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Silver Arowana
(The Bony Tongued Fish)
The silver arowana, Osteoglossum
bicirrhosum, is a freshwater bony fish belong to the family
Osteoglossidae. The term "Osteoglossum" means "bone-tongued" and "bicirrhosum"
means "two barbels".
Description:
The silver arowanas are found in the Amazon River basin and in the
Rupununi and Oyapock Rivers in South America as well as in still waters
in Guyana.
This fish has relatively large scales, a long body, and a tapered tail,
with the dorsal and anal fins extending all the way to the small caudal
fin, with which they are nearly fused. It can grow to a maximum size of
around 1 m (39 inches) in captivity. When they swim, is like a mercury
dance of fluid movement rolling from side to side. Like a cross between
an eel and a baracuda. In the wild, it has been known to reach over 1.2
m (47 inches) in length. The juveniles are usually a dull silver color
with black markings around the head and the tail. Once they reach about
15 cm (6 inches), the markings will disappear and they will start to
obtain the silvery color that give them their common name.
The species is also called monkey fish because it of its ability to jump
out of the water and capture its prey. It usually swims near the water
surface waiting for potential prey.
Arowanas are sometimes called Dragon Fish by hobbyists because of their
shiny armor-like scales and double barbels are reminiscent of
descriptions of dragons in Asian folklore.
Conservation status:
The Silver Arowana is currently not listed on any CITES. It is one of
the most popular ornamental fish from South America. It is often kept as
a pet as a substitute for the Asian arowana, which is listed on CITES
and is therefore difficult and expensive to obtain legally.
Arowana Aquarium:
To keep one of these large fishes, a large enough aquarium is important.
The minimum tank size for one adult Silver Arowana is 200 cm (72 inches)
x 66 cm (24 inches) x 66 cm (24 inches), or approximately 180 gallons.
Remember, don't put any sharp objects in the tank, such as jagged rocks,
or sharp sticks in the tank, these fish get "spooked" very easily and
will jump and swim into these causing injury, which in turn the
possibilty of disease at the injured site. A young specimen can be kept
in a smaller tank, but as it grows a larger tank will be necessary to
prevent deformities and to ensure the maximum length and life span of
the animal.
Any aquarium housing an arowana should be tightly covered because of
these fishes' jumping behavior.
Water Conditions:
Water conditions are important for arowana. Strong filtration is
necessary for these large carnivores. Commercially available black water
additives can help simulate the Silver Arowana's natural habitat,
although they can adapt to most water supplies and thrive. A 25% water
change, siphoning waste and other detritus, is necessary once every two
weekw to maintain excellent water conditions. The water temperature
should range from 24°C (75°F) to 28°C (82°F), with the ideal about 26°C
(79°F).
Arowana Food / Feeding:
Young Silver Arowanas should not be overfed, because according to some
hobbyists, they can develop dropeye, a condition in which the eyes are
turned downward, as they grow. Arowanas should be offered meaty foods
such as insects, shrimp, fish, beef heart, frogs, pellets, etc. Many
hobbyists recommend against live feeder fish because these are often
raised in poor conditions and are capable of transmitting diseases to
predatory fish; additionally, an arowana may eventually refuse to eat
anything else but feeder fish which could prove to be very expensive.
Mealworm exoskeletons are sometimes difficult for young arowanas to
digest, so they are best avoided.
Arowana Tank / Arowana Aquarium:
Silver Arowana can be kept with other freshwater fish as long as they
are too large to fit in the arowana's mouth and can tolerate the arowana
active-swimming lifestyle. Many people like having more than one Arowana
in the tank; in this case, hobbyists recommend keeping at least 5 to 6
in the tank at a time because Silver Arowanas are very aggressive
towards each other. Nothing beats an Arowana ruling the top of the tank
and a Stingray ruling the bottom, it is truly beautiful.
Mythical Beliefs & Feng Shui
Fish can increase the momentum of wealth generation, gather accumulation of wealth and neutralize negative forces. The chinese always associate the fish with abundance and prosperity with the saying "nien nien yew yu" which means "seeing abundance harvest every year". Because of its strong symbolic meaning, chinese homes are normally decorated with fish ponds, aquariums and art pieces. They believe this is will make the family income "float". There are quite a number of fishes which are popular among feng shui enthusiasts, but mostly are red, orange, gold or silverish white in color. And all of them are fresh water fish, where so far we had not seen salt water fish being used to activate feng shui luck.
In Chinese culture, Asian arowanas are considered "lucky" by many people. The dragon represents good luck, strength and power. Especially in the Southern region of China, people believes that a dragon can ward off evil and brings good luck. Dragon is a significant icon in Chinese and other Asian cultures. During Chinese New Year and other auspicious occasion, people celebrate with Dragon dancing and if you are born in the Year of the Dragon, you are considered to give you a head start in life.
The arowana, also know as the
Dragon fish, is known as the "living dragon" or "golden dragon" by
chinese because of its slender body and its distinct and reflective
large metallic scales and double barbels makes it resemble the mythical
and mighty dragon. The large pectoral fins are said to make the fish
resemble "a dragon in full flight. The arowana also possess mysterious
brain ability where it always stay focus, can understand human language
and highly talented. It will truck no nonsense and will fix its
surrounding with a powerful stare. That being the reason why it has a
superior status in the water kingdom. The arowana is said to emit strong
vibration to enhance the surrounding aura and it is said to be able to
foresee negative issues yet to happen. That is why those who rear the
arowana could sometimes experience it hitting the walls of aquarium
informing them of bad omen. To some extent, the faithful arowana would
also jump of the aquarium to commit suicide so that negativities could
be diffused in exchange for its life.
In addition, positive Feng Shui associations with water and the colours red and gold make these fishes popular for aquariums. One belief is that while water is a place where chi gathers, it is naturally a source of yin energy and must contain an "auspicious" fish such as an arowana in order to have balancing yang energy.[18] Another is that a fish can preserve its owner from death by dying itself.[19]
This being the utmost reason why the arowana is popularly known to
obediently trigger abundance and prosperity for its owner. No doubt, it
will definitely make wealth blessing to ones home because almost
everyone who has an arowana will claim all the good wealth luck they are
experiencing. Arowana is also a business man's fish to maintain a
properous and growing business and kept by many business man in Hong
Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia. Geomancer often would
encourage their clients to keep Asian Arowana, especially the Blood Red
Arowana at home or office to bring good luck and ward off evil.
To sum it all, these are the few of the many reasons why people keep Arowana beside being a hobbyist:
-
Incarnation of the mythical dragon
-
Brings Health, Happiness and Good Luck
-
Cast out evil or bad luck
-
Uphold Families Togetherness
-
Vital to Business Success
-
Predicts Business Affairs
Asian Gold Arowana (Dragon Fish)
Asian arowana or Dragon fish or Asian bonytongue
refers to several varieties of freshwater fish in the genus Scleropages.
Native to Southeast Asia, Asian arowanas inhabit blackwater rivers,
slow-moving waters flowing through forested swamps and wetlands. Adults
feed on other fish, while juveniles feed on insects.
These popular aquarium fish have special cultural significance in areas
influenced by Chinese culture. The name dragon fish stems from their
resemblance to the Chinese dragon.
Asian arowana scales are large
(most over 2 cm in length) and have a delicate net pattern.Asian
arowanas grow up to 90 cm (35 in) total length. Like all Scleropages,
Asian arowanas have long bodies; large, elongate pectoral fins; dorsal
and anal fins located far back on the body; and a much larger caudal fin
than that of their South American relative, the silver arowana,
Osteoglossum bicirrhosum. The mouth is oblique with a very wide gape.
The prominent lower jaw has two barbels at its tip. The gill rakers are
stout. Asian arowanas bear teeth on the jaws, vomer, palatines,
pterygoids, parasphenoid, and tongue.
Asian arowana scales are large, cycloid, and, in some species, metallic
coloured, with a distinctive mosaic pattern of raised ribs. The lateral
scales are arranged in horizontal rows numbered from the most ventral
(first level) to the most dorsal (fifth level), with dorsal scales
designated the sixth level.
Asian arowanas are distinguished from Australian congenerics S. jardinii
and S. leichardti by having fewer (21-26) lateral line scales (versus
32-36 for the Australian species), longer pectoral and pelvic fins, and
a longer anterior snout.
Types of Asian Arowana
They include the following:
Green Arowana (Scleropages
formosus):-
The green is the most common variety, found in Vietnam, Myanmar,
Thailand, and Malaysia. Green arowanas are dark green on the back,
silvery or golden green on its sides, and silvery or whitish on its
ventral surface, with dark greenish or bluish patches visible through
the lateral scales. In mature fish, the top of the eye and the head
behind the eye are bright emerald.
Red-Tailed Golden Arowana (Scleropages
aureus):-
The red-tailed golden is found in northern Sumatra, Indonesia.
Red-tailed golden arowana. Although the scales are golden, the anal and
caudal fins are reddish-brown.Mature red-tailed golden arowanas have
brilliant metallic gold lateral scales, gill covers, bellies, and
pectoral and pelvic fin membranes, although the back is dark. In
juveniles the areas destined to develop golden colour start out metallic
silver. The anal fin and the bottom portion of the caudal fin are light
brown to dark red.
Gold Crossback Arowqna:-
The gold crossback, blue Malayan, or Bukit Merah blue is native to the
state of Pahang and Bukit Merah area in Perak, Malaysia. Mature gold
crossback arowanas are distinguished from the red-tailed golden arowanas
by having metallic gold crossing the back completely. This variety also
lacks the reddish fins of the red-tailed golden.
Red
Arowana (Scleropages legendrei):-
The red, super red, blood red, or chili red is known only from the upper
part of the Kapuas River in western Borneo, Indonesia. In mature super
red arowanas, the gill covers, lateral scales, and fin membranes of
these fishes are metallic red, with the exact hue varying from
gold-tinged to deep red. The back is dark brown. In juveniles, the
darker the dorsal colouration, the deeper the red will be on maturity.
| Common Names | Types |
| Asian
Arowana (Protected under CITES) |
Red Tail Gold (CrossBack) |
| Red Tail Gold | |
| Red Arowana | |
| Green Arowana | |
| Australia Arowana | Pearl Arowana |
| South American Arowana | Silver Arowana |
| Black Arowana |
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