Black arowana

Care at a glance

Overview

Plan for an adult around 90 cm and a tank of at least 1500 litres with a secure lid, as they jump like all arowanas. They do best in soft, warm, acidic water around 26 to 30 C and pH 5.5 to 6.5, kept very clean. Feed insects, prawns and quality pellets, and only house with large peaceful tankmates that cannot be swallowed. Juveniles are sensitive to poor water and sudden changes in chemistry.

In the wild

The black arowana is a blackwater cousin of the silver, with juveniles showing a striking blue and yellow stripe that fades to dark charcoal as they mature. It hunts at the surface in soft, tea-coloured water shaded by forest. Adults are slightly smaller and often considered more delicate than silver arowanas.

Good to know

Osteoglossum ferreirai is a mouthbrooding bony-tongue described in 1966 and restricted to the Rio Negro and Orinoco drainages. The very large fry rely on a huge yolk sac before they begin free feeding. Wild-caught juveniles remain the main source in the trade.

Did you know

Newly hatched black arowanas carry a yolk sac larger than their own head, which the father shelters inside his mouth until it is absorbed.

Related species

• 

  Silver arowana

  Osteoglossum bicirrhosum

  39.4 in (100 cm)396 gal (1,500 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)

• 

  Asian arowana

  Scleropages formosus

  35.4 in (90 cm)264 gal (1,000 L)75–86°F (24–30°C)

• 

  Gulf saratoga

  Scleropages jardinii

  35.4 in (90 cm)317 gal (1,200 L)75–86°F (24–30°C)

• 

  Payara

  Hydrolycus armatus

  35 in (89 cm)1,057 gal (4,000 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)

• 

  Red-bellied pacu

  Piaractus brachypomus

  34.6 in (88 cm)1,057 gal (4,000 L)73–82°F (23–28°C)

• 

  Black Pacu

  Colossoma macropomum

  39.4 in (100 cm)660 gal (2,500 L)72–82°F (22–28°C)