henward

http://www.arofanatics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=464665 same fish, one with the 'tanning lights' ior nan lights and the other is whtie light. here you go:D

http://www.arofanatics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=328645 this is a photo gallery solely for Reds You will see some of them with artificlal lights. Referred to as NAN lights. The entire fish becomes red, impossible, does not happen. some of them are with white lights or arcadia lights for reptiles, some are a combo of both. some have tanning lighst you will see the lights in front of the tank. so you can see how it works. Also, see the difference, most red arowana if UNTANNED will be come a very dark or orangey red colour on scales, then you convert that to darker shades upon tanning. background does help slightly, food of course.

tried darker, but you dont see the arowana shine at all, no colour as its in the shade. i like to see the colousr when it swims as much as possible.

I dont disagree with colouring phase, though i have read that red arowanas differ and there is nothing anyone can do to bring otu colour sooner but genetics. Food is only at most 10% to 20% of the equation. Colour is determined by the parents. The deepness of the red in pictures ont eh internet is almost always FAKE RED LIGHTS that literally fool the eyes. the wavelength of light and spectrum basically makes red stand out more. Light uv lighst and a highlighter - True test is how red it gets under white light. Some arowanas show most of their colour from young, some take a few years before it 'blooms' in to a deeper red. TaNNING: tanning lighst principle is to mimic sunlight - and mimic its UVA and UVB. I have seen videos of arowana harvesting, and the fish are so imcredibly red, as they are exposed to full sun all year round. Ideally, our red arowana and gold should be exposed to sun. But we cant in NZ, so the tanning lights mimics this. The higher the UVB the better it is. Arcadia has 6% uvb, and it also has a red light to it whcih enhances artificially the reds on a fish, turning orange to red in the human eye. However, true redness should be under white light, and every single person i have spokent o overseas, even breeders said that arcadia D3 lights for reptile, a desert tube with 12% uvb is the highest and best in the market (opinions differ but more than 80%of feedback i got was this) I agree, flow in tank makes fish bigger, more active and thicker. Fraser met someone in UNI that did research on kingfish, control batch and high flow batch, the high flow batch got bigger. just like humans it makes sense, muscle development is from resistance. But in saying that, if the fish needs mroe food as it uses more energy and you feed enough to give it what it needs in theory it wont make a difference. I also feed pellets whcih is concentrated nutrients so they shouldnt be short of beta carotene whcih is the colourant in food. (I am still awaiting feedback from others about this overseas) rivers have natural parts where there is flow and some still. My tank has this too. As for 1.5 grade, therre is a big difference, i used to have a low grade red, it was not nice at all. difference is 1000% more! as for the breeder in indonesia, he is of course the expeert. But some of these guys also believes in old wives tales and i guess i need a good scientific explanation for this. Light and Darkness: This is interesting. As i said above, 1999 i went to singapore and was considering importing high grade discus, and the discus breeder took me to his friend who owned Panda Aquatics. and i saw his arowanas that was bought inside from the breeding ponds. So red! these guys are old massive aros, vivid red, No lighting - just sunlight. If these arowanas can get red in the bright full tropical sun of singapore...then my lights are very dim compared to sunlight. Sunlight is key to making aro red. I knwo what you mean though. In most tanks i have seen red, they have black background and floor as i do, and they have 2 to 3 lights, usually red lighting and 1 dim white light. Then a tanning light. so what happens is that the tank background plus the red tanning light and red overhead light actually make the fish stand out more, thus giving a more red appearance. its like a yellow road sign with black writing - same principle. Asking about phase 1 befoer you mentioned,and reading numerous articles overseas. There is alot of conjecture and arguaments on this but the strikingly common answer about tanning is this. (NOTE: all info i have are from articles from arowana clubs, quotes from breeders and champions and their regime in arowana keeping an d overseas experience from people with photos to validate their input) Tanning DOES NOT make an arowna red. Tanning only darkens the already existing colours. So tanning will not make an arowana red with bad genes. that is why a low grade red will never become red. A VIP arowana generally speaking will not get BLOOD RED colouration untill maybe at the final phase of colouration. what creates a blood red dark red colour is the tanning process - in pictures, usually its the red lighting. Red lighting makes anyting look red. Tanning will make the base scale colour darker (like it does human skin) and make the orange/red shades darker. So basically making it more contrasting and darker. Tanning cannot be done suddenly. and it cannot stop suddenly, just like human skin. Usually people tan their arowanas in this patter over a 5 to 7 week period 3 hours on for 1 week, 6, 8, 12 -- increasing in duration over 5 to 7 weeks. Then the final phase is 24 hours tanning, then dropping it back slowly too so the arowana retains its colours, PUt tanning forever can put the arowna in a stressful environment shortening its life. So tanning has to be gradual, and the stoppage gradual also and maintained by a maintenance phase. Pics you see online where the arowana is FULL SCALES RED - are actually under red NAN lighting whcih is designed to make a fake red. I endeavour to use white lightings,a nd whent he red arcadia light expires, i will endeavour to use white desert tube so i can see the real red and not fake. As for tank mates, i have seen some extremely red arowanas with tank mates. In fact in the wild they haev tank mates. Colour on fish can actually come out more to express their dominance when therre are tank mates, I dont see any valid science with keeping arowana by itself. or with only a few tank mates. (i am awaiting opinions frmo overseas ont his too) but this is my experience and take on this. Id like to hear more about my tank as to why my arowana may not reach a nice colour. I have posted my rtg picture and video and i have had very good feedback from overseas, some even saying that my gold scales are much fuller than some have ever acomplished with their rtg and waht they have seen. Yet you said the size is imperssive but colour is not very good. Also a comment was made by you a few months back that red arowana tank shouldnt have as much water changes as gold. this makes it redder. Now, no validation was responded to that, But i did my research as to why a breeder would tell you not to do as much water changes. Nitrates NEVER is good for any fish. NEVER, that is the only thing you get with less water changes. But the fact of the matter is, its not water changes or nitrates that helpt he reds, its WATER STABILITY that is key with reds. So you can have zero nitrates in theory, but water STABLE water. Sudden changes in water parameters is bad for arowanas (most fish actually too). So this old wives tale and myth of less water changes is actually factual in a sense, just needed to be explained. But merely listening to an old man breeding expensive fish with no explanation isnt really something that is useful to me but i understand now... I value everyones opinions - respect experience foremost, but i also am a big fan of science, and concensus as well as experience. I guess heresay is irrelevant to me - hard facts is what im after. tanning guide: http://www.arofanatics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=204283 This is peer reviewed by suppliers, breeders and experts overseas. Articles placed on sites like these are peer reviewed like all articles on this forum. I am determined to take care of this fish and follow advise from you and others too. others wtih same or more experience and people with tried ways of makign aros red, and very large. I want this aro to get very very large. I will show you that i will make thsi beast red:D I have seen champion photos, and i have seen photos of peoples red arowanas that are gorgeous as a comparison. of course i welcome response and feedback 007 - in no way, i assert thsi now, i mean any disrespect or offense AT ALL by my passage above. Just a good discussion i reckon!! :bounce:

I used to have agrade 1.5 red arowana. it was an adult. the red in that arowana was pink and very light. almost green arowana. the colour of this vip is already 1000% different to that red, i think thsi vip is veryd ifferent and no matter what will never be similar but yes, nice fish. I will post the pictures when i get home. just some things though i wanan address: first and foremost, i do respect what you say, as you are very experienced. But also, I do read articles, research papers and opinions of hundreds of Red aro keepers overseas. SOme of whcih are breeders, importers/exporters. so when I reasearch a fish, I never just take advise from one source. Doing so is not prudent. I research far more than people may think and never the less, when you spend an excess of $5000 on a fish :slfg: i certainly do my homework. i guess there are differing opinions - and there are ones backed by science, some observation and some information is through concensus where many have said the same thing. My response below.

i knew one silver no drop eye at all. fed pellets and always fed with food suspendd above water. no drop eye. maybe its the looking up

yes i have had a steady suppl for 3 years now.

locusts are very easy they dont eat the young. and grass is easy, jus tleave a patch unmowed:D i get 2 to 3 bathches a year. 2 in the warmer seasons 1 in cold. currently, i have a batch, its not as big as the summer warmer months, about a third only. during summer, i would have an excess of probably 1000 locusts!

i use yates peat, just by itself, slightly compacted and i run pvc pipe to the bottom and fillt hat with water, so water comes from under the peat not above it. but both can work. i just dont like my cage getting too moist locust are easy to breed

mmm intriguing. i may make a call tomorrow. that red pin the picture is so not what a low grade 1.5 red looks like!

I understand and believe you have a most genuine reason for your comments and help, i am just wondering why you dont believe that my tank will bring out colour - is it because of the tanning lights? yOu aske dme to put them on straight away, and i have not yet put it on. is that the main reason? that is the only thing i didnt do - everything else is really general fish care just want to know

dont get me wrong, i am not saying you wont buy it, im just saying how much it costs:D i want one too. a high grade gold but actually would love an albino more! but no one imports albino arowanas even albino and pink black ghost knives, dont undersatnd, its relatively easy to find overseas!

I AM UNSURE..... BUT DID I MENTION I HAVE A LARGE TANK FOR SALE... ITS IN GOOD CONDITION, AND VERY VERY CHEAP!! I MEAN THIS DEAL.... INSANITY!!!! :happy1: :bounce: BUY MY TANK!! BUY IT!!

fishybness: that picture you have is worth about 7000 to 8000!! as a baby!1 the beauty about gold aros is that their colour is more GUARANTEED than reds! and also you dont need much in terms of lighting to make them shine, good lighting is key of course to enhance the shine, but they are must easier to attain than reds from what i have read and heard.

doesnt crickets have better goodies in them? in terms of beta carotenes? which one do you think will be better? and why do most people say crix are better than locusts? or is that my imagination?

1.5 reds are not worth buying IMO. just get a green or silver or black. get them when bigger. your oscar WILL kill any small fish. that oscar i sold you was a war veteran, it had to be tough to put up with the rtg. it was in my tank to ensure the rtgs attention was diverted away from the others and only harassed the oscar. that oscar is a mean machine!! get a large fish to begin with, then you will be ok.

is there a way of them not getting eaten? like more egg cartons or is it something tha tjust happens i guess babies are a bit slow and disorientated, so easy pickings? so proposed breeding set up. 3 tubs - 1 is for laying with laying tubs. the other is for hatching and raising. the 3rd is to rotate when the stock needs to be replenished, and the older ones can be discarded and fed?

ok i have attempted this and gave up after 1 try. gotta do it gain, my new aro will love me for it. i can raise crix to adults from a medium size, i got them to lay eggs and i got them to hatch. but after hatching, can i mix babies iwth adults if i have lots of hiding spots like egg cartons? or, should i separate it? say i put plenty food, plenty moisture and cricket water stuff. do i still need to separate?

haha yeah, im gonna use the feeding formula that created the monster RTG. prawn with shell stuffed with massivore, and hikari jumbo sticks. jumbo sticks is more for colour, massivore is for growth. definitely gonna be part of its diet. its gonna have a massive growth spurt soon im sure.

Hi King " To be honest, i do think the fish got very nice color now but I told you need to keep it in right way... I do not think that fish even could show is 60% color after one year in your current tank(I watched the video)" just wondering why after 1 year you think that the fish wont show 60% its colour in my tank? after watching the video. what aspect of my tank is there that will INHIBIT the colour development?

yeah, crickets are harder to breed. i tried, and the darn thing ate its babies!! dotn know how! but yes, crickets would be ideal wouldnt it i find locusts easy and babies dont get eaten.

007 - i am curious, could you ask the other customers you have had buy VIP reds in the past to send photos and perhaps post it here? would be good to see what their colour are like :happy2:

why is that?

lol where did that come from fraser? INSECT DIRECT: yeah, its a shame, would love super worms, they are much bigger than mealworms but i found mealworms were also good for enlarging fish! but i cant seem to breed them anymore as i get mites and my garage is too h umid! but when they got to a big size, i just froze them. the fish still love them frozen. and thaws instantly as it gets into the water anyways.

im not planning on adding anymore. maybe more clowns when they get large enough in my grow out. might try mixing fire and TT eel, some say overseas that its not possible, but when asked, they have never tried it, i tried asking someone who has firsthand experienced it not working... no one i can reach so far. a guy has 5 spiney eels, says he has NEVER had issues! so long as they are ont agro to begin with, he says that same species tend to have more agro with each other, but different species dont. who knows, i just got my fire eel today. and an apollo9 shark, was cheap:D see how it turns out, may put with red. yeah, nice shape, and colour i reckon for its size. according to 007 - this fish he was going to keep as it was extremely nice and showing 'colour promise'. from what i can tell, the deep redness of the fins - and darkness of scales determins the contracts of the red later in life. we shall see:D