BettaFishMommy Posted December 31, 2009 Report Share Posted December 31, 2009 i didn't mean to discourage keeping fish either, but to jump into fishkeeping with a larger species that requires a lot of money to keep properly (tank size, food, etc) is IMO not the best course of action. bevin, if you have no experience with keeping any fish then perhaps a thorough period of research is best for you if your heart is set on keeping an arowana. in the meantime, why not have one or two smaller tanks and gain experience with the general nature of fishkeeping? that will help prepare you for when you get your 'big fish' in the future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
African_Fever Posted December 31, 2009 Report Share Posted December 31, 2009 I really don't understand why so many people are all about 'start small and see how you like keeping a small tank for a while'. If someone has the money/means to get a large tank and start that way, it's MUCH easier than screwing around with little tanks. A larger tank means a larger volume of water, which gives a lot more room for error as far as water quality goes - small tanks can swing 180 degrees overnight if something goes seriously wrong. I'd argue that a properly filtered 100+ gallon tank with a couple large cichlids would be much easier to keep than a 10 gallon full of guppies, tetras, barbs etc. How many beginners do you know who buy small tanks like this, and end up at the LFS every weekend picking out a few new fish because they lost a couple in the last week, and even though they have no clue why, they're out buying more? My advice to anyone getting into the hobby from scratch - buy the largest tank you can afford, RESEARCH the fish you want to keep, and if you feel you can reasonably maintain said fish, go for it. If your dream is to have a big tank with a graceful arowana gliding through it (because you saw one at Smitty's ) how is keeping a 10 gallon full of guppies going to feel anything like that and keep you interested? Small tanks can be a PITA to maintain IMO, and I'd be willing to bet that more of the '10 gallon starter kits' end up turning people OFF the hobby than onto the hobby. Just ask yourself why nano's are becoming so popular among EXPERIENCED aquarists? - It's because it takes more skill to maintain the water and fish in smaller body of water than a larger one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snaggle Posted December 31, 2009 Report Share Posted December 31, 2009 I really don't understand why so many people are all about 'start small and see how you like keeping a small tank for a while'. If someone has the money/means to get a large tank and start that way, it's MUCH easier than screwing around with little tanks. A larger tank means a larger volume of water, which gives a lot more room for error as far as water quality goes - small tanks can swing 180 degrees overnight if something goes seriously wrong. I'd argue that a properly filtered 100+ gallon tank with a couple large cichlids would be much easier to keep than a 10 gallon full of guppies, tetras, barbs etc. How many beginners do you know who buy small tanks like this, and end up at the LFS every weekend picking out a few new fish because they lost a couple in the last week, and even though they have no clue why, they're out buying more? My advice to anyone getting into the hobby from scratch - buy the largest tank you can afford, RESEARCH the fish you want to keep, and if you feel you can reasonably maintain said fish, go for it. If your dream is to have a big tank with a graceful arowana gliding through it (because you saw one at Smitty's ) how is keeping a 10 gallon full of guppies going to feel anything like that and keep you interested? Small tanks can be a PITA to maintain IMO, and I'd be willing to bet that more of the '10 gallon starter kits' end up turning people OFF the hobby than onto the hobby. Just ask yourself why nano's are becoming so popular among EXPERIENCED aquarists? - It's because it takes more skill to maintain the water and fish in smaller body of water than a larger one. Well said. :thumbs: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stratos Posted December 31, 2009 Report Share Posted December 31, 2009 There is more to consider here. In my experience, most people want to buy a juvenile arowana (irrespective of species) of around 6-7 inches, and then raise it up. If a person were to purchase a large tank based on the ultimate size requirements for the fish, they will be buying a minimum 180-270 gallon tank. Obviously it does not make much sense to drop a juvenile arowana into such a big tank, especially if the hobbyist is new to fishkeeping. Thus, the new aro hobbyist will likely be looking at owning a series of grow out tanks. I agree that anyone can start out by keeping arowana, they just need to know that there will be further cost and investment down the road in the form of larger tanks, filters, etc. A specialty forum especially set up for new Asian arowana keepers in Canada can be found at: http://www.arowanaclub.ca/forums/forumdisp...&order=desc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shine Aquatics Posted December 31, 2009 Report Share Posted December 31, 2009 An Arowana is is a great fish to keep. I don't believe you should limit yourself to anything short of what you want. If it’s an Arowana you want, you will research and setup a system that will work. Anything your passionate about with effort put into will always work out. The most common question when starting an Arowana tank is; how big of a tank do I need? Although this is debated often the minimum should be 6’ x 2’ x 2’ or 180 gallons. As these giants of fresh water can grow in excess of 24 inches within the first 3 years of their life having the right tank at the beginning is always easier than upgrading down the road. I believe there's nothing more rewarding in this hobby than succeeding and having your properly setup tank blossom into a breath taking sight. Best of Luck, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RD. Posted December 31, 2009 Report Share Posted December 31, 2009 If a person were to purchase a large tank based on the ultimate size requirements for the fish, they will be buying a minimum 180-270 gallon tank. Obviously it does not make much sense to drop a juvenile arowana into such a big tank, especially if the hobbyist is new to fishkeeping. Actually it makes perfect sense. My advice has always been, buy the tank, then the fish, not the other way around. Not only does this allow your bio filtration to grow with your fish, it also allows one to grow out some juvenile tankmates with your aro, before the aro decides that it owns the entire tank. Not to mention the fact that the series of grow out tanks that you suggest, tend to add up in cost, vs simply buying the correct size from the get go. Unless one plans on keeping the grow out tanks for future use, they tend to sell for a fraction of the original cost. Again, kind of counter productive if the idea was to save money. Stratos's logic is exactly why the majority of oscars, pacus, etc end up being dropped off at the LFS when they outgrow their tank. Those people all bought the fish, before the tank, and then somewhere along the way life happened. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stratos Posted January 2, 2010 Report Share Posted January 2, 2010 I agree with the points you raise RD. Although I use grow out tanks myself, it's probably not the best advice to give a complete novice to the hobby. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2010dowhatiwant Posted February 24, 2010 Report Share Posted February 24, 2010 i was wondering ,how many species there are of arowana some web sites are contradictory,im researching arowana to find the one i like best ,so theres silver,black,platinum,red tail,green,gold,diablo red ,blood red,i think im missing some can someone fill me in? thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2010dowhatiwant Posted February 24, 2010 Report Share Posted February 24, 2010 i didn't mean to discourage keeping fish either, but to jump into fishkeeping with a larger species that requires a lot of money to keep properly (tank size, food, etc) is IMO not the best course of action. bevin, if you have no experience with keeping any fish then perhaps a thorough period of research is best for you if your heart is set on keeping an arowana. in the meantime, why not have one or two smaller tanks and gain experience with the general nature of fishkeeping? that will help prepare you for when you get your 'big fish' in the future. id have to agree with you,i started small and spent a whole lot more money than i needed to buying bigger and bigger tanks should start with a big one if you got the cash. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
letsgofishn Posted February 24, 2010 Report Share Posted February 24, 2010 Check this site out, most of your question will be answered. http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=110 :thumbs: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Posted February 24, 2010 Report Share Posted February 24, 2010 I agree that it can be very successful to use a series of growout tanks for your fish, with some experience in properly setting up the tanks. I do not agree that it is good advice to give. Far too many times I see someone use a growout tank, with the initial intent to upgrade later, only to find a 12" Oscar in a 20 long. I think the intent to buy a larger tank later is a trap for horrible living conditions to the non-motivated enthusiast. Just my 2 cents. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.