Cap'n Posted March 10, 2005 Report Share Posted March 10, 2005 For quite a few years now I have been toying with the idea of keeping an arrowana. I think a big tank with a huge silver fish would make a great room divider. I would also like to supply the hungry beast with quality feeders. I thought of seperating a small portion of the big tank with an eggcrate and rock wall with holes too small for the arrowana to enter. I could build this before the tank was filled and disguise it as just another pile of rock and wood. On the other side of the wall I would keep a breeding colony of some prolific fish, I was thinking convicts. Therefore, the occasional brave juvie would stay a little too long on the wrong side of the tracks and... So? Will it work? Will the arrowana become obsessed with the holes in the wall and haunt them? Will the feeders always stay on their side of the fence? Will the parents get eaten? Suggestions for a good fish to use as breeders? Would they be so spooked that they refuse to breed? Is there any reason why this would be unsafe for the arrowana? Is it ethical? Let me know what you think, Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ace99 Posted March 10, 2005 Report Share Posted March 10, 2005 Convicts have too good of a natural instinct for survival. THey will hide and run away and make it hard for the arrowana to feed. Many will end up surviving in the arrowana main tank. Mollies would make a better feeder supply. They're bigger than guppies, prolific breeders, and make easy prey. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
midgetwaiter Posted March 10, 2005 Report Share Posted March 10, 2005 If yo are going to use a sump the best thing you could do would be to put the other fish in a refugium that is connected up with the main tank. You could have it under or beside the main tank. A 1 foot silver will smash that egg crate if it feels like it. when it hits three or four feet.... Really though you don't want to feed your arrowana fish anyway, they do best on bugs and chinks of shrimp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allan F Posted March 10, 2005 Report Share Posted March 10, 2005 It has never been proven, but it's said that with the aro looking down it can contribute to droeye(althought it's pretty much expected with silver aros). With a constant supply of feeders, it can always be skimming the bottom for food Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cap'n Posted March 11, 2005 Author Report Share Posted March 11, 2005 If yo are going to use a sump the best thing you could do would be to put the other fish in a refugium that is connected up with the main tank. You could have it under or beside the main tank. A 1 foot silver will smash that egg crate if it feels like it. when it hits three or four feet....Really though you don't want to feed your arrowana fish anyway, they do best on bugs and chinks of shrimp. The eggcrate would essentially be a barrier within a pile of rock. The aro would never be able to break it. I thought dropeye was because of a fatty diet (goldfish)? The arrowana would have a regular, high-quality diet. The feeders would only be an occasional treat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cap'n Posted March 11, 2005 Author Report Share Posted March 11, 2005 Convicts have too good of a natural instinct for survival. THey will hide and run away and make it hard for the arrowana to feed. Many will end up surviving in the arrowana main tank. Mollies would make a better feeder supply. They're bigger than guppies, prolific breeders, and make easy prey. Mollies would be easier to catch, but they just wouldn't look good in there. I don't want the aro to hurt itself while digging through the rocks trying to catch a quick cichlid, but I don't want guppies floating around the tank either. I would like the small section of breeders to be an attraction as well as the main part of the tank. This way I can have the best of big and small in one unit. Something the aro would eat in the wild would be perfect... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
midgetwaiter Posted March 11, 2005 Report Share Posted March 11, 2005 Something the aro would eat in the wild would be perfect... That's just the thing they don't eat fish in the wild very often, they eat at and above the surface of the water. The causes for drop eye are really not known, even fish on a good diet that is not usually looking up seem to develop it. I had pretty good luck with using ping pong balls to keep mine amused. That did teach him how to smash apple snails though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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