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today i saw a 2" arowana for $20.00. i was wondering if he could be in a 55usg? then while hes growing be fixing him a large tank in my basement, about 350usg. would he be okay in a pond even though it wont have a top on it? plus how long could i keep him in the 55usg before i have to move him?

i have a baby silver in my 55 right now, but she's growing really fast. they grow at up to 2" per month, so you'd have to be prepared to move the little guy out of there by the time he's about 12 - 18" long, i'd say )thought i'm sure i'll get flamed for that statement) remember that when they turn they pretty much fold over on themselves, so you've got a bit of leeway. and they aren't very active, from what i've seen. you'll get conflicting reports from everyone as to the full size of tank you need - i think everyone generally says 8 x 4 or something like that (or bigger, maybe...) anywhere from 350 - 500 gallons. the pond would be great, but they are jumpers, and if you don't want to put a lid on it, make sure that the walls stretch a couple feet above the water level, or you'll find a crusty fish on the floor one morning. the other thing i'd be wary about is the size of the fish. 2" probably still has a yolk sac, and in the wild they would never even be out of the parents mouth by that time - i'd be inclined to think it won't survive without absolutely pristine water conditions until it reaches a much larger size. once they reach about 6 - 8" long though they're very hardy and easy to care for!! try to get it eating pellets from the surface - it's healthier (and not to mention cheaper) than feeding feeder fish to them.

when there that small they r very hard to keep once larger they will b fine as long as u got the room food n a lid

Hi guys,

Just to add, they need a heavy lid. These guys are one big piece of muscle and sinew. They are powerful jumpers. I am not too sure about the dimensions of your pond but these guys can grow to huge sizes...

if i make the pond 2'x4'x8' will he stil jump out even if there is enough space?

or do they jump just to jump?

they jump if they see a fly in the air... they jump if you walk too close to the tank and they get freaked out... they jump if any fish swims below them. it's what they do in the wild (i've heard that they're known to jump 6' in the air to pull monkeys off trees for lunch! if you're going to put one in a pond you should have either a lid or higher walls on the sides, or like i said before, you'll lose him

they've evolved the ability to jump quite high to catch large spiders and insects, but i don't think they eat monkeys.

It would be my lifes dream to see an arowana eat a monkey. That would be the single greatest moment in my life.

what a strange person!

...It would be a cool sight though. I have seen them jump and eat bugs 5' out of the water.

Silver and black aros do not eat monkeys, but the Arapaima gigas the 'Pirarucu', a close relative, does.

Even with a large pond, a sturdy glass or mesh top would be indicated.

My ex-work had a very large arowana...we placed it in a 6ft tank and the lids had bricks on them. It still manage to jump out, crack the grass and kill himself :/

I wish we could put pictures with posts cause I'd show you an arowana! I have it in with a shovelnose cat and a few widebar datnoids, oh yeah, my oscar and his buddy the butikeforri. they are all getting ready to move into a 1196.8 US Gallon aquarium. 10'x4'x4'. in a 240Long now.

I have to say that $20 ain't worth it for a 2" Arowana... Also, a 2" Arowana has to be pretty darn scrawny 'cuz they come out of the daddy's mouth more around 3". At that small of a size I'd still expect some sort of yolk sac hanging from the fish, which means that it's REALLY not in a good stage for stress.

Also, baby arowana have this crazy thing with high blood pressure. Seriously, if you surprise'em too bad, they kinda get shocked and lay in some random position breathing pretty hard until they recover.

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The aquarist is one who must learn the ways of the biologist, the chemist, and the veterinarian.

Whoa Oscar... You got a bunch of monster fishes over there...