black dragon

[kkfish]

My new black Aro,what do i feed it? Bloodworms? Pellets? mealworms? beefheart? Shrimp?

[A.PROPHECY]

you should of found out what it eats befor buying it

a good floating pellet will do for now

Nice fish

[Morcs]

LOL

Get some Hikari cichlid gold. Good floating food, cheap too. make him grow real fast 8)

African cichlids will suffice also. :lol:

[A.PROPHECY]

Hikari also do aro sticks

[David R]

Mine is eating hikari food sticks and growing well, as is henwards. Might take it a few days to settle in first, just be patient.

[Morcs]

Hikari also do aro sticks

True, but not as economical on price as cichlid gold.

[phoenix44]

True, but not as economical on price as cichlid gold.

But soooo much better!

[Navarre]

Dont really "do" these guys

Do they keep the red finage as they "blacken"?

[Fruju]

If only they kept juevy colour when adults. look pretty much like silvers when bigger, just a tad darker I believe.

[David R]

look pretty much like silvers when bigger, just a tad darker I believe.

They look like a silver in the same way that tinfoil looks like platinum.

They aren't "black" like their juvi colours, but IMO they look more "refined" than a silver as adults, more elongated and snake like. Silvers tend to get thick and solid as they get big where as blacks keep their juvi proportions. Less defects like drop eye and PLJ too.

[Fruju]

They look like a silver in the same way that tinfoil looks like platinum.

They aren't "black" like their juvi colours, but IMO they look more "refined" than a silver as adults, more elongated and snake like. Silvers tend to get thick and solid as they get big where as blacks keep their juvi proportions. Less defects like drop eye and PLJ too.

'refined'?, I think they look best when under blue lights, shows their fin colour best when adults, unlike silvers who get more red.

[kkfish]

Thanks every one.

I will try to train him to take pellets, but now I am feeding him with bloodworms, i think there is not enough nutrition to him.

So, can I feed him any thing else?

[David R]

You can, but IMO while they're young and growing best to keep them on the good stuff. As they get older can increase the meaty stuff like shrimp.

'refined'?, I think they look best when under blue lights, shows their fin colour best when adults, unlike silvers who get more red.

yeah I can't think of a better way to put it, maybe more elegant? :oops:

[kkfish]

I feed him with meal woarms & Hikari pellets, every 4 hours, one meal worm, then 4 hours later, one hiraki pellet.

He is happy to take both. The colour turns lighter than before, but very healthy.

I found black Aro has more flashing fish scale than silver one, realy cool colour!

[henward]

I have had much aro experience, some not good of course as part of the laerning curve.

but i have reared monsters as of late.

IMHO - Aros need the 3 commandments.

1) Space - They will need space to grow. swimming space to excercise. Settle it in with little dimmed lights then increase it after a month or two. Should be fine. LIDS!

2) Water quality - Low nitrate, good filtration. not sensitive but always good to have water qual and arowanas eat alot, and digest rapidly... so the amonia will spike if you dont have adequate filtration.

3) food food food! Get them only hikari aro sticks asap. Then after they eat taht comfortably. Not chewing and spitting 50% of the pellet but i mean really eating 80 to 90% of the pellets as you would have a certain degree of fragmentation of pellets when swallowed - THEN SHRIMP.

once aro has shrimp, they love it and its hard to revert them. but a diet of pellets is pretty good.

i hear over seas that silver and balck aro loses its nice sheen because its fed beef heart...turns the scales kinds beige and off white...you want it silver, white in colour with a tinge of pink or in the black aro, bluish....

thsi is achieved by shrimps and pellets like hikari aro sticks. They are expensive but HFF has a awesome sale right now, im getting a KG of aro sticks for 130 ish.

on that note, its funny you buy it with out researching.... interesting approach but hey, as long as you have the means to look after it, thats fine. Remember they grow large.... fast.

1 inch a month is the good target of growth until 12 inches.