arowana: An Overview
Silver Arowana Fish is known to have a bony structure and is native to the areas of the South American Amazon River basin. Many hobby aquarists adorn this species of fishes. Silver Arowanas are known to be very strong and powerful swimmers but they are aggressive too by nature. Silver Arowana Fish are belong to the class of predator fishes and they have the capability to grow up to the size of 4 foot and can weigh around 6 kg. If you try to raise Silver Arowana in a captivity then you can expect a lifetime of around 10-15 years. Arowana Fish are very large in size and silver in color. They can generally grow up to 4 feet in wild areas but in a region of captivity they grow up to around 3 feet. The characteristic which makes them easy distinguishable is their jawline.
On their entire body, there are large pearl-like silver scales and when they are juveniles, there is bluish tint on their scales. If you see their body from the side then you will come to know that their long sleek body is just flat. Silver Arowana Fish mainly have their own unique hunting style which is different from others. Silver Arowana also have an advantage over the other species and that is they can survive without water for a short period of time. They have a swim bladder, which will help them in doing this. They are the cheapest Arowanas available in the market as they are the least restricted to import regulations. Silver Arowana Fish are huge in size and precarious in nature. Silver Arowana’s long lifespan makes them a species of fish, which should be considered only by the experienced aquarists.
Appearance of Silver Arowanas:
Silver Arowana are very large in size and silver in color. Silver Arowana Fish can generally grow up to 4 feet in wild areas but in a region of captivity they grow up to around 3 feet. The characteristic which makes them easy distinguishable is their jawline.
On their entire body, there are large pearl-like silver scales and when they are juveniles, there is bluish tint on their scales. If you see Silver Arowana Fish body from the side then you will come to know that their long sleek body is just flat. If you take a closer look then you will come to know that females are thicker as compared to the males. They start out small but soon they will grow large in size.
Behavior of Silver Arowana
Silver Arowana is surprisingly skittish they get scared from sudden moments. For example, if you turn the lights on suddenly and you are approaching the aquarium then they may get scared. There should be a low foot-traffic area in the tank in which you are placing the Silver Arowana. They are notorious jumpers and they have the ability to jump up to 3 meters high. If Silver Arowana Fish are being placed in a small aquarium then they will definitely jump in search of freedom. So, it has always been recommended that place them in an appropriately sized aquarium tank.
Requirements for Habitat and Tank
Silver Arowanas are large in fish so they also require a tank according to their size, which means that the tank should be large enough. The capacity of the tank should be at least 250 gallons. But after some time shift them in large tanks as otherwise their growth will not proper and there can be somebody deformation or reduced lifespan.
You can raise the juveniles in the tanks of size approximately 60 gallons. There should be a fine and small gravel substrate. There should be a lot of open space in the tank so that they can move around easily. You can also decorate your aquarium with the help of the driftwood, sturdy plants and rockwork.
But the plants with weak roots should definitely be avoided. You will require a heavy cover to stop them from jumping.
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Conditions of Tank
The water temperature should be well maintained and that is from 75 to 82 degrees Fahrenheit. The pH should also be monitored and the proper range of the pH is from 6.5 to 7.5. The hardness of the water should also be checked and it should be soft to moderately hard.
Make sure that a proper water filtration mechanism is there as Silver Arowanas are susceptible to poor water quality. Try to change the water weekly. And also try to keep the aquarium in a low traffic area because Silver Arowana is easily spooked.
Compatibility of Silver Arowanas With Tank Mates
First of all, one thing that needs to be kept in mind and that is Silver Arowanas is a predator fish. So, you have to understand this properly that which fish can share the tank with them. When Silver Arowana Fishes are very small, the bigger aggressive fishes can easily bully them, so you should keep them with 6 or more Silver Arowanas. This will help them in preventing them from being bullied by the large aggressive fishes.
Sometimes, it gets very difficult to find ideal tank mates for any fish. But still, you will find tank mates for them if you keep three things in mind and that is:
- Try to pick up a fish, which is peaceful but also slightly aggressive.
- The size of the fish should be large, as this will prevent it from being eaten up by the Silver Arowana.
- Try to introduce Silver Arowana to the tank before the other fishes.
Some of the examples, which you can consider for the tank mates of the Silver Arowana, are Green Terrors, Large Plecostomus, Oscars, Parrot Cichlid, Angelfish, and Catfish.
Keeping Arowana Together
You need to be cautious while keeping a number of Silver Arowana together. Because you will find out that they do not get along well together. You can keep 6 of them in a natural pond or an aquarium of the approximately the same size.
Feeding & Diet Requirements
Silver Arowana is known to be carnivores but they are occasionally omnivores. Silver Arowana Fish have the capability to consume a wide variety of prey in wild areas. Generally, the food of their choice is normally small fish and crustaceans. Generally, they are known to have a distinctive hunting style. You have to make sure that their diet is proper. Silver Arowana mainly prefer a meat-based diet. Feeder fish can also be given to them sometimes. Fresh meat can be expensive so in order to lower down the expenses, you can also go for frozen foods. And juvenile Arowanas are known to be very fussy eaters so feed them accordingly. At this age, they should only be given fresh foods.
Breeding of Arowana Fish
During the start of the flood season, Silver Arowana lay their eggs in the wild. They generally pair off and build a nest before spawning. The female lay eggs before the eggs are being taken into the mouth of the male. Silver Arowana Fish are mouthbrooders. The size of the eggs is large and they are orange or red in color. The egg is there in the mouth of males for about 50 days.
You will come to see that 5 weeks after hatching, they will leave their father’s mouth. The breeding of these fishes is difficult in the home aquariums. There are very few success stories of this. Therefore, breeding of silver Arowanas is not recommended in the home aquarium tanks.
Conclusion
Silver Arowanas is not found suitable for the beginners. Only experienced aquarium enthusiasts are capable of taking proper care of them. A large quantity of food is required to feed them. Silver Arowana Fish are the cheapest type of Arowana available in the market and can cost you around $40 even for a small fish. If you still want to buy them then go for at least 8 inches long fish as they are mature by this time and you can easily keep them.
Silver Arowana can also be called as the Monkey fish or dragonfish. This species of fish is generally found in the freshwater regions and it is indigenous to the areas of South America. Silver Arowana Fish is known for its large size and its ability for hunting. And this fish is known to be a possession of any hobby aquarist. This fish has a bony structure and is native to the South American Amazon River basin.
Many hobby aquarists adorn this species of fishes. Silver Arowana Fish are known to be very strong and powerful swimmers but they are aggressive too by nature. Silver Arowana Fish belongs to the class of predator fishes and they have the capability to grow up to the size of 4 feet and can weigh around 6 kg. if you try to raise them in captivity then you can expect a lifetime of around 10-15 years. You will see that Silver Arowana Fish have their own unique hunting style which is different from the other fishes.
Silver Arowana Fish also have an advantage over the other species and that is they can survive without water for a short period of time. They have a swim bladder, which will help them in doing this. They are the cheapest Arowanas available in the market as they are the least restricted to import regulations. They are huge in size and precarious in nature. Their long lifespan makes them a species of fish, which should be considered only by the experienced aquarists.
This fish is not generally recommended for the beginners, but experienced aquarium enthusiasts may have this fish to have a fantastic addition. Silver Arowana Fish need high level care as they are difficult to handle. They are generally known to be semi-aggressive. They are silver in color. They generally have a life of around 10-15 years. Their size is up to 3 feet. They are known to be carnivores as per their eating habits. Silver Arowana Fish belongs to the family of Osteoglossidae and this needs to keep into consideration. The minimum tank size required for them is around 250 gallons. For the set-up of tank, you will require freshwater, rocks, and caves.
Read Out: Myths & Facts of Saltwater vs Freshwater Aquariums.
Silver Arowana Fish are surprisingly skittish they get scared from sudden moments. For example, if you turn the lights on suddenly and you are approaching the aquarium then they may get scared. There should be a low foot-traffic area in the tank in which you are placing the Arowanas.
Silver Arowana Fish are notorious jumpers and they have the ability to jump up to 3 meters high. If they are being placed in a small aquarium then they will definitely jump in search of freedom. So, it has always been recommended that place them in an appropriately sized aquarium tank.
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