# General > AquaTalk >  I released one silver arowana into the reservoir !

## mobile2007

I don't really like to keep arowana, but somehow suddenly i got one baby silver arowana one day ( haha ). After 2-3 months of keeping it, i discovered that it was growing at a very fast rate and soon my 2 ft tank seems so crampy for it. 

I decided that maybe it is good to release it into the reservoir, since i am very near to one. Not decided to give it away to someone , as silver arowana are not that precious and it may ended up in worser condition. Also, reservoir is a huge living space and "landed property" to the fish.

I hope it is doing well in the reservoir now and not get caught by those fishing over there.

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## planted86

Bad move bro. You are destroying the natural habitat by introducing foreign specie into local water. 

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## Stormz

> I don't really like to keep arowana, but somehow suddenly i got one baby silver arowana one day ( haha ). After 2-3 months of keeping it, i discovered that it was growing at a very fast rate and soon my 2 ft tank seems so crampy for it. 
> 
> I decided that maybe it is good to release it into the reservoir, since i am very near to one. Not decided to give it away to someone , as silver arowana are not that precious and it may ended up in worser condition. Also, reservoir is a huge living space and "landed property" to the fish.
> 
> I hope it is doing well in the reservoir now and not get caught by those fishing over there.


I cannot believe that by doing something that upsets the Eco system and you're still so full of it. If you think you don't like Aros, why in the first place why get it and now you have to release it when it outgrow your tank. If you don't have the means to keep it, why get it? Fishes are pets and pets are for life.

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## mobile2007

Relax , arowana is already in our local reserviors as long as singapore gained independence. I had seen people catching arowanas in mandai reservoir before.

Beside, if releasing one arowana is upsetting the ecosystem, then those fishing at the reservoirs must be destroying the entire ecosystem.  :Smile:

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## planted86

That is because of people like you with the same thinking that is why the eco system is destroyed. . Fishing at that place is illegal anyway.. So instead of arguing with us on this topic, why don't you just take it as a lesson and stop doing that in the future? 

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## mobile2007

how about asking everyone in this forum to stop keeping pet fishes ?? haha... Just because of this ornamental fish business, the entire world ecosystem had been destroyed. Oh ... keeping aqua plants included too. 

For your information, fishing is 100% legal at the designated area in reservoirs. Surprise !!!! 




> That is because of people like you with the same thinking that is why the eco system is destroyed. . Fishing at that place is illegal anyway.. So instead of arguing with us on this topic, why don't you just take it as a lesson and stop doing that in the future? 
> 
> Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk 2

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## sawzai

:Laughing:  heard that you will get fine if you got caught releasing fish in the reservoir. i would do the same if i were you.  :Laughing:  ( im going to get flamed )

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## mobile2007

Well, it seems to me that it is not against the law to release fishes into the reservoirs. Before my release, i checked the "fine" signage over there. No indication on this matter.

However, i think certain type of fishes are not "suitable" in the local reservoirs. Like snakehead, piranha, oscar and those that reproduce too fast.




> heard that you will get fine if you got caught releasing fish in the reservoir. i would do the same if i were you.  ( im going to get flamed )

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## demoon

I think i understand why you did that, i did think about it before too...
Do you think it will survive the different water parameters though? Its probably not doing as well as you think, many people care for fish regardless of the price despite what you think. 
Goggle and you see that in fact many people keep feeder fish in very good conditions. Like what Ip man said, there is no better martial arts, only people with different level of skill so i don't think that one fish could be superior to another.
Tank bred specimen are rather delicate and it might have died without doing much damage to the ecosystem (hopefully). Most of the fish that survived the shock are very hardy fish like Toman and Luohan.
I think keeping a fish is a responsibility. Its like culling when there is too many offspring and putting it down when necessary.

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## emptysoulz

I have seen "wild" arowanas (probably released by pet owner) in almost every big water bodies in SG. Reservoirs, ponds you name it.  Worst one I've seen is in a pond in science park 2, a 2 feet arowana with a school of unidentified fish fish in a 10m x 10m pond with fountain. Horrible owner sure found a horrible place to dump it.
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## AQMS

you should just give it away to the local LFS.
They probably will take it..

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## Trichopsis

Ecologically, it might not be as bad as people make it out to be (at least, in the local context). But there are other consequences that I wish you would have considered before doing something like this.

It is true that silver arowanas have been present in our reservoirs for some time, along with a lot of other species that could only have come from the aquarium trade. But just because a particular species can be found locally doesn't excuse abandoning your pet - many of these non-native fishes are present but just don't have the critical numbers to establish a self-sustaining population. Nobody knows how many silver arowana are in Singapore's reservoirs and ponds, and I don't think anyone has found evidence of breeding yet, but there's always the chance that with enough people dumping their pets, there will eventually be enough arowana to form a breeding population.

Why does it matter if there are arowana in our reservoirs, breeding or not?

We are familiar with artificial freshwater ecosystems like monsoon canals, ponds and lakes in public parks, and reservoirs. These exposed, brightly lit waters have typically neutral pH (sometimes slightly brackish if close enough to be influenced by the tides) and are largely inhabited by non-native fish species such as cichlids and livebearers that do well in such conditions, such as tilapia, peacock bass, Mayan cichlid, eartheaters, guppies, mosquitofish, mollies, and so on. There are a handful of native fish species that can live here as well, like climbing perch, common snakehead (aruan) and common walking catfish.

The shaded, slightly acidic forest streams in Bukit Timah Nature Reserve and Central Catchment Area are the last refuge for many of our native fishes and crustaceans, most of which have lost virtually all their habitat due to deforestation. There is always the risk that non-native fishes, whether deliberately dumped by someone or dispersing from a breeding population in a connected water body, could invade these streams and cause declines or even extinction of these native species, due to competition, predation, or spread of diseases. Threadfin acara (_Acarichthys heckelii_) has already been recorded in the Nee Soon swamp forest, having swum upstream from Sungei Seletar. So far, most of the non-natives have not managed to invade these forest streams, probably largely due to differences in habitat. But we cannot afford to be complacent and assume that what remains of our native fish fauna is safe from the threat of invasive species. We don't even know whether the populations of our endangered native fishes are stable or not, and they certainly don't need the added pressure from the invasion of a non-native fish. 

I'm far more concerned about your flippant attitude about what you did: pet abandonment is irresponsible, whether it's dog, cat, hamster, or arowana. And I think you've done damage to the reputation of the local fishkeeping community. Compared to other countries, Singapore might not be so anal about what fishes you can or cannot keep. But with so many people dumping their unwanted pets, you risk forcing the authorities to clamp down on this by placing controls and restrictions on the trade.

This is precisely the reason why the UK has banned highfin loach and other coldwater fishes and crayfishes, snakeheads and walking catfish are banned in many parts of the US, and Australia has banned so many tropical fishes. This is also one of the reasons why we have such a restricted list of amphibians and reptiles that can be legally traded - because it's clear that there are far too many people who show that they don't understand how their actions are irresponsible and potentially ecologically damaging.

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## demoon

Worst i saw was arowana at the algae infested pond with many red ear turtles at the macdonald next to Queensway Secondary School. It was some years back.
The location was a favourite place for the release of aquatic pets, i think i even saw a large soft shell turtle there before...

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## jemswira

Dear OP. It's people like you who are killing this hobby. Take the UK for example. Because of so many people releasing non-native fish into their waters, they're even thinking of enforcing a whitelist, not a blacklist of fish. If that were to happen to Singapore, we would feel it even worse, because so many of our common aquarium fish are from the tropics. Even if it isn't written on the signs, doesn't mean you should be doing it. There's no "NO PEEING ON THIS DOOR" sign on your house, and yet it's still wrong to do so. 
Releasing fauna into our native waters is destroying native wildlife. And just cause you've seen arowana there before, doesn't mean it's ok to release more. That's like saying "that house is on fire. It's OK if i throw some gasoline on it." Well, it's not. Don't make something that's already bad worse.

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## mobile2007

I think i had mentioned that i had seen people catching arowanas in mandai reservoir. And in arofanatics, it was mentioned that one certain specify species of arowana was infact "harvested" from our reservoirs. So, arowanas definitely breed in our reservoirs. And for your information, arowanas dont reproduce that fast like what i mentioned before, snakehead etc.

I can give the silver to other people. Like what i said before, it might not have a good environment as it is not that precious like RTG, xback arowana. So, after doing some research on a few forums, i have concluded that my action will not have a big impact on the local ecosystem ( think , think, none will release his $$$ RTG, xback to reservoirs). 

I try to think like the fish, where do i want to live in ? a super large wild lake or a 5 ft restrictive tank. So, being the iresponsible owner, i decide to dump my fish have a "luxurous playground". Forgive me for being a bit selfish, for letting it roam free in that big nice environment. Arigatos !

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## Fuzzy

These are all things you needed to think about _before_ you bought this Arowana.

People like you are not only giving our hobby a bad name, but bringing down restrictions on it. By dumping your fish into this "luxurious playground" you are threatening our natural biodiversity. Because other irresponsible fish owners have already done this with other invasive species does NOT make it ok for you, or anyone else to do it some more.

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## demoon

Unfortunately, this luxurious playground does not belong to you. It belongs to the fish who is living there. This is probably called illegal trespassing? 
I think we should cool it down a little bit. He did mention that he got it somehow so i think he probably did not buy it.

To mobile2007,
What done is done, although we cannot restrict your activity in any way and you can still do whatever you like (like terrorist).
Kindly reconsider to keeping fish as a hobby or interest, it would be very unfair to all parties (you, the fish and the rest of the affected living being)
If you would to repeat the act again, kindly do not post it up to share. Its like sharing the message "i pun sai(shit) a lot today", it makes us feel shit too man

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## mictok

Judging your statement that the baby arowana was kept for a few months which I estimate it to be around 6-8",it will not be able to survive at this size in the reservoir condition.Be with it that you can imagine the adopted owner may mistreat the fish,I would say that maybe you will feel better for it to die under your act of self righteous and ego to boast about it,I rest my case.

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## erwinx

Fewer people releasing animals into the wild during Vesak period
By May Wong, Channel NewsAsia 

SINGAPORE : The National Parks Board (NParks) says fewer people are releasing animals into the wild during the Vesak period. 

It is hoping this downward trend will continue ahead of Vesak Day celebrations on May 12. 

During Vesak Day celebrations, some buddhists would release animals such as fish into the reservoirs. The act symbolises compassion and respect for life. 

But such actions do more harm than good to the animals. "The animals are not able to fend for themselves. Imagine this, you're kept in a homely environment where you're given food everyday, then all of a sudden, you go into the wild. But where's the food? So in the end, they die of starvation," said Sharon Chan from the National Parks Board. 

Last year, NParks saw only seven cases where people released animals into the wild, a significant drop from 44 in 2004. 

To keep the cases low, some 100 park rangers and volunteers will comb the reservoirs and nature reserves over the Vesak Day holiday. 

Animals released into the wild such as the reservoir die within a day and their decomposed bodies affect the quality of the water. Things are made much worse if the animals are sick with diseases. 

Some of the common animals released are fish and frogs. 

The Singapore Buddhist Federation is also educating its devotees to do the right thing. "The best way is to release fishes already caught in the kelong, and release back into the deep sea. For freshwater fishes, there are fishes kept in the tanks at seafood restaurants. You can buy them and release them into the ponds. They are ponds in certain areas that allow people to release fishes there," said Sik Kwang Sheng, secretary-general of Singapore Buddhist Federation. 

http://www.wildsingapore.com/news/20060506/060510-6.htm



6. No person in a Catchment Area Park shall 
(f) release any animal into the reservoir or allow any animal to stray into any part of the Catchment Area Park;

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## josephogk

> Fewer people releasing animals into the wild during Vesak period
> By May Wong, Channel NewsAsia 
> 
> SINGAPORE : The National Parks Board (NParks) says fewer people are releasing animals into the wild during the Vesak period. 
> 
> It is hoping this downward trend will continue ahead of Vesak Day celebrations on May 12. 
> 
> During Vesak Day celebrations, some buddhists would release animals such as fish into the reservoirs. The act symbolises compassion and respect for life. 
> 
> ...


nice. very curious to see what mobile2007 has to say next.  :Roll Eyes:

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## fotoudavid

not sure about whether can the arowana survive or not..... but i really see a big, arowana shape fish in bukit batok nature park.... and looks a little red....

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## stormhawk

Buying a fish only to not want it later on means it was an impulse buy, which seems to be the case for some of us, when we buy a pet only to realise later that we do not have the right resources to give it a good home. While I understand your reasons behind releasing the fish, it was not the right move, given the *many* available options other than self-release in the name of giving the fish a "better life".

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## ortegafever

> I don't really like to keep arowana, but somehow suddenly i got one baby silver arowana one day ( haha ). After 2-3 months of keeping it...


You expect a 2~3 months old baby fish which you fed everyday in a homy condition to know how to hunt for food? Nice...

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## delhezi

Some of the most ridiculous and pretentious claims ever to be seen made by the OP of this thread.

Absolutely no care for the ecological stability; and treating fish as if they were trinkets meant only for entertainment. 

Anyone like this should not be keeping fish, or pets for that matter.

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## jemswira

Read this on PFK and remembered this thread. 
Take note all those who think that their actions won't have consequences.
http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.u...t.php?sid=5635

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## blue33

I've seen almost everyday for couple of months people being catching PILE by PILE of peacock(PB and Temensis) bass in our reservoir. The supply of peacock bass is always there, the population is really humongous. These are the fish release by hobbyist and they multiply super fast. Imagine one morning i went luring and caught >100 juvenile peacock bass in one morning 1.5hr fishing until hand so tired, it was catch and release. That is really scary.

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## Navanod

I had been observing the new Bishan River since its completion last year. Initially, it was populated (on purpose by NParks I believe) with cichlids of various variety and the river bottom was made rocky probably to emulate african lakes.
Then came the red tail catfish (I think) and the rainbow snakeheads, likely escaped from upper peirce reservoir, followed by albino suckers and goldfish colored Mayan cichlids that started appearing and increasing in numbers.
This year was more shocking. I spotted a Gar fish. A small 1 footer at first, then my wife reported a huge one, very fat and likely 2.5ft in length. I initially dismissed it as one of the smaller gar species but after seeing the huge specimen, and noting its relatively short and broad "beak", as well as its distinctive pixelated markings, I'm 90% sure its an alligator gar.

This is worrying because many young kids go into the waters daily to catch fishes and play. There is no barrier of fencing of any sort and in fact, walking onto the rocks to cross the river at several spots are encouraged when the river is not flooded.


Of course, a monster gar above a certain size would not be able to stay hidden or even survive during normal times in the shallow river, where only a few selected deep pools can be found, mostly under bridges, but the river routinely floods during rainstorms...
This picture was taken by me during a storm


there are warning systems to prevent people from venturing near the waters during rain but during flooding, very large fishes may get trapped in pools...where kids may go playing in later.

Would a large gar bite a kid?

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## blue33

The common motoray likely to make it there anytime since its a common fish in most reservoir now. And they are multiplying pretty fast.

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## Trichopsis

The cichlids in the Kallang River at Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park are the standard common cichlids that have become established in many urban ponds, canals, and reservoirs throughout Singapore - Midas cichlids (and assorted Central American hybrids, such as luohan), eartheaters, tilapia, and Mayan cichlid. I don't think NParks and PUB had any role in releasing these fishes, especially when it's likely that they simply dispersed down the canal from Lower Peirce Reservoir and thrived in the artificial rocky riverbed.

A friend of mine has photos of assorted fishes seen in the river, I'm not sure if his Facebook albums can be seen by all though:

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?s...1825.534498919
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?s...1829.534498919

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## AQMS

> I had been observing the new Bishan River since its completion last year. Initially, it was populated (on purpose by NParks I believe) with cichlids of various variety and the river bottom was made rocky probably to emulate african lakes.
> Then came the red tail catfish (I think) and the rainbow snakeheads, likely escaped from upper peirce reservoir, followed by albino suckers and goldfish colored Mayan cichlids that started appearing and increasing in numbers.
> This year was more shocking. I spotted a Gar fish. A small 1 footer at first, then my wife reported a huge one, very fat and likely 2.5ft in length. I initially dismissed it as one of the smaller gar species but after seeing the huge specimen, and noting its relatively short and broad "beak", as well as its distinctive pixelated markings, I'm 90% sure its an alligator gar.
> 
> This is worrying because many young kids go into the waters daily to catch fishes and play. There is no barrier of fencing of any sort and in fact, walking onto the rocks to cross the river at several spots are encouraged when the river is not flooded.
> 
> 
> Of course, a monster gar above a certain size would not be able to stay hidden or even survive during normal times in the shallow river, where only a few selected deep pools can be found, mostly under bridges, but the river routinely floods during rainstorms...
> This picture was taken by me during a storm
> ...


Are you sure its alligator gar?
I just wiki it and found out in January 21 2011, a 1.5m alligator gar was caught at a canal in Pasir Ris by two fishermen.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alligator_gar

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## Navanod

1.5m?! That's big...these things can grow to 3m but it'll take 50yrs or more according to wiki.

Pretty sure, in fact, on my way out from home, I went to look again and what a stroke of luck. Wifey spotted 3 gars!
Apparently my estimate for the big guy was kinda off, probably because of how FAT he was. After looking at it long and hard, I think he's about 50cm but fat

This is the best shot I can get from the bridge...its pretty far, so the scale may make it look small. I'm very sure its a Gator Gar.

The other 2 were chase fighting

When they got closer, I ID them as a Gator gar and the other slimmer darker one as a Spotted gar. Both are about 30+cm long but much thinner as you can see.

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