letsgofishn Posted October 5, 2010 Author Report Share Posted October 5, 2010 (edited) Is it just me or is that thing a GIANT? Wow bro It looks amazing Thanks, really all I did was feed him and do WC's. He's not getting any longer, he's around 19", but he's getting pretty thick. The Tilapia is frozen and then I cut them up into cubes, bought at Walmart. Shrimp brand is President Choice, 907 gram/2 lbs bags. I don't go through shrimp quick enough to buy in bulk. 1 bag of shrimp will last about a week, now that's including feeding the rays too! I got him from Vancouver, cert says Pang Long. Edited October 5, 2010 by letsgofishn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RDFISHGUY Posted October 6, 2010 Report Share Posted October 6, 2010 Well it's been awhile... This SR is about 20 months old now. Not as nice as some SR's out there, RDFISHGUY! Not sure if the red will come out any stronger or if I should use that "nan light". This guy eats well, lots of tilapia, MP stuffed with NLS. New tank mate as well! Patience Wayne. You'll have the bling in no time. Maybe you should've left him on pellets? JK. He's an awesome beast. Some just take longer than others. My fish was tagged Feb 08 and its 17-18". Maybe mine puts all his energy into coloring himself up who knows. Maybe yours is like a red balloon. The more you pump it up the duller the color.LOL. Nice addition BTW. oh SR... Need to take some photo classes too! Man you could starve him for a year and he wouldn't eat pellets! Colossal! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rchristensen114 Posted October 6, 2010 Report Share Posted October 6, 2010 Wayne, I really like your tanks background it almost looks like a real room! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stratos Posted October 6, 2010 Report Share Posted October 6, 2010 Sometimes super reds turn out well, sometimes not so well. It is a real crap shoot when you buy them small and without confirmed colour characteristics. I've heard (but not witnessed) sudden "turning" of SR's, so don't give up hope. Meanwhile, your fish looks healthy and well fed so congrats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skynoch Posted October 6, 2010 Report Share Posted October 6, 2010 Wow Wayne your sr is a beast. The last time I saw it there was more red than the pics show. Okay I'm also a little envious of the tankmate, those white spots just pop on your pearl x motoro. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
letsgofishn Posted October 6, 2010 Author Report Share Posted October 6, 2010 Well it's been awhile... This SR is about 20 months old now. Not as nice as some SR's out there, RDFISHGUY! Not sure if the red will come out any stronger or if I should use that "nan light". This guy eats well, lots of tilapia, MP stuffed with NLS. New tank mate as well! Patience Wayne. You'll have the bling in no time. Maybe you should've left him on pellets? JK. He's an awesome beast. Some just take longer than others. My fish was tagged Feb 08 and its 17-18". Maybe mine puts all his energy into coloring himself up who knows. Maybe yours is like a red balloon. The more you pump it up the duller the color.LOL. Nice addition BTW.oh SR...Need to take some photo classes too!Man you could starve him for a year and he wouldn't eat pellets! Colossal! Thanks Ryan!! I sure like the job you are doing with your aros! Simply gorgeous! Wayne,I really like your tanks background it almost looks like a real room! Thanks Rick, LOL time for you to get a asian aro now! Sometimes super reds turn out well, sometimes not so well. It is a real crap shoot when you buy them small and without confirmed colour characteristics. I've heard (but not witnessed) sudden "turning" of SR's, so don't give up hope. Meanwhile, your fish looks healthy and well fed so congrats. Thanks, No I won't give up on this one! Wow Wayne your sr is a beast. The last time I saw it there was more red than the pics show. Okay I'm also a little envious of the tankmate, those white spots just pop on your pearl x motoro. I know, when she was in the 90 gallon, I really didn't notice her spots. Now that's she's in with the big guy, you can really see the different patterns!! Thanks for all your help Scott!! :thumbs: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RDFISHGUY Posted October 6, 2010 Report Share Posted October 6, 2010 If you don't want to wait you can try this. http://www.arowanaclub.ca/forums/showthread.php?t=2839 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boydo Posted October 6, 2010 Report Share Posted October 6, 2010 Your red is a true beast! It is looking to be a late bloomer but there are several things that can be done to help it develop a little faster. Reds will always develop darker and brighter if kept in a dark tank. I would recommend that you change your substrate and background to dark or black tones. It looks your your aro may be in a tank without a back ground or substrate so these changes will help a lot. If you don't like gravel or sand you can also use tiles for the bottom they come in a variety of colors and textures and have a very clean look. After these changes are made, give the aro several weeks to adapt and be sure to take pictures along the way to see the difference. At this time your aro will be showing more scale definition and color and would be a great candidate for some tanning. Although NAN lights will make your fish look red they won't actually turn your fish red. There are a few techniques for tanning. You can use T5 10000k lights and fixtures placed on the front of the tank a few inches from the top. There are T8 reptile lights that have high UVB output. The UVB 5.0 works very well and is only needed for 6-8hrs a day and results will be seen within a week - this would be my recommendation. But it depends of what light fixtures you may already have around so I could help you pick the right bulb. You can continue to tan for 4-5 weeks then be sure to give the aro a rest before starting again if needed. Best of Luck, Bret Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RD. Posted October 6, 2010 Report Share Posted October 6, 2010 Hey Wayne, that fish has really bulked up! As far as the color, Bret just covered it all very well. From what I have seen with aros, they are like most other fish in that they will adapt to their surroundings. Placing a fish in all-white (or even light toned) environment will typically cause a morphological color change within the chromatophore cells of the fish, as will placing a fish in a tank with dark substrate, and a dark background. For deep red toned fish, a darker environment (substrate/background) will typically bring out the best color in the fish. It looks like the color is there, you just have to help bring it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stratos Posted October 6, 2010 Report Share Posted October 6, 2010 (edited) I no longer have any connection to Panda Aquatics, but when I did, Mr.Kan put me in touch with a hobbyist in Singapore who raised a champion red. Here is a link to an article he wrote: Raising a winner I had hoped to see this fish a few years ago, but the owner sold it for use as a brooder before I got the chance. It would be great if you could follow Bret's advice and blog journal entries while doing it all. Edited October 6, 2010 by stratos Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RD. Posted October 6, 2010 Report Share Posted October 6, 2010 Unfortunately he never went into any detail as to the "new" tank that fish went in to, or the type of lighting used. From what I have seen in both Ryan & Bret's aros, the color of substrate and background, as well as the type of lighting used, can make a massive difference in how the fish looks. Night & day difference in both the golds, and the reds, which is no big surprise, and why grooming techniques such as white tank treatment have become so popular with breeders. With red aros, dark tank treatment (with regards to substrate/background) is definitely going to result in the best overall color. Natural sunlight would be ideal as far as lighting goes, but most of us in NA don't have that option. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RDFISHGUY Posted October 6, 2010 Report Share Posted October 6, 2010 (edited) Bret and Neil are bang on. Color of substrate is huge. Lighting also makes a huge difference. My aro really started to pop using the 6700K colormax bulbs and dark substarte and black background. The XB on the other hand looks way better with T5 lifeglow single tube strips and light colored substrate. Fish will naturally try to blend into their substrate. If they didn't do that in the wild they would be eaten by birds of prey. Something to keep in mind when choosing substrate for your fish. Edited October 6, 2010 by RDFISHGUY Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
letsgofishn Posted October 6, 2010 Author Report Share Posted October 6, 2010 Thanks guys for all the great info! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aroman Posted November 1, 2010 Report Share Posted November 1, 2010 Hi Wayne, I have had Aro’s for a few years and think of myself as somewhat of an expert on Arowana’s.I see lots of suggestions like lights and background these changes never seem to work. What does work well is injecting your shrimp with red dye, mark my word within a week or two your fish will be red. You can pick food dye up for a buck or two at your local grocery store, this is by far the cheapest way too turn your fish red. You can thank me later this works great!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
letsgofishn Posted November 1, 2010 Author Report Share Posted November 1, 2010 (edited) Hi Wayne, I have had Aro’s for a few years and think of myself as somewhat of an expert on Arowana’s.I see lots of suggestions like lights and background these changes never seem to work. What does work well is injecting your shrimp with red dye, mark my word within a week or two your fish will be red. You can pick food dye up for a buck or two at your local grocery store, this is by far the cheapest way too turn your fish red. You can thank me later this works great!! Huh! Do you suggest President Choice brand......, or should I use BS(Bull Sh*t) Brand? I have never heard of this! So is this something like eating too much carrots and your skin turns orange? Edited November 1, 2010 by letsgofishn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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