A young silver arowana begins life as a small, delicate fish. When purchasing one, think about how big it’s going to get. It’s beautiful looking, but it also gets large. It doesn’t just grow up; it grows out, then down, then across. It is also tall.
So what does that do? A full-grown fish will make your house appear smaller. Be respectful of size of care needed. From day one, the fish mature rapidly. In fact, if you have a juvenile that’s six months old, chances are it’s already three times the size it was when purchased. Plan accordingly for size from day 1.
Planning for Your Arowana’s Growth
Don’t make the mistake of waiting until the arowana outgrow the tank you own. Once an adult, the arowana can be four feet long. That’s a big fish for a home tank. Be prepared for that growth. Otherwise, you will feel frustrated and you will make your fish unhappy by stressing him or her out.
Many tank owners gets stuck when choosing a tank size. They may have a limited amount of space in their house or money available, so they buy the biggest tank they can afford now. However, you must consider adult size of the fish. How much water will it require? It should be able to move side to side freely throughout its tank.
Small tanks are a problem because they makes it hard to manage waste produced by these heavy feeders. That’s why filtration must manages the output without compromising water quality. There are charts that list gallons based off life stages; however, there is more than just gallons involved here. Surface area matter too. For example, a long tank vs. Deep tank. Longer is better since fish eats closer to surface.
As the fish grows up, it will also change its feeding habit. Its large jaws are made for catching food at the surface. As it grows up, you need to change what you give it to eat. Give your adult fish something different than what you gave the hatchling. Change the size and type of diet from small things to bigger such as insects or feeder fish.
It shows the increasing energy requirement of the growing fish. For health, variety matters too. Giving it the same thing all the time may result in nutritional deficiencies that make it ill down the road.
Arowanas can jump out of the water because they are strong swimmers. When? Without warning or startle. The tank should have a secure lid (heavy weight/lid clips). The fish jumps quick and gets away if there isn’t any physical barrier to prevent jumping.
Keeping an arowana involves more than food/diet, space, and water chemistry but also safety. If planned well in advance it is a rewarding hobby. But if no preparation is made it might prove difficult for others. Respect its size from the start, and you can keep it healthy for many years.
