Parul (MFSc)

1. Arowana

2. THE DRAGON FISH

3. CLASSIFICATION
 Kingdom: Animalia
 Phylum: Chordata
 Class: Actinopterygii
 Order: Osteoglossiformes
 Family: Osteoglossidae

4.  Arowanas are freshwater bony fish
of the family Osteoglossidae, also
known as bonytongues
 In this family of fish, the head is bony
 The dorsal and anal fins have soft
rays and are long based, while the
pectoral and ventral fins are small.

5. HABITAT
 Osteoglossids are carnivorous,
 surface feeders.
 They are excellent jumpers
 leaping more than 6 ft (almost 2 m) from the
water surface
 Arowana species typically grow to around 2 to 3 ft
in captivity.
 osteoglossids exhibit parental care
 build nests and protect their young after they
hatch.
 All species are mouthbrooders

6. Cont...
 There are 10 types of arowana commonly kept as
pets; 4 from Asia, 3 from South America, 2 from
Australia and 1 from Africa.

7. Cont...
 Arowanas are solitary fish and only allow
company while young
 Some compatible species often partnered with
this fish are clown knifefish, pacu, oscars, jaguar
cichlids, green terrors, gar, tinfoil barb
 These fish are best kept with live or frozen feed
and they easily outgrow the tank within 8 to 10
months.

8. Asian arowana
 The Asian arowana (Scleropages formosus)
comprises several phenotypic varieties of
freshwater fish distributed geographically across
Southeast Asia.
 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.

9. VARIOUS COLOURS
 The green is the most common variety, found in
Indonesia (Kalimantan and Sumatra), Vietnam,
Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, and Malaysia.
 The gold crossback, blue Malayan, or Bukit
Merah blue is native to the state of Pahang and
the Bukit Merah area in Perak, Peninsular
Malaysia.
 The red, super red, blood red, or chili red is
known only from the upper part of the Kapuas
River and nearby lakes in western Borneo,
Indonesia.

10. Reproduction
 Unlike most fish, the Asian arowana reaches sexual
maturity relatively late, after 3-4 yr.
 The females produce few eggs, 30-100, which are
quite large.
 After the eggs are fertilized, the Asian arowana
exhibits great parental care with paternal
mouthbrooding.
 Both the fertilized eggs and larvae are brooded
within the male's mouth.

11. Black arowana
 The black arowana (Osteoglossum ferreirai) is a
South American freshwater bony fish of the family
Osteoglossidae.
 Black arowanas are sometimes kept in
aquariums, but they are predatory and require a
very large tank.
 It is generally common, but large numbers are
caught as food and for the aquarium fish trade.

12. Range and habitat
 he black arowana is native to tropical South
America where restricted to the Rio Negro basin,
including the Branco River.
 Black arowanas were discovered in the 1970s in
the Orinoco basins
 It is essentially a sedentary (non-migratory)
species of blackwater habitats.
 During the dry season it mostly inhabits
backwaters, marginal lagoons and small
tributaries, but it is often seen in flooded forests
during the high water season.

13. Description
 The black arowana has an elongated body and a
tapered tail.
 Their maximum total length is typically
considered to be 0.9 m (3.0 ft), but there are
reports of individuals up to 1.2 m (3.9 ft).
 The juveniles are black with yellow markings
down the length of the body, head and the tail.
Once it reaches about 15 cm (0.5 ft), the
markings disappear and the fish will develop a
dark iridescent steel grey to blue coloration,
hence its common name.

14. Silver arowana
 The silver arowana (Osteoglossum bicirrhosum),
sometimes spelled arawana, is a South American
freshwater bony fish of the family Osteoglossidae.
 Silver arowanas are sometimes kept in aquariums,
but they are predatory and require a very large tank
 This South American species is native to the Amazon,
Essequibo and Oyapock basins.
 It is absent from the Rio Negro basin, except the
Branco River, which is inhabited by both silver and
black arowanas.[3]
 The silver arowana occurs in both black- and
whitewater habitats, including flooded forests.[1