Tips on preparing and putting a setup to your Arowana at home.
I set up a 250 gallon tank with my own filter design. Here is my current modified setup:
• Tank size: Approx. 72 x 26 x 28 inches. Water volume is around 230 gallons. Minimum width is 24 inches to provide the arowana with a nice turning radius when it swims. I recommend 28 inch height and not higher for easy bottom cleaning.
• Filtration: Overflow box and vertical design sump
• Tank background: A dark green color using fibreglass sheets as it enhances the gold coloration of the fish
•Substrate: Black river sand with 2 inches thickness. Even without an under gravel filter, I do not encounter problems related with anaerobic bacteria.
• Decor: 12-inch driftwood placed at the center bottom of the tank. The driftwood also helps maintain the softness of the water needed by the arowana.
• Lighting: White LED fluorescent lights from end to end of the tank. Some hobbyist use pink lights to give the arowanna a deeper color. Surprisingly, with my setup, the color of my red tail gold arowana still showed its depth.
SOME IMPORTANT KEEPING TIPS:
1 They should be in an all-arowana
community tank.
2 Get the biggest tank you can
afford.
3 Provide the best filtration system
you can.
4 Introduce all arowanas one at a
time.
5 In case want to introduce a new
one, take out all the arowanas, put
the new one in, then reintroduce the
rest again to the tank.
This story appeared in Animal Scene’s December 2017 issue.
