Orange Arowana

1 Orange Arowana Introduction

The Orange Arowana has a very distinctive body color; feng shui enthusiasts keep it as a feng shui fish. Provided a suitable environment and scientific care, it is not hard to keep.

Chinese name: Orange Arowana

English name: Orange Arowana

Type: Arowana, tropical freshwater fish

Origin: The Ketongau River (River Ketongau) and its tributaries

Breeding: Oviparous (egg-laying)

Water: pH 6.5-7.5, DH 3-12

Care difficulty: Easy

2 Physical Characteristics

As an arowana, it shares the arowana’s habits. It lives in the upper water layer and is strongly aggressive with strong territorial instincts, so be careful when mixed-keeping.

The Orange Arowana can reach 90 cm when fully grown. Its gill covers are orange-red and its scales are orange; some have orange-red fins, while inferior ones appear more yellow. Its body color is less vivid than the Blood Red and Chili Red Arowanas, so it looks duller by comparison; its eyes are smaller than those two, making it the cheapest of the three.

3 Aquarium Conditions

To raise a beautiful Orange Arowana, pay attention to the environment. It is easily startled, so besides temperature and pH, keep the surroundings quiet.

If the purchased fish is over 25 cm, a large tank is not required. But for 17-20 cm juveniles, use a 60 or 90 cm tank for 2-3 months. Suddenly putting it in a large tank, even with a divider, makes it dash into the netting and get startled. A small tank with standard tropical-fish gear (top filter and heater) is enough. Because the fish excretes a lot, use high-performance filter media and place filter floss where water falls; if you use gravel, siphon waste carefully. No need for big siphon water changes, use a 1-liter container, change 2-3 cups every 2-3 days. If water still looks bad, increase frequency not volume. This is the arowana keeping principle.

4 Feeding Guidelines

Training the Orange Arowana to eat is not hard; it is done for balanced nutrition and scientific feeding. The common method is starvation; here are other approaches.

Induction: First feed familiar foods like mealworms or goldfish fed on pellets for a while; once it knows the pellet smell, gradually increase pellets and reduce other foods. Humane but not very effective, so often combined with starvation. Aversion: A recent post suggested heavy feeding of one food until it refuses, then switch, worth trying.

Mixed-keeping: Keep with omnivorous fish like Silver Arowana, Flowerhorn, or nine-band cichlids, or several sub-adult arowanas together; others eating encourages it. After success, consolidate for a while; do not feed large amounts of favorite foods for long or it relapses. Base diet on trained food (pellets) with little tasty food. Adjust order: feed less-palatable first, then good food later; if it relapses, restart. Do not feed to full; if overfed this meal, skip the next.