# Other Aquarium Forums > Fish Care, Nutrition and Water Management >  Arowana size vs tank size

## nowhereman

My aro is about 50cm long (head to tail). I keep in a 4ft by 1.5ft tank, will my aro die because there is not enough space?

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## Goondoo

> My aro is about 50cm long (head to tail). I keep in a 4ft by 1.5ft tank, will my aro die because there is not enough space?


I had read somewhere that the minimum recommended tank size for adult Arowana is 5x2.5x2. It might not die now, but you are torturing it.

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## XnSdVd

My rule for fish? Get as big a tank as possible. But as for your question, no your aro will not die because of the space. However do try to put some plants in there to absorb the nitrates. This is the main reason why they jump and end up killing themselves. 

For an example of a planted arowana tank, go take a look at MAD tanks in the basement of Park Mall. You won't be disappointed.

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## Goondoo

> However do try to put some plants in there to absorb the nitrates. This is the main reason why they jump and end up killing themselves.


Not really, Arowana are jumpers by nature. They prey on insects on trees during the monsoon season in the wild. I have read that high NO3 causes gill infection and "drop eye" though.

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## XnSdVd

You're refering to the amazonian arawanas no? I'm not sure if the asian species do that. Either way, what i meant was that in tank conditions, when there are no prey items above the water for them to jump at. So their main reason for jumping is poor water conditions.

Though you have made me realize that nitrates are only part of the problem, chlorine and chloramine are causes too.

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## benny

No, your arowana won't die. But it's growth should be restricted by the environment you provided. 50 cm is not it's full size yet. For such a large fish that practically swims non stop, a 4 ft setup provides too little space.

You might want to consider a larger setup. Billy's suggestion is good. That the minimum size most arowana hobbyist will keep their arowana, even to maturity.

By the way, what arowana are you keeping? Red, Red Tail Gold or one of the others?

Cheers,

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## Goondoo

> You're refering to the amazonian arawanas no? I'm not sure if the asian species do that. Either way, what i meant was that in tank conditions, when there are no prey items above the water for them to jump at. So their main reason for jumping is poor water conditions.


There is no reason...
You can try an adult arowana in a perfect tank uncovered, it will still jump. :Opps:

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## benny

> There is no reason...
> You can try an adult arowana in a perfect tank uncovered, it will still jump.


Fact: Arowana's will jump. 

It's their nature and in the wild, they even hunt out of water as billy point out. I was sceptical, but managed to see a documentary on it. The fish will coil up in a S shape manner and launch itself upwards, can jump quite a substantial height from the water surface.

Cheers,

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## Freshman

I believe most fishes will jump. Some jump for food, while some jump because it is stressed or spooked.  :Confused:  Personally have seen/heard of cichlids, bichirs, corydoras, tetras..jumping out of tank. 

To TS: Your arowana won't die just because of small tank space but it will suffer greatly from lack of swimming space. (my impression of aro is that it is always swimming around :Grin: )
Depending on what type of arowana you are keeping, some of them can reach maximum adult size of 3ft or more. So, it is advisable that you read up on your fishes max size and get the correct tank dimension.

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## nowhereman

:Boo: 


> No, your arowana won't die. But it's growth should be restricted by the environment you provided. 50 cm is not it's full size yet. For such a large fish that practically swims non stop, a 4 ft setup provides too little space.
> 
> You might want to consider a larger setup. Billy's suggestion is good. That the minimum size most arowana hobbyist will keep their arowana, even to maturity.
> 
> By the way, what arowana are you keeping? Red, Red Tail Gold or one of the others?
> 
> Cheers,


My Aro is a RTG. Below links are to some pics.....
http://www.aquaticquotient.com/forum...843#post301843

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## CHOO

hi you have to change at least 4x2 tank . Or your barbel and tail of your arowana would not be nice in long term .

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## Aquaculture

A noob question here as I've not kept Aros before. Won't the fish's growth be stunned by the lack of space to grow?  :Smile:

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## nowhereman

> hi you have to change at least 4x2 tank . Or your barbel and tail of your arowana would not be nice in long term .


Yup, you are right. The barbel is damned short... Went Serangoon North to find tank liao, but too bad, no budget... think got to live with it till I strike gold.

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## CHOO

well you can lookout for second hand one in forum .

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## XnSdVd

wait 1 year, i'll sell my 6footer  :Razz:

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## celticfish

wow, what's happening XnSdVd?
what plans have you got going dude?  :Evil:

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## zoombee

> wow, what's happening XnSdVd?
> what plans have you got going dude?


1.5ft is not sufficient for bigger arowanas to turn a minimum of 2ft and would be best if its 2.5ft or wider as the arowana grows longer n wider it will need a bigger space to turn.

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## Mez

If you keep an arowana in an open top tank, and a moth is in the same room as the arowana, please expect the arowana to launch itself out of the water for the moth, fly, wasp or whatever is hovering out of the water.
A lot of surface fish do this, and this is exactly how my butterfly fish ended up miles away from my tank, dry and dead...one mistake i'll never make again!

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