Arowanas - The Down Low on the Scleropages Line
Arowanas are one of the most expensive fish on the market.
Scleropages Formosus: The Asian Arowana, Most expensive and the widest variety.
Scleropages jardinii: Australian Arowanas - Considered the cheaper arowanas of this species but i believe still a beauty!
Scleropages leichartdti:So Akin to the Jardinii that most mislabel them to be a jardinii. Differences are subtle, usually a longer and thinner grith to the body than the jardinii, colouration is similar. Rumore has it that some came through NZ in the last import.
Widely taking its customer base in Asia, europe and UK. It is currently illegal to keep Asian arowanas in the US. NZ and Australia now have permission to import the fish but after much debate and restrictions.
The reasons for the restrictions is because they are endangered. CITES certs must be issued out and a micro chip implanted to prove its captive bred for 2 generations. It is illegal in the US for this reason, they have not yet recognised the CITES verification.
Formosus: The Asian arowana is found in Malaysia, Indonesian waters. Found in mostly shallow waters, the water is slow to medium flow speed. The water is usually dark brown, due to the 'Ketapang berries and leaves" that fall into the water. ketapang plants are used in medicinal practices all through out asia and modern medicines also. It has an anti fungal and bacterial property. In Nature, the asian arowanas are still brightly coloured, in fact very strikingly so. Only in selective breeding programmes (CITES APPAROVED) that the colours are selected and line bred and crossed to make a standard after years of breeding. Theory has it that the reason for the colouration is bright in nature is because the water is so dark and visibility is so low in the water they are from that colours must be so bright and reflective in the sun for them to see each other and initiate mating. The most expensive Asian arowana can sell regularly and exported for upwards of 30,000 to 40,000 USD!!!
Jardinii: The Jardinii is found mainly in Australia, Same species and body shape but just more closer to cousin then a brother. It tends to be the most aggressive Arowana available, which is its curse and its gift. People who own this fish love it for the aggression or hate it for it. But they buy it anyways so it says something about their nature and desirability. KNown as the Pearl Arowana, Black pearl Arowana, jar, Aussie arowana. The name will strike fear in any tank mate.
Leichardti: Somewhat less aggressive than the Jardinii, a very close relation and generally from the same habitat and waters. so close in relation and looks that it almost looks the same in a young age untill its very mature, then the leichardti's thinner body shows that its not a Jardinii.
Tank Mates:
Formosus: The formosus is probably the least aggressive of the scleropages line of arowanas. Of course individuals may differ, but the chances are greater to put tankmates with formosus than the Jardinii Arowana. Usual tank mates are larger Cichlids, Tinfoil Barbs, Dats, flagtails, Freshwater rays,silver dollars, metynis, pacus, bichirs and if you are rich enough then you may put them in large groups of 6 or more Arowanas in one tank.
jardinii/Lei: The more agro of the family, Jardinii will almost always if not always kill any tank mate. I have seen and heard of jardiniis attacking larger arowanas 2 to 3 times their size. They will attack giant gouramis and any other fish that they can harass and will back down. Suitable tankmates: Fish that are too fast to even catch to bit and nudge. I have tinfoils, flagtail and silver dollars with it for more than 2 years now. Any fish that is big that swims in its area will be challenged and will get messy, one or both COULD suffer injuries! Jardinii has been know to be in communities but only when they are introduced from a younge age (10 cms and below) and more than 6 fish are in a large tank.
General Care:
PH:
7.2 to 5.8
Temp: 25c to 35c
The higher the temp, the faster the metabolism of this fish. They will grow faster in warmer temps, they have been known to be housed in 35c water. (i keep mine at 30 to 32). Some claim that the hotter the water, the more agro they are.... this does not equate in my experience but .... who am i to argue with the majority of the world who have more of this.
Feeding and Diet:
Shrimp, Fish, Mussels, beef heart, pellets, cockroach, locusts, crickets, cicadas, mealworms, super worms, frogs, small lizards, occasional baby bird that falls from a next in the wild, and occasional mice.
Feeding is easy, but you must ensure that these fish do not get used to live food. Once they do, switching them is a hard thing to do. Pellets is convinient, but a breeder told me that a combo of shrimp with the shell (minus head) and pellets such as hikari or tetra and other specialist arowana pellets is best for thickness of fish and colouration. I feed mine shrimp stuffed with hikari massivore delite and arowana pellets.
I have fed Mice - adult or pinkies, locusts, crickets, mealworks, beef and fish fillets. If you give a varied diet, the fish will be more active and bigger in general. Training on pellets may be a challenge, but starving the fish for weeks post no problems at all.
Water parameters:
Like all fish Nitrite and nitrate and Amonia should be kept to zero. But these fish are very strong and tolerant. never living in stangnant water like its larger prehistoric great uncle the ARAPAIMA GIGAS, these fish need to use their gills full time, so Amonia should be zero and Nitrite should be zero also. But in saying that, these fish are strong. Strong filter. regular wtaer changes is A MUST
Filtration and Housing and water changes:
These fish get huge, 50 to 80 Cms. In captivity , they commonly reach 45 to 60 cms, so your tank should be at least enough for them to turn with out a three point turn. And the length should at least be 5 foot. (Recommended tank size is (6 foot by 2 foot by 2 foot Minimum) and that tank size will not leave TOO much for tank mates, but im being conservative. The tank should have a extremly TIGHT lid, these will jump, and fish cannot live out of water.... that means death for a hefty priced fish! have only light from the top of the tank, avoid putting in a room where plenty of movement is happening. Black out or put a background on the back and try to black out the sides. This will guarantee a happy fish that swims often and eats alot!
In the tank , you may stock heavily, filtration is key.
Filtration is a must, these fish are PURELY meat eaters and the digestion faster than a japanese hot dog eating competitor. They will eat untill their belly bulges and will be gone in a matter of hours. Guideline for filtration should be the turn over great enough to turn over the entire content of the tank 5 to 6 times per hour.
water changes should be done at least once a week, 40% water change. If you feed daily and heavily (which you should anyways, imagine if you did not eat daily!!) then change water twice weekly. I do 3 times a week, 60 to 70 percent water change weekly in the summer, and winter i drop to 40 to 50%. to ensure you minimise the temp drop. If you keep your temp at 28 to 30, this gives you a huge buffer for water temp drop with no shock to the fish.
Choosing a fish:
When choosing a fish, there are things to look out for.
first and fore most, when you put your hand close to the tank, does it respond hungrily?
Ask to feed the fish a small morcel of food, if it takes it fast or slow.
look at the swimming angle of the fish, if its swimming in a funny angle there could be damage or disease. A small tank would also do this, that is easily fixed by a bigger tank. If the fish is sluggish and sits on a corner, this is normal for stressed arowanas, and sometimes even arowanas thast eaten too mch will tend to swim slowly and sit ont he bottom or corner by a plant or wood. easily fixed by blacking out front and sides of your tank. they will be more at home.
drop eye is when one or both the eyes are looking downward, this can be caused by bad diet, or lack of gravel on the bottom - them seeing their reflection causes them to look down. also food at the bottom of the tank could do this. If there is drop eye, small successes has been reported by puttin a ping pong ball on the water and they keep looking up.
fin and taila nd scale damage. Scales grow back fast and generally un-noticeable. but deep cuts will be permanent. If the tails tips are damaged, this will be fine, but if the root of the tail and close to the middle is ripped off, this may never be the same again. Either leave it or bargain more!
General Comments:
Asian arowanas have different prices.
Greens, 1.5 Reds are the cheapest. Then the RTG.
Anything above that you are looking at minimum 2000NZD. Below are pictures of fish that will cost upwards of 5000NZD to have. A handfull of collectors have them here! amazing! but the price is steep. 
malaysian Blue Base. This is one of the most spectacular examples out there. This will cost a kidney to buy.
Electric Blue cross back. This is a Golden cross back arowana that somehow got a blue scale. how they did that is beyong me, but asians seem to do freaky things like this..... like pugs, i like pugs.
Premium high gold cross back. rich business men in asia will pay 10k for this fish! they think it brings good luck. propaganda im sure... but hey, its a good marketing tool:D
This is a normal RTG - Red Tailed Gold. This is the one i have. Exactly the same farm. My one should look like this in another year.
This is a super red cross back. This is the same fish as the RTG but on steriods. and full gold gloss.
The term cross back means that the gold scales reach the top scales on the fish.
If you look at the RTG, also known as a 4th level RTG, you will see that the gold sheen stops just under the 5th scale row of the fish. the cross back is the same fish, but with much more gold, less red and the gold goes up on the fith scale. Super crossback (xback) and splendour, or super premium etc means only tha the gold is much higher in shine and the gold reaches all the way around the fish. only at the top o the fish is a tiny strip of non gold colouration.