Data Sheet
Scientific Name:
Scleropages Formosus
Other Names:
Arawana, Dragon Fish
Family:
Osteoglossidae
Origin:
Asia, Australia, Africa,
Adult Size:
90cm (55-58 inches)
Social:
Predatory fish that will eat up smaller fishes. Highly territorial
Lifespan:
10-20 years.
Tank Level:
mid-top dweller.
Minimum Tank Size:
At least 3 times the width of your Arowana, and width same as Arowana length.
Diet:
Eats anything - live crickets, tapdoles, small frogs, small fishes, shrimps etc.
Breeding:
Mouthbrooder
Care:
Easy - Hardly fish
Ideal pH:
6.5-7
Temperature:
75-85 F (24-29C)
Tank setup:
No plants or rocks recommended as this fish needs lots of space and plants and rocks may get in their way.
Sexing:
The male's mouth is wider and deeper.
Description:
In this family of fishes, the head is bony and the elongate body is covered by large, heavy scales, with a mosaic pattern of canals. The dorsal and the anal fins have soft rays and are long based, while the pectoral and ventral fins are small. The name 'bony tongues' is derived from a toothed bone on the floor of the mouth, the 'tongue', equipped with teeth that bite against teeth on the roof of
the mouth.Habitat/Care:
In the wild, the Arowanas prefers to stay in shallow waters (above five feet deep), near riverbanks and in shaded areas. Arowanas prefer these areas not because they are avoiding the elements, but because insects are plentiful in shaded areas and these are their main source of food.
Mixing with other fishes:
Medium to Large bottom feeders are ideal tank mates for the Arowana. The Arowana will leave these bottom feeders
alone. Other peaceful large fish may be safety kept with Arowana. Take care not to include fin-nippers with the Arowana. Smaller fish that will fit into the Arowana mouth will be eaten.Arowanas are generally highly territorial and will not tolerate another Arowana in a small tank. In a large open pond, however, it has been noted that several Arowanas can be safety kept together. Wikipedia recommends that 5-6 Arowanas should be kept together in a tank instead of 2-3 as when in a group, their aggressiveness tends to
be subdued.Diet:
Arowana prefer live food or at the very least floating food. They will generally not eat from the bottom of the tank. To this end keeping your Arowana with a suitable bottom feeder may be a good idea.These foods can include: worms, crickets, grasshoppers, locus, fly, small frogs, small fish (limited quantities) and shrimps with shells. Some Arowana may take floating fish food.Some foods help to promote a good colour in your fish. Prawns contain cerotine which helps bring out the red and gold colours of the
Arowana fish. It is recommended however to maintain a varied and balanced diet for any Arowana Fish.Feeding patterns effect both size and colour of your Arowana Fish. Over feeding can make your fish grow faster however this may adversely affect both colour and long term health of the fish. Since the size, colour and health of your fish are all very important, you are advised not to regularly overfeed any Arowana Fish.Folklore:
For the
Chinese, the dragon is a symbol of good luck and prosperity. In the eyes of the Chinese, the dragon fish has the appearance and majesty of the Chinese Dragon, especially the scales - it resembles the scales of a Dragon.When a Chinese businessman purchased one of these fishes, then strike a big fortune, the rumor mills were working overtime that he attribute his good luck to owning one of these fish. Soon, demand for this fish rocketed as many others hope that keeping a dragon fish will bring them luck.
There are 3 types of Asian Arowana - the Red, Gold and Green. For the Chinese, Red is a lucky color, as evidenced by the large amount of red used during Chinese New Year. This makes the Red dragon fish in high demand, and prices for a good quality red can easily fetch around SG$8,888/=. Gold is also considered lucky. However, it is surprising that Green variety is not very popular and is consider unlucky, especially in Cantonese speaking countries like Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Guangzhou. The Cantonese who keep a green Arowana in their home and often gamble are said to "shee tou meen cheang cheang" (lost till their faces turn green).
Breeding:
Between 30 to 40 Arowanas between the ages of five and seven, half of them male, half of them female were released in a pond. They were left in the pond to allow them to pair themselves off, while the fish farmers observed from afar with binocular.After sometime (between one and six months): compatible male and female Arowanas couple by themselves. However, this does not mean that with 30 to 40 Arowanas, you will see 15 to 20 pairs. On the contrary, it is sometimes impossible to get even one pair.The farmers continued to keep a close watch on the pair. The males are mouth brooders, and will keep the eggs and fry in the mouth. Sometime later, the male was seen releasing young Arowanas from his mouth for between three and five minutes before drawing them back into his mouth again. At this stage, a net was dropped into the pond to segregate the couple and their young from the other Arowanas. After the young were free-swimming, they were netted and kept in separate tanks to grown individually, feeding on bloodworms.Observations have shown that the female Arowana spawns once a year and each successful spawn produces between 30 and 80 young.
Illness:
Basically, the Arowana is a very hardy fish; even for first time fish owners. However, due to unsuitable water conditions, poor diet, high nitrate levels, etc., illnesses like bulging eye, cloudy eye, gillc-urling, external parasites, fin rot, dropsy and internal bleeding may occur. Watch out for the last two symptoms as they are likely to be fatal.
In all cases, raise the water temperature to 34 degree Celsius and add about 0.03% salt to the water (i.e. 300g of salt for 100litres of water). It is often helpful to add a wide spectrum medicine with anti-bacterial or anti-parasitic compounds. Medicines like tetracycline, acfriflavine may also help.
One point to note: do not be too concerned over fin rot caused by fighting. Even in cases where extensive damage to the whole tail has been done, the recovery period is only a matter of weeks.
Variants:
Asian Arowana - are the most expensive of all because they are near-extinct . They are protected species and mainly from Thailand , Sumatra and Malaysia . Asian Arowana have three main colors - Red , Gold and Green.
Australia Arowana - originated from Australia and they look similar to Asian Arowana . Australia Arowana got two types - Pearl and Spotted Arowana . Both looked the same except for the scales and colors. There are even Red or Gold Pearl Arowana.
Silver Arowana - is the most common Arowana. It is also the cheapest. Silver Arowana have long fin and tail with its whole body silver in color. It can grow up to a very large size about 49 inches!
Black Arowana - is the same as Silver Arowana but its fin and tail are black-color. Black Arowana are harder to raise than Silver Arowana.
Sci. Name : Scleropages Formosus
Size : Maximum up to 36 inches
Temperature Range : 75 - 85 F
Distribution : SouthEast Asia ( S. Thailand, S. Vietnam, Malay Peninsula, Sumatra and Indonesia . )
-Red Arowana - is by far the most beautiful and famous Arowana among all the other Arowana .
The scales and fins are totally red in color and it is very expensive . There are also ruby-red and Chili-red Arowana .The red arrowana is very popular among the chinese and is believed to bring prosperity and wealth to the owner. It is considered an endangered and protected species . There are 1st Grade and 1 1/2 Grade Red Arowana .-Gold Arowana - is also one of the expensive Arowanas around and it is sought after by many chinese businessman .This Arowana is believed to bring good wealth and prosperity to the owner bacause of its beautiful gold color which look like gold bar .
-Red-Tail Arowana - is a common Asian Arowana in Singapore . Its scales slightly become gold as it matures and the fins are red in color . When the Red-Tail Gold Arowana is young , it look the same as the 1 1/2 Grade Red Arowana since both have red fins and tails . But as the Arowana matured , a Red-Tail Arowana will have red-colored fins and tails with shiny body scales . Whereas the 1 1/2 Grade Red Arowana will have a pink body with red fins
and tails . Don't be mistaked when buying the Arowana .-Malaysian Gold Arowana - is very rare and beautiful . Like its name says , it is from malaysian country . Its bluish scales reflect back nice colorful blue color and is sought after by many . Even a small one can fetch a very high price . It is a protected species .
-Yellow-Tail Arowana - is believed to be the cross between the Gold and Green Arowana . Its
scales are usually milky-white with yellow colored fins and tails . It is about the same price as the Green Arowana .-Green Arowana - is considered the lowest grade of the Asian Arowana . It scales are silvery-white to white color with slightly green fins . It is also the cheapest of the Asian Arowana and not a protected species . But it still have a quantity of a fine Arowana .
Kelalaian adalah sumber malapetaka bagi penggemar. Sekali saja lalai tidak mengontrol aerator akuarium, bisa-bisa arwana mati. Apalagi ceroboh, tentu lebih fatal akibatnya. Maka bagi penggemar yang sungguh-sungguh mencintai arwana, pastilah memperhatikan seluk-beluk di sekitar perawatan. Harapannya, agar arwana dalam akuarium bisa tampil anggun dan asri. Lantas apa yang harus dilakukan?1. Perhatikan peralatan aquariumBerhasil tidaknya akuarium menjadi tempat yang nyaman bagi ikan arwana, sungguh dipengaruhi oleh kelengkapan sarana pendukungnya.AeratorFungsi aerator atau pompa udara adalah menyuplai udara ke dalam air akuarium, dan sekaligus menguapkan atau mendorong hasil sisa-sisa pembakaran ke luar dari akuarium. Aerator dikatakan baik, jika arus listrik yang menggerakkannya kecil, tetapi udara yang ditiupkannya relatif banyak.Heater & ThermometerAlat pemanas (heater) ini diperlukan terutama pada waktu suhu air akuarium turun drastis. Sedangkan alat pengontrol suhu air atau termometer juga dipasang dalam akuarium. Di daerah dingin, heater dan termometer ini sangat dibutuhkan.FilterFungsi filter atau penyaring untuk menyaring air dalam akuarium. Kerja filter mencakup ini untuk menyedot air akuarium, menyaring, dan mengembalikannya lagi ke dalam akuarium dalam kondisi bersih. Lampu TLKeberadaan lampu TL, selain menyinarkan cahaya, juga sanggup mempercantik penampilan akuarium. Tapi, jangan sampai sinar lampu TL justru menimbulkan panas yang melebihi kebutuhan. Idealnya untuk akuarium seluas 80x40 cm memerlukan lampu TL berdaya 20 watt.2. Rajin melakukan perawatan akuariumMau tak mau jika Anda terlanjur mencintai ikan arwana dalam akuarium, cukuplah rajin melakukan perawatan. Sebab déngan demikian itu, penampilan arwana dalam akuarium tampak sehat, segar, dan menyenangkan.Pemberian makananMenu utama arwana dalam akuarium adalah kelabang. Tapi jangan terus- menerus diberi kelabang, sebaiknya divariasi déngan makanan lain. Contohnya: udang, kecoa, katak, lipan, kadal, maupun jangkrik.Pengontrolan & pergantian airSetiap hari diwajibkan mengontrol suhu dan pH air. Adapun suhu air ideal bagi ikan arwana sekitar 25-27 derajat Celcius. Andaikata suhu air dingin, segera nyalakan heater hingga suhu air sesuai kebutuhan. Sedangkan pH yang dikehendaki sekitar 6-8,5. Andaikata pH terlalu rendah, maka tambahkan kapur ke dalam akuarium. Selain itu, sanitasi air perlu diperhatikan pula, silakan mengobati air akuarium déngan Malachite green, déngan frekuensi 3 minggu sekali.Dan jangan lupa, air akuarium juga diganti. Namun pergantian air dipilahkan menjadi dua, yakni: (a) pergantian air secara reguler setiap 2 hari sekali dengan volume 10% dari seluruh volume air akuarium, dan (b) total pergantian air dilakukan setiap 3 bulan sekali. Jika Anda menggunakan air PAM, sebaiknya dibiarkan 24 jam terlebih dahulu agar kandungan khlor mengendap, dan setelah itu bisa dimasukkan ke dalam akuarium.3. Penataan interior akuariumKehidupan di dalam akuarium adalah replika lingkungan hidup di alam bebas. Oleh karena itu, perlu penataan interior dalam akuarium. Ini berarti menuntut apresiasi estetika, sehingga perpaduan antara keindahan akuarium dengan anggunnya ikan arwana sanggup menampilkan nuansa kesejukan yang harmonis.Tanaman airMengingat asal-muasal ikan arwana yang suka bersembunyi di bawah tanaman air, maka kita pun siap menyediakan tanaman dimaksud. Ada beberapa jenis tanaman air yang dapat dipilih antara lain: Vallisneria spiralis, Hidrilla verticillata, Riccia fluiutana, Higrophila polisperma, Pistia stratiotes, Najas indica, dan sebagainya.Pasir batuanPasir digunakan sebagai landasan peletakan batuan. Sebaiknya digunakan pasir sungai, yang masih bercampur dengan humus. Di samping itu, diberi juga batuan dan termasuk karang-karangan. Ukuran batu idéal berdia meter 3 mm. Batuan tersebut memiliki berbagai corak dan warna yang beragam namun tetap indah.
Asian Arowana prefers to live in water with a temperature of about 75 to 86 degrees Fahrenheit (24-30 C). The pH level is best kept between 7.0 and 7.5. It is recommendable to use several water heaters to make sure that there is a backup if one fails since they can be sensitive to lower temperatures. Lighting plays a larger role when keeping an Asian Arowana than it does with many other fish. Good lighting is required to get your fish to develop good coloration and sunlight is beneficial to this end. You should however never place the aquarium in direct sunlight since the fish are sensitive to rapid changes in the temperature. To much sunlight can also cause sever algae problems. The lighting in an aquarium dedicated to keeping Arowana fish should preferable increase and degrees the light levels slowly since the fish otherwise might become very stressed and injure themselves against the decoration, aquarium glass etc. Effective Biological, Chemical, and Mechanical filtration should be deemed necessary when keeping Asian Arowana. They are carnivores will create a lot of waste material with put a large stress on the filters. One suggested means of filtration would be a Bio-Wheel type system. Bio-Wheel type systems not only helps clean the aquarium but also help oxygenate the water to a small degree, which is especially good when keeping larger fish. Combined with a good carbon element, this and good gravel at the bottom of the tank should help keep the Ammonia, Ammonium, and Nitrites down. It is necessary to change out about 25% of the tank’s water each week. Asian Arowana is not too picky when it comes to food and there is a lot they will eat. Young should be fed a mix of Live and Frozen Brine Shrimp, black worms, and small fish. As they get older, Frogs, Fish, and Shrimp makes good food. There are many other food sources that can be used to feed your fish and a quick search on the internet should give you a lot of tips of other food sources. Often if your water quality is bad, or your Asian Arowana is sick, it may not be eating. It is therefore wise to monitor your fish for quietness, loss of aggressiveness, or change in patterns of their daily routine and take step to remedy the a problem if one is discovered.
source:www.aquaticcommunity.com
The Silver Arowana (Osteoglossum bicirrhosum) comes from the Amazon Basin. They can grow to around 48 inches in the wild, and are usually the cheapest Arowana species. Silver Arowana can be more jumpy then the other species and more than one Silver Arowana have jumped to their death in a badly covered aquarium. Silver Arowana may take a while to adjust to non-live food. Sometimes to the brink of starvation. Feed them meaty food like, fish, crab, or Shrimp (try to avoid the salt). This Arowana Fish thrives in temperatures between 75 and 86 degrees Fahrenheit (24-30 C), and pH between 6 and 7. Young Silver Arowana should not be in a tank shorter then 36 inches/ 90 cm, and as they get older, 48 inches/ 120 cm though when your Arowana fish reaches 15 inches/ 40 cm they will need a much larger tank. These Arowana Fish can become aggressive towards similar species and should be kept alone in the aquarium tank unless it is very big. They can also be kept with larger catfish and a few other species. They are a definitely predator and will eat smaller fish. As juveniles, they may be suitable for smaller home aquarium, though with growth, they are likely to outgrow the home and become suitable only for large public aquariums.
The Spotted Arowana (Scleropages leichardti) is mostly found from Southern Australia. They can grow to around 36 inches/ 90 cm (they do however only seldom reach this length in an aquarium), and are less sought after then the Asian Arowana. They are also called Dawson River Saratoga, Southern Saratoga, Spotted Barramundi, Australian Spotted Arowana, and Leichardti Saratoga. They tend to stay closer to the bottom than other Arowana fish species. This means that it sometimes is possible to keep them with Silver Arowana fish. As far as food, they are capable of eating most things that will fit their mouth (crickets, Hikari pellets, insects, etc). This Arowana fish species prefers a temperatures between 75 and 86 degrees Fahrenheit (24-30 C), and a pH level between 6.5 and 7.5. They may be territorial and aggressive.
The Northern Arowana (Scleropages jardini) is found mostly in Northern Australia. They can grow to around 36 inches/ 90 cm. They are also called Northern Saratoga, Jardine Saratoga, Gulf Saratoga, Australian Gold or Pearl Arowana and Jardini Saratoga. They eat similar food as the Spotted Arowana (Southern Australia), and are less likely to jump out of the tank than other species (though they might). This variety of Arowana Fish is best kept at a pH level of 6.0 - 7.5 and temperatures of 72 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit (22-27 C). While less aggressive then others, they are still predators and will likely eat anything that will fit in their mouths. They will eat Crayfish, Fish, Insects, and pellets with a little effort to get them started.
The African Arowana (Heterotis niloticus) comes from western and central Africa. They grow up to around 40 inches/100 cm. They are more rare than other Arowana Fish species. They are predators known to eat small fish. This Arowana Fish prefers temperatures between 75 and 86 degrees Fahrenheit (24-30 C) and a pH level of 6.7 to 7.5 (7.0 preferred). They eat shrimp, fish, live worms, and insects in captivity. The Black Arowana fish (Osteoglossum ferreirai) comes from South America in the Rio Negro basin. They grow up to around 40 inches / 100 com, though they seldom reach this length in captivity. The Black Arowana fish eat live fish, large insects, spiders, Tubifex worms, and may also eat pellets and flakes (not all specimens accept pellets and flakes). Young Arowana fish of this species tend to be delicate, though older fish tend to be more hardy. They prefer a pH level of 5-7 with 6.4 being the optimum level, and temperatures between 75 and 86 degrees Fahrenheit (24-30 C).
source:www.aquaticcommunity.com