AROWANA HELp!!!!!!?

Question

My 10 inch silver arowana just know fliped out.. he started to jump rappid fire like 13 times and he never does that im really concerned cauz hes really mellow now what just happened what to do

Answer 1

Arowanas are not illegal in every area. I live in Pennsylvania and they are readily available in local pet stores. In certain parts of the country where is stays warmer such as Florida they might well be illegal to have or you might need a permit since they could become established in local waters. However, this is not true for all parts of the US. Some rare species of Arowana are protected and illegal to possess as a pet but the common Silver and Black Arowanas do not fall into this category.

However, the previous poster is correct - these fish grow 3-4 feet long and need HUGE aquariums of several hundred gallons when full grown so most people are not able to properly house these animals.

Anyway, arowanas do jump - it is a natural behavior in the wild that they use to obtain food. He could be stressed from a tank that is too small, a recent move to a new tank, disturbance near the aquarium or other change in the environment, or being harassed by tankmates. If there are no problems with these areas then he might simply be engaging in normal behavior. Make sure your tank is securely covered - most large arowanas are so strong that you need to padlock or weigh down the tank cover to keep them in!

Answer 2

Odds are very good the jumping is due to the tank being too small. Arowana are jumpers by nature and being confined in a tank that too small only makes the situation much worse. A 10" Arowana need a tank of about 180 gallons minimum and will require 3-4 times that size when grown MINIMUM!

Arowana are not good fish for home aquariums in the first place, are illegal in the second place and finally require a HUGE tank to be even slightly comfortable.

MM