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Silver Arawana, advice needed


mrrick

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Howdy group !

After recent criticism that my Cichlid tank was too small, I have gone out and bought another. Not as big as was suggested, but this one is in my price range and comes will lights and filtration etc.. I can pick it up locally too.

The good news?? is that it comes with a silver arawana, which looks like it is about 25 cm long atm. Will it devour my cichlids? or do you think they will be able to hold there own. (the tank also has an Angel and some plecos in it atm)

And seeing as I don't know much about Arawanas, any tips out there that I can't learn from Google over night.

**Might sell it if it is beyond my skill level**

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The problem with the aro is that it will keep growing to about 50cms long. A 4 foot tank that's only 200 litres is going to be fairly narrow (less than 50cm's front to back) and will not be enough room for him to turn or be comfortable. As LA said you're going to need at least a 6 foot tank for an arowana to be healthy and happy. Unless you plan to buy a 6 foot tank soon I would move him on to someone that can give him the tank he needs.

Also - what are your cichlids? There could be a clash with the pH requirements of the aro vs cichlids (africans tend to like a higher pH and aro's are generally a neutral / soft pH fish) but if they're CA cichlids the aro should be fine.

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IMO livingart and the obsticle are under-estimating things. A properly cared for silver arowana should reach 24"/60cm in a couple of years, and most will keep growing to ~30"+. To adequately house it you're going to want a tank that is at least 3x the length of the fish long, and as wide as the length of the fish. a 6x2x2' tank would be an adequate temporary home, but long term you will want something with a footprint more like 8x3'.

Here's a couple of pictures to show you what you're getting into, arOwana are amazing fish, but caring for one properly is a pretty major undertaking.

IMG_0582Small.jpg

bigbass.jpg

Taken at the Berlin Aqurium, the largest silver in the display was over a metre long and getting close to 30cm top to bottom.

And here's a video of a guy from MFK's tank with several large arowanas, making an 8'x36"x30" tank look small...

http://youtu.be/UvwQTh0OTYI

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Concur with David. 1000L is appropriate for an aro. Kept a silver and a jardini (not at the same time) in a 6ftr, they got to about 25/30cm and I sold them off, felt the tank was too small. Especially for the silver.

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i would get rid of your silver and sell it now before it deforms itself in the small tank.

when you keep arowanas in small tanks, they get deformed, fins dont look as nice etc

so you would get less for them if you try to sell it then .

your 200L is just enough to house a small arowana, 25cm is the max i would put in the 200L.

ultimately 1k litre is minimum, silver arowanas too get bigger and they get longer than most arowanas - requiring bigger space.

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