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i always thought they were illgal to import into the USA, due to CITES.

But it was rudely brought to my attention on yahoo answers that i was wrong, and that they can be imported.

I think this guy is seriously confused as he has 3 silvers in a 180 and says that they are a varity of asians because he got them from vietnam etc... from farms...

Anyway after this guy was publicly yelling and telling me im wrong, i jsut told him to take a hike, but

was i right, they can not be imported into the usa legally.

with a little research, I found that yes they can be imported into the US if they are farm raised on CITES approved farms. Google asian arowana importation or CITES + asian arowana and you should find the answer.

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I used to be Snow White, but I drifted.
~ Mae West

As a note, many South American fish such as plecs are actually bred in places like Singapore. Silver arowanas aren't exactly a stretch of a fish to breed.

CITES regulates trade, but it doesn't ban it. In any case, fish can be imported, as mentioned, from certain farms. Since they're on the other side of the planet, you're paying a good deal out to get this already expensive fish over here. All Asian Arowanas must be captive-bred so that it doesn't harm the natural stocks of these fish. Additionally, in the USA, you need a permit to keep the Asian Arowana.

So you can get them here, but expect to pay a pretty penny. With the difference in price between a silver arowana and an asian arowana, you'd have to be pretty sure about what you're getting.

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

I guessing that they are legal being as my LFS has 3 of them. They are extreemly expensive though, the 2 small ones(10 inches) at LFS are $100 a peice.