Getting some arowanas!!

[Ginevive]

I was notified by Mark yesterday that our friends bought a house that had a lot of "junk" lying around that was included with it.. well, there is a 55g tank w/ 2 arowanas in it, as well as 2 huge cory cats and some undetermined other fish.. but we can have them! I have always wanted an arowana; my friend kept them for years and they are just awesome, and i saw one years ago in some music video and was captivated by it. They get huuuuge.
This is what they look like (this is a googled image, not mine.)

I am going to have to move some goldfish around since they want to keep the tank, but I am excited! Anyone ever keep these before? They eat live, right (fish, crickets.) I am thinking eventually they can go into our 125; they are small now, I have just been told. A 55g should be ok for a little while.

[sho220]

Those are cool! A pet store near us had a big one on display...very cool to watch...

[SPJ]

They are awesome but keep the tank covered. They jump.
I would move all of the fish out of there. Anything that can fit in an aros mouth will become food.

Here is my Jardini. Different body shape than the SA ones.

[Evan Jamison]

Awesome Jen! I love arawanas! They remind me of Thailand, as many well-to-do families and businesses had them. Be prepared for a big fish though, and possibly a much bigger tank down the road. They don't grow super fast, but they get BIG! (ever seen a huge one on display at a public aquarium?, amazing!!!) I wish we had more freshwater stuff at my work, but all of our FW fish on display are native to Utah . Be sure to post some pics when you get them!


-Evan

[sho220]

How big do these get?

[SPJ]

The SA ones can reach 4 feet.
The Asian and Aussie ones usually top at at about 2 -2 1/2 feet

[recycling goddess]

so think about it... a 2 1/2 foot long fish needs a tank at least that wide and three times the length of that... my 210 gallon tank is 24 inches wide and 6 ft long... (and 29 inches high) so you'd need something larger to house ONE of these babies!

(of course you can use a smaller tank... but that's like raising a kid in a closet... it can be done... but should it be done?)

and then of course there's the 4 foot ones!

[recycling goddess]

but... i'd love to have some as well jen... keep us posted with pics please

[cassandra]

The SA ones can reach 4 feet.
The Asian and Aussie ones usually top at at about 2 -2 1/2 feet

HOLY CATS! To paraphrase, "That's not a fish...now THAT'S a fish!"

[Ginevive]

LOL; I lied to everyone.. turns out they're just gouramis.
I saw a pic of one on my boyfriend's cell phone and pegged it instantly. I think we'll still keep them anyway; I guess there are a bunch of tetras in the tank as well.
Kinda weird; this was a big-time drug house (they were into ecsasty-pill parties there) and they got shut down, leading our friends to eventually buy the house for a great price.. I guess I had better get ready to have a "standard" tropical-fish tank again, lol.