Arowana fish

THE AROWANA PET FISH

Probably the most majestic fish within modern day fish keeping aquariums. Named the dragon fish by Chinese aquarists for good reason, its large coloured scales and beautiful movement make it seem like a shiny monster in the water.
This fish has many different variations leading to huge differences is pricing. The Australian version of the Arowana is the Saratoga, both the Jardini and Leichardti are great additions, they uphold the same characteristics as the Arowana’s found overseas, its just they are legal within Australia.
The silver Arowana is by far the most common and popular in the United States due to its cheap price and small starting size. You must not be fooled however, for it can grow up to 2 feet in length and easily break through aquarium glass if it becomes startled or angry.
Other variations include the Green Arowana, which is slightly more expensive and then the RTG variety, which are imported from overseas with a microchip.
RTG species are near extinction and so there prices have become astronomical, around $1000-5000 for a single fish. If you are not an experienced hobbyist then don’t even bother. They are the same as any other type of arowana, it is just they are becoming so rare that the price and demand has gone through the roof.

 Arowana’s will need to be fed a composite diet of both meat and vegetables. If just fed fatty, meaty food’s there will be a build up of fat above its eye, resulting in the unwanted “drop eye” syndrome which substantially decreases its reselling value.
Live foods will be a nice treat for these monsters although it can promote agression. They are best kept with a small school of Arowana's but of course this is most difficult due to the extremely large tank you would need. Try not to turn your Arowana sour and into a blood thirsty predator by only offering live food as a treat or occaisonal snack.
Crickets and mealworms are great and whats even better is you are able to breed these seperately to have a constant supply of food!
This fish should not be kept with any other smaller fish in the aquarium, it will need to be completely solitary unless with its own kind or other huge fish. Try to keep more than 2 if you keep a species tank as just having two can become very tetitorial.

 

Recommended Diet
When they are small, Arowanas should be fed live and frozen brine shrimp, black worms, and a few small fish. My friend Fred used to keep his Arowanas in an aquarium with hundreds of small White Clouds. I could see the Arowanas usually did well, but I wondered how many White Clouds were eaten by the small Arowanas.

As Arowanas grow larger they are usually fed larger fish. Silver Arowanas have been seen leaping out of the water to eat insects from trees. African Arowanas will survive and grow on the diet given above, but this fish is also a filter-feeder, and feeding filter-feeding fish in aquariums is usually very difficult.

Varieties Of Arowana (dragon fish)

Arowanas are much more than freshwater aquarium fish. They are highly revered in South-East Asia and South America for their ability to consume the pests which threaten to destroy the rice crop. Swimming in the dark and dank rivers and paddy fields they are best characterised as ambush predators. For some unlucky insect, beatle, centipede, millipede, frog, small bird perched on an overhanging leaf, life expectancy will be short because the arowana can leap up to 3 feet in the air at lightning speed.

Arowana Tank Size

What this means is that you must keep your carefully regulated aquarium tank tightly enclosed. Otherwise, your arowana will leap out. On no account, place other species of smaller tropical freshwater fish in your tank unless they are bottom feeders and foragers. Arowanas have voracious appetites and will consume any surface feeding smaller species. In fact they will harrass and fight with and damage other species such as oscar fish or black molly fish or plecos.
Besides being agile, arowanas have good vision. Throughout the dark and dank brackish water, they wait for their prey to swim past before lunging out after them. Even though river sand, pebbles, stones and  ketapang leaves and peat may form a 3 inch depth substrate at the bottom of your tank, your arowana loves to hide away from the hot 100 degrees temperatures it is accustomed to.
Arowanas are endemic to Malaysia and Brazil dependent on the species. Silver arowanas are endemic to Brazil. If you feed an adult arowana ensure that you only feed it once per week. Contrary to established practice, feeding your arowanas with live fish is not healthy because they have many parasites which spread in your arowana’s digestive system causing harm and damage.
Right food for the right size of arowana is the key fact you have to remember because they grow continuously for the first 5 years. Small arowanas consume shrimps and small tropical fish. Large arowana like goldfish sized fish.
If you put six or more goldfish in the tank your arowana will pursue them and voraciously consume them. If you put an adult frog in the tank, the arowana will hunt it down as prey.
Be aware that the super red arowana,. jardini pearl arowana, malaysian golden crossback arowana require 450 gallon tanks to swim around in when they reach full size. As do the silver arowana, black arowana from south america which are endemic to guyana and brazil where they roam the amazon and rio negro rivers.
Arowanas have trap door mouths which are deep. Since they carry their young in their mouths, this serves a dual purpose. As they are ambush predators, they require multiple hiding places in plant thickets or in driftwood. Filtration is especially important to keep the water fresh and oxygenated. Black water peat extract keeps the water dark. If the temperature is kept at 77 degrees temperature, they thrive.
What is unique about arowanas is that they have individual personalities and can be taught to recognise their keeper and trained to be called by name. Usually this is done by reinforcement training based on feeding times. When feeding time arises, your arowana will respond to the call.
Male arowanas are indeed mouth brooders. Males will incubate the eggs and young for 60 days until the young reach lengths of 3-4 inches.
Arowanas are often purchased as an investment by collectors who buy them young and sell them on for thousands of pounds worth of profit when they reach five years old. Every species of arowana requires different minimum gallon tank sizes with the 150 gallon tank being the minimum for black, Asian, jardini arowanas whereas the silver arowana requires 250 gallon minimum tank sizes.
Instead of feeding arowanas goldfishes or juvenile carp once per month, pellets and monthly fish fillets, crickets, cockroaches, centipedes, lizards, pieces of mango fruit are much more suitable for their diet. If you provide live shrimps by the handful every two months they will thrive. They even eat birds if they fall into the tank.
As arowanas mature as adults, they can reach 5 inches in 5 years and continue growing to lengths of 24 inches. In many ways they resemble tropical versions of the British pike or barbel. Another name for the arowana is bony tongue as the mouth is composed of bones which act as teeth.
Arowana Care
Tank water must be filtered continuously by an aerator air pump with thermometer regulated heat temperatures. At least 20% of the water should be changed every two days with the entire tank changed every 3 months. Limes should be added to the water to keep tank PH acidity between 6-8.5. Use 20-watt lamps to keep up the appearance of sunlight.
Always be aware that your arowana is susceptible to viruses, bacteria, fungi and any time your arowana is passive or weakly swimming on the surface with decreased appetite, broken scales, cracked fins and breathing irregularly then you have an arowana with an illness.

Make your own fish tank

Here i will show you have to easily make your own fish tank.

A clean fish tank is a happy fish tank. 
 Keeping your fish healthy and happy begins with having a well maintained tank. Here are some helpful tips from the Humane Society on how to set up and take proper care of your fish tank. Always take care of your fishes as some little diseases might kill them. make the right choice for fishes to put n your tanks. never put a carnivore fish with a cool fish like for EX: guppies.

 

Moving to a new home can be a stressful time for a little fish, but with some care and preparation, your finned fishes will be happy and healthy in his new home in little time.

Size of tanks.

Fish need room to swim—would you be happy living in a tiny bowl? some fish will grow only if they have enough space to swin. like the arowana fish. these fishes like to have space to grow. so, find a big tanks for your fishes. The HSUS recommends at least a 20-gallon tank for first-time fish owners. It might seem like taking care of a smaller tank would be easier, but that’s a myth: it’s actually easier to keep the water clean with a larger tank with a filter.

Setting up tank early.

You might be eager to set up tank the day you bring your new fish home, but in reality, it’s very important to give the tank time to become established before adding fish.

Fill your new tank with clean tap water and test the water pH with a kit from a pet supply store, specialty store or online retailer. Most fish do best with a balanced pH (7), but some fish do best with more acidic or basic water. Let the new tank sit for at least a week before adding the first fish. This will give the water time for impurities to dissipate and gives you time to make sure that everything works as it should.

Before putting the gravel in the tank, rinse it clean with water. Add one pound of gravel per gallon of water in the tank.

Set up your tank against an inside wall and away from windows, doors, direct sunlight, vents, and other sources of drafts to ensure that the water temperature stays constant. You can also purchase a tank thermometer to make sure the water stays at the right temperature.

Accessories and gravel

Provide a light source for your fish by adding a fluorescent light to your tank. Many tank lids have lights built in. A good rule of thumb is to have the light on half the day and off half the day (12 hour intervals).

Keep a hood or canopy over the tank. Some fish are jumpers, and you want to make sure that they stay safe and sound in the tank. This is especially important if you have curious cats in the house.

Fish love to play hide-and-seek, so make sure that you give them a place to hang out and hide, like plastic sea plants or a ceramic sea castle. put different quality of water trees in your tank to keep it beautiful and alive.

Filters

Without filtration, fish waste can poison the water in your tank. Invest in a high-quality filtration system. Choose a filter that is sized for your specific tank, or buy a filter rated for a larger size tank than the one you have. Follow the filter manufacturer’s instructions and change the filter according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Welcome home!

When you bring home your fish, he’ll likely be in a small plastic bag. Float the bag in the tank for about a half-hour to regulate the water temperature, then open the bag and let your friend check out his new digs.  You can add more fish every couple of weeks if you like. We recommend three or four small fish or one or two medium fish for a 20-gallon aquarium.

Why can’t we be friends?

Fish are like people—not all get along, and not all like the same living environment. Make sure you choose compatible fish that can tolerate the same water temperature and conditions. We recommend three or four small fish or one or two medium fish for a 20-gallon aquarium.

Cleaning time

Remove uneaten food and waste with a net every other day. If the water looks cloudy, it’s time to filter or change the water. Use a filtered siphon (which can be purchased at pet stores) to change 20 percent of the water every 10 days.
Take out several gallons of water from the tank and replace it with clean, pre-aged water every week to remove chemical build-up that your filter leaves behind. Test the water quality with a kit, and scrape any algae build-up. here how to keep a healthy tanks. keep follow us and get news everyday.

oscar fish

Scientific Name:  Astronotus ocellatus
 Family: Cichlidae
 Size: 8 to 14 inches
 Temperature: 72 to 84 degrees Fahrenheit
 Alkalinity: acid to neutral, moderate hardness
 pH: 6.6 to 7.0
Origin:  Amazon River basin drainage

Oscar Species Profile

The oscar has become one of the most popular “pet” fish because it will learn to recognize its owner/feeder and will become extremely tame. Interestingly enough, it has also become a major game fish in Florida, where escapees from fish farms or aquariums have become well established as part of the local fauna.
Unfortunately, when the oscar is about 1 to 2 inches long and wiggling its little nose in the tank at the local fish store, it is so cute and appealing that lots of folks buy it. If they have been told what the oscar turns into as it grows up, this has conveniently been forgotten, and they feign surprise when they wake up one morning and find they have a large oscar swimming around the entire tank and some armored catfish left cowering in the corners of the tank. If you are going to keep an oscar, please realize that it will become a big, mean cichlid. Long time ago i was having 2 oscar. it was amazing to watch them swimming. this is a carnivor fish, it will eat every smaller fishes than him in your aquarium if you want to buy an oscar.
Given that you understand its nature, the oscar makes a great fish. It now comes in many different varieties of red (on its sides), as well as in albino coloration, and even in a long-finned variation. These variations are all the same in terms of the fact that they prefer meaty foods, either frozen or pellets. The oscar does not in any way shape or form require live fish. In fact, feeding it with guppies or goldfish is a very bad idea, as you take a real chance of introducing diseases. The oscar makes a real mess in a tank, and therefore requires a very good canister filter or two. The oscar can be bred fairly easily as long as you have a pair and the male does not kill the female in typical cichlid fashion. Beware –- oscars have thousands of babies and you will never be able to get rid of them all. And, finally, forget about keeping any kind of live plants with the oscar. while growing, the oscar will turn completly orange. it depend on which species you got. red head with orange body or black head with orange body. try to have one oscar for your aquarium and you will really like this fish.

TIPS FOR A HEALTHY AQUARIUM:
 

Step one: quarantine

Most aquarists treat quarantine like flossing - it's something that you know you should really do, but it just seems like too much trouble. However, it's the essential first step to maintaining a healthy tank ecosystem.

Many of the pathogens that affect fish are opportunistic - they are always present in a tank, but healthy fish are able to fight them off. Only when they fish is already stressed by something else (like poor water quality) do they become susceptible to these pathogens. But some of the most serious pathogens are not present in all tanks, and can be avoided with proper quarantine. Most of these are external or internal parasites. If you quarantine new fish before introducing them to your tank, you can avoid many of these problems. Quarantine is not foolproof - Camallanus worms can take over 100 days to show up. But it's a useful first step in maintaining a healthy aquatic ecosystem.

If you have the space and finances to do so, putting new fish in a quarantine tank is a good idea. This will allow you to observe and treat any fish that do not look well before adding them to your existing aquarium.

Ecosystem concepts

If you understand your aquarium as an ecosystem, then the challenges of keeping it healthy are easier to understand. In an ecosystem, some things come from outside, while others cycle within the system.
Energy always comes from outside - live of earth depends entirely on energy that comes from outside the system in the form of energy from the sun. Matter, on the other hand, tends to cycle. There will be inputs and losses of matter, but there will also be cycling. Depending on how "open" or "closed" a system is, the cycling of material may be dominated by external inputs and losses, or it may be dominated by processes that go on locally. In an aquarium, external inputs and losses tend to dominate the cycling of matter. In practical terms, this means that you need to ensure that the elements that you add to the system when you feed your fish are balanced by the elements that you remove when you do water changes.
While it's important to understand these things in terms of inputs and losses, it's even more important to understand the transformations that go on in your aquarium. If you read the label on your container of fish food, you know what you're adding to the tank. But things don't stay in the form you add them - proteins in the fish food become ammonium compounds after passing through the fish. These then undergo further transformations in the system as they are used by one bacterial species after another. Different forms of the same compound are going to affect your fish in different ways. Understanding this is an important step in keeping your aquarium healthy, and keeping your fish alive.

Energy

In your aquarium, some energy is captured locally through photosynthesis. Your plants will photosynthesise. The energy the capture from sunlight (or more commonly, the fluorescent bulbs in the hood of your tank) will be used to combine carbon dioxide and water to make sugars. Oxygen, which is a waste product of photosynthesis, is released into the waters of your aquarium. Plants use the sugars they make as the building blocks for everything else - they can make cellulose, proteins, DNA - all biological molecules are made from the basic building blocks of sugars. Even if you don't have plants in your tank, once you have light getting into the tank, you will still have algae or cyanobacteria photosynthesising.
In nature, there may be enough photosynthesis going on in a body of water to provide enough energy to keep everything else alive, but very often there's input from external sources. In a forest stream, this might be dead leaves falling off trees. In an aquarium, it tends to be "fish food". The energy present in your tank determines everything else that goes on. Your fish depend on the food you feed them for their energy supply. Plants and algae in your tank can contribute some more energy.
The total energy input sets one limit on the amount of life you can support in your tank, but its unlikely to be the limiting factor. You can't add fish indefinitely and expect them to survive simply by giving them more food. At some point there won't be enough oxygen in your tank. Waste products will build up. Crowded fish will be aggressive to one-another. While essential, it's unlikely to be limiting (unless you don't feed your fish at all...)

Nitrogen cycling

Almost every aquarist has heard the term "cycling" in relation to the setup of a new aquarium. When you first set up a new tank, levels of ammonia increase, and then fall off. As ammonia levels fall off, the levels of nitrites rise. Finally, nitrite levels rise, and nitrate levels climb. These changes are very significant for the survival of fish in your tank - while ammonia and nitrites are toxic to fish, nitrates are only harmful at high concentrations. All of these reflect the same element - nitrogen - which you add to your tank when you feed your fish.
Fish food contains nitrogen, primarily in the form of proteins. Fish consume this food and excrete out the excess nitrogen as ammonia. Certain species of bacteria use the ammonia as a food source and convert it to nitrites. Other bacteria oxidise these nitrites to nitrates. While there are bacteria that can convert nitrates back to nitrogen gas, and while plants and bacteria will take up nitrogen compounds and use them to make proteins, none of these processes occur quickly enough to balance out all the nitrogen that gets added when you feed your fish. Thus, to manage nitrate levels, you need to perform water changes.
In a new tank, bacterial populations are low. The bacteria that oxidise ammonia are going to be food limited - if there isn't any food for them, them won't grow. Over the first few weeks of the life of an aquarium, ammonia levels tend to spike because more ammonia is being released than can be consumed by the bacteria. As the bacterial populations grow, they are able to consume all the available ammonia. In a mature tank, the level of ammonia should be undetectable. A spike in ammonia in a mature tank means that either the input of nitrogen has increased sharply, or the bacterial population has crashed. The latter can likely to occur with certain medications. The former can occur if you add a large number of fish to an established aquarium, or if there's a large dead fish somewhere that you haven't noticed. Spikes in ammonia can lead to further fish deaths, or to general unhealthiness in your tank.

Old Tank Syndrome

Most aquarists are familiar with what is called "new tank syndrome", the problem of fish dying when added to a new aquarium that hasn't gone through the cycling process. Less well known is what is called "old tank syndrome". Sometimes aquarists will have an older tank full of healthy fish in which newly added fish always die. This seems puzzling - if the older fish are healthy, why do the new fish die?
Over time, most people relax their maintenance schedules over time. The fish can adapt to the changing water chemistry as long as it is gradual, but the shock is too much for newly added fish. The best solution to this is to check your water chemistry and gradually increase your maintenance routine.