A Common Arowana Keeper Problem

Last week a client came to me and share to me his problem regarding his Red Arowana. And today, I provided him a solution.

A common situation encountered by most Aro Keepers: Arowana grows bigger, but the tank doesn't.

Over the decade, Arowana Fish has been one of the main choice Fish Hobbyist prefer keep in their aquariums. Mainly is because of their hardy nature, exotic body, stylish swimming patterns, hunting skills or even Feng Shui (风水 sort of luck in Chinese).

With their high protein diet, mainly consist of raw feeder fish, superworms, shrimps etc, these creatures grow at the fastest rate you can imagine. Today you call him "My baby", blink your eyes and suddenly the tank is not large enough for him/her already.

Yes, the problem I wanted to point out is insufficient space for your baby.

When people first thought about setting up a tank, purchasing and keeping a fish, they normally will try to "start small" or "cuba cuba dulu". And the aspect we couldn't ignore is of course, the budget, where fish hobbyist are often restricted. Common jokes or saying from customers I've heard over so many years are: "等我中4D先" or "tunggu ada rezeki dulu". Actually there is no right or wrong in all these cases, each person are entitled to their own opinion and perspectives. Some prefers a small tank of tropical fishes just as a mini decor on the office table; on the other hand I've seen clients who invested 5 - 6 digits of money for a large imported aquarium or even a beautiful pond in their home.

Remember, none of them are wrong, both of them loves fishes in different ways.

But still, when you initially chose Arowana as a pet, do some background research of the species, Google it up, ask your local aquatic fish shop, ask me! +60109823295 . Get to know how large can they grow, their diet, their behaviour and many more!

A standard Arowana can grow up to 2 feet EASILY

With proper diet, which is easily achieved as Aro owners mostly enjoy watching them hunt on feeder fish and shrimps. I must say their speed and agile is really over the top. Looking at them prey on the helpless fishes can sometimes be really enjoyable addictive. No offence but that's how nature works.

Back to topic, Aro keepers feed their fish constantly, so most Aro grow without trouble, but the thing is, in the first place, most Aro keepers couldn't afford a large tank for their Aro. Common reasons are budget, space, or some are oblivious of Aro's maximum size.

From my personal experience, most of my clients prefer a 3ft x 1.5ft x 1.5ft tank or maybe 4ft x 1.5ft x 1.5ft as a starting. Those sizes are a good start for a community tank of tropical fishes of all range from the pretty Guppy to the Always Hungry Oscar fish. But NOT for Arowana.

So after a year, their Aro will start stressing up as they couldn't swim around much and starts having trouble turning around the tank. Stressed up fish leads to various negative conditions:

1, Lost in appetite (refuse to eat)

2, Lost it's colouring

3, Clamped fins and stays in the corner

4, Always appears lethargic (Tired all the time, Letih, penat, capek 累)

5, Tails appeared to be slightly wear off, torn or nibbled as it is constantly being brushed against the wall of the tank

6...

7...

8.....

Many more, But those are the common one to look out for.

In the end, they either have to give up on their Arowana, some release them into public ponds or rivers which are highly not recommended, some gave to their friends and some changed into larger tanks. The smallest I recommend for Arowana is 4ft x 2ft x 2ft. You can get them below RM400 here.

So back to the story I was going to tell, he faced the same thing, initially bought a 4 x 1.5 x 1.5 tank, and now he came for a 4 x 2 x 2 whole set with Wooden Cabinet & Cover. This client really adores his Red Arowana. He showed me the photo of his baby and I can tell that he has raised his Aro with all his heart. I'll attach a photo if he send me the photo and get his permission.