Arowanas

[Symbiosis]

Hey guys,
first time posting a message in the forum so if i post it in the wrong place please forgive me hehehe~
Looking to setup a 8x3x2 foot tank and wanting to put an arowana (thinking of a asian red one), 1*sailfin pleco, 1* Prochilodus, 3* Tinfoil barbs, 1* Clown-knife fish. Are they gonna be compatible and will I be overstocking the tank.
Also just wondering, where is the best place or person to get asian arowana from?

Cheers

Eric

[q]

Welcome to the forum Eric;

An 8 ft tank should be a good size for the fish you are planning.  Just be sure you have good filtration; maybe a couple of Eheim Pro 3's

Your main concern will be what size the fish are.  The arowana will eat anything that fits into his mouth.  To a 30cm arowana 5cm tinfoil barbs are just feeder fish.  But similar sized fish are fine together.

Other good tankmates include eartheaters like Geophagus; Silver Dollars, Clown loaches, Datnoids, and if you can afford it stingrays.

Asian arowana are difficult to find at the best of times as they are not legal to import.  Expect to pay anywhere from $5K for a 10cm red.  Quality is difficult to judge at this size.  If you are serious about getting one then have the cash ready because they do sell fast even at this price tag.

Sydney shops are the best to find asian arows but here in Brisbane, Dan of Aquariums Beyond out at Darra is your best bet.

[Symbiosis]

Thanks for the reply mate, yeah i was gonna put the tinfoil barbs, prochilodos and the rest in first and let it grow to a decent size before introducing the arowana.... I already have the clown loaches and prochilodus and sailfin pleco in my 5x2x2 so they should be at a decent size by then... so do u think i should go with the silver arowanas, it seems like they are quite readily available.....

Cheers

Eric

[KING]

there is a big price diff between the silver and the super reds. 2 diff fish. if u need a tank builder let me know as i know a guy who does realli good work at good prices.

[q]

Yes the silver is a much more affordable fish; most selling around $300-400.  But I also found it has a far better temperment than the asian and will more likely get along with tankmates.

I also started out with a silver.  Originally I had intended to sell him once I found a good asian but having seen him grow from 10cm to nearly 1m now I have grown attached to him and he is more of a pet rather than just a fish i keep.  At 1m I have had success keeping him with plecos, geophagus, clown loaches and silver dollars.  Unfortunately discus were a little too stressed to keep with him.

I found my asians are very aggressive at feeding or when they are hungry. At 20-30 cm they will still jump to take food from your hand.  I only keep my asians in a fairly crowded tank with many geophagus and large plecos or just in a bare tank with only BN's.  I notice the asians are a lot more persistant in picking on fish if there are only a few in the tank but when it is crowded they get easily distracted.

I prefer not to feed live feeders because this just trains them to see other fish in the tank as food.