Arowana: The Complete Owner's Guide for the Most Expensive Fish in the World: Arowana Fish Tank, Types, Care, Food, Habitat, Breeding, Mythology - Includes Silver, Platinum, Red, Jardini, Black, Golden, Green

By Kyle Faber

The Arowana is the world's most costly aquarium fish. It is a tropical freshwater fish from the brackish swamps of Asia, the river basins of South America, and the pools and billabongs of Austrailia. There are numerous types of Arowanas, most of which can easily grow up to three feet long.

This fish is a savage predator that’s

• Language: English
• Publisher: CAC Publishing LLC
• Release date: Feb 9, 2017
• ISBN: 9780998714011

Book preview

Chapter 1: What Is An Arowana?

Arowanas are a type of freshwater bony fish of the family Osteoglossidae, otherwise called bonytongues (a group that also encompasses arapaima and knifefishes). Members of the Osteoglossidae family possess a hard, bony head, an elongated body, and large, tough scales. The name bonytongue derives from a toothed bone on the bottom of the fish’s mouth — the tongue — which features small, ridged teeth that can press against similar teeth on the roof of the Arowana’s mouth to catch and devour prey.

Arowana species ordinarily develop to around two to three feet in captivity. The Arowana is a facultative air breather, meaning it can acquire oxygen by drawing atmospheric air into its swim bladder, which is lined with capillary tissue much like a human lung.

The Osteoglossidae are the main freshwater fish family found on both sides of the Wallace Line, an imaginary dividing line in the ocean between Asia and Australia that very few freshwater or land species cross. This rare occurrence might be explained by the hypothesis that Asian Arowanas (Scleropages formosus) separated from the Australian varieties (S. jardinii and S. leichardti) around 140 million years ago (Mya), making it likely that Asian Arowanas were conveyed to Asia from Australia via the Indian subcontinent before these continents split apart.

While Arowana classifications are a continuing subject of debate among researchers and aquarium hobbyists alike, there are generally thought to be ten types of Arowana commonly kept as pets: four from Asia, three from South America, two from Australia, and one from Africa (although the African Arowana is not part of the Osteoglossidae family).

The Asian Arowana is common in Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar, Borneo and Sumatra. It is found in blackwater lakes, swamps, flooded woods, and other waterways with overhanging vegetation. There are several regional variations of the Asian Arowana. The most famous of these is the Super Red variation, which is found only in a few small areas of Western Borneo. The numbers of wild Asian Arowana are consistently diminishing, and as a result, the importation and ownership of Asian Arowanas is restricted in the United States and Australia. Special permission is often required to own these fish in the United Kingdom, China, or Asia.

All members of the Osteoglossidae family are predatory. They are great jumpers; Osteoglossum species have been seen launching themselves more than six feet from the water to pick off insects and small birds from overhanging branches in South America, thus earning them the moniker water monkeys.

The silver Arowana (Osteoglossum bicirrhosum) from South America is the most common type of Arowana. Young silver Arowana fry ordinarily retail cost for $10 or more in most locations, while healthy adults commonly retail for $250 or more. Only the silver and the black Arowana (O. ferreiral) can be transported in the United States and Australia. The most sought-after varieties, including the red and golden Arowanas (Scleropages formosus) are endangered and cannot be legally imported or owned in most localities. A flourishing black market exists for these fish in some Asian countries; a solitary golden Arowana has a market value of about $1,400 in Indonesia.

The Arowana has a unique reproduction process. In order to reproduce, the Arowana takes part in a two-month courtship and incubation process that results in somewhere between 30 and 80 fry. Many types of Arowanas show an unusual degree of parental care, particularly the males. All species of Arowana are mouthbrooders; the parents sometimes hold hundreds of eggs in their mouths while their young develop. Once hatched, the fry may make several exploratory trips to investigate the surroundings before finally giving up the safety of their parents’ mouths for