8 Most Popular Types of Arowana: Pictures, Origin & Description
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Arowana fish is one of the most expensive fish in the world. So everyone wants to keep this fascinating fish in captivity. Not only that but there is a ‘luck factor’ too that is attached with Arowana. So before purchasing Arowana you must know its types.
It is an expensive fish because of the hard maintenance. For a beginner fishkeeper, it is quite tough or challenging to keep them healthy.
However, it depends on its type. So let’s know the 8 Most Popular Types of Arowana. Without wasting time let’s dive deep into the topic.
9 Most Popular Types of Arowana
1. Silver Arowana (Osteoglossum bicirrhosum)
Some aquarists say ‘silver Arowana is for a lifetime’ because they can live for ten to twenty years. They can become very friendly with their owner after identifying him/her. They are very sensitive to sounds and can interact with you flawlessly.
Silver Arowana is also called ‘water monkeys’ because they jump out of the water to catch insects. They can jump more than 5ft. above water which is quite amazing for an ornamental fish. So if you keep them in an aquarium you need to make sure it has strong closed lids.
Silver Arowana can grow to large sizes very quickly and they can grow 30 – 47 inches in length. They are considered monster fish, so it is better to keep them in large spaces.
2. Asian Arowana (Scleropages formosus)
Asian Arowana fish are freshwater fishes of south Asia. This is commonly a specific type rather than a particular fish. They grow very large in length which is about 3 ft. Asian Arowanas have slender bodies and large anal fins. As food, you can give insects to juvenile Asian Arowana and small fish to adult Asian Arowana. They will eat them happily.
Their mouths have a very wide gap. The prominent lower jaw of this fish has two barrels. You can find Asian Arowanas in a variety of colors, like golden, red, etc. This is why Asian Arowana is the most expensive fish in the aquatic world.
Asian Arowana is called dragon fish. They can jump out from the aquarium, like silver Arowana so while they grow up keep them in a tank with a strong lid. if they jump out from the aquarium they may be hurt. Many people say “Asian Arowana fishes are lucky charms, they bring good luck to their owner.”
3. Golden Arowana (Scleropages formosus)
Golden Arowana is not just a type, rather it’s body color. You can find various types of golden Arowana worldwide. This is famous among fish keepers because of its ‘lucky traits’.
All of the Arowana fish are the symbol of wealth, power, money, etc. It is believed that Arowana fish enhances the leadership qualities of its owner. However, golden Arowana is above all of these. It is very expensive and hard to take care of. So anyone can’t keep this fish.
According to Feng Shui, eight golden arowanas are good to keep with one black Arowana. However, it’s not everyone’s cup of tea. So if you want to bring luck then gather experience in fishkeeping first then try with one golden Arowana fish.
4. Black Arowana
Black Arowana fish is a type of Asian Arowana fish. They grow very large like 30 inches or 3 ft. However, some Arowana keepers have experienced nearly 4ft long black Arowana fish also.
As this is a big fish so it needs a comparatively larger tank. You can start with a smaller tank for juvenile black Arowana however, it’s not worth it for a long period of time.
These black Arowana fish have to be kept at a temperature of 75-80°F or 24- 27°C. With the help of a water heater, the temperature of the water can be kept at the right level. Moreover, the water level should be checked regularly to keep the black Arowana healthy.
5. Super Red Arowana( Scleropages formosus)
Super Red Arowana is the most famous type of Arowana. Their origin is the Kapuas River, Indonesia. This fish has a strong red color that is a very contrasting color for an aquarium. This will show multiple hues ranging from red-purple green to yellow-orange.
These fish grow not more than 35 inches long which is quite big enough. Super Red Arowana fish are sold at an expensive rate.
Super Red Arowana fishes need a sufficient tank to live healthily and happily. They can live at 75- 82° F. The pH level of the water should be between 6.0 – 7.0. If you keep Super Red Arowana fish in your aquarium, regularly check the water level.
6. Silver Indonesian Arowana( Scleropages macrocephalus)
Silver Indonesian Arowana is a predatory fish. You should not keep more than one fish together unless you have experience in fishkeeping over years. For that, you should have a large aquarium. These fish are usually up to 18 inches long.
Silver Indonesian Arowanaowana is generally considered to be carnivorous, but sometimes they act as omnivorous too. In the river, they prey on a variety of prey, including small fish, snails, large insects, spiders, and rabbits. They mostly prefer meat-based foods such as crab and shrimp.
These fish usually lay their eggs between December and January. These eggs are large in size and orange or red. Due to the large size and hard maintenance of these fish, you must have the experience to raise these fish well. This fish requires a huge tank of at least 250 gallons.
7. Batik Myanmar Arowana(Scleropages inscriptions)
Batik Arowana is a large bone-bearing fish that originated in Myanmar. This fish has a tongue with bones. This fish is found in river basins off the coast of the Indian Ocean of the Myanmar Peninsula. The scales of this fish are like textile batik. This fish is claimed to have become extinct in the flood zone which is very unfortunate.
This is a beautiful freshwater fish that you can add to your large aquarium. This type of Arowana is one of the rarest fish in the aquarium. This fish is completely different from others in terms of its appearance. Batik Arowana, at first glance, looks a bit like Australian arowana but some differences are clearly visible.
This fish has 5 to 7 gold scales on the back and a cross on the back. The special food of these fish is chicken, shrimp, and other cut fish.
8. Northern Saratoga (Scleropages Jardinii)
Northern Saratoga is a freshwater fish native to Australia and New Guinea. This fish is a slender-bodied fish and its weight is about 27 kg. From the weight of the fish, you may understand how strong the fish is. They grow approximately 35 inches in length.
These fish are opportunistic carnivorous aquatic and terrestrial insects. If they are properly fed then they can grow about 2 inches per month. To get this kind of growth rate protein should be the first priority in their diet.
Jardinii Arowana prefers to be in slightly acidic water. So you must keep the pH level between 6.0 to 7.0. to keep them healthy, having a strong filtration system is very crucial. It prevents them from feeling sickness somehow.
Final Thoughts
This article has discussed the 8 Most Popular Types of Arowana. From this long discussion, you may have understood that all the types of Arowana are too big for a normal homely aquarium. Right?
To keep them for a long period of time it is mandatory to have a very large tank (at least 200-250 gallons). However, if you want luck or wealth in your life then you can start with golden or super red Arowana fish.
Best of luck and happy fish-keeping.
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