Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Jardini
Jardini
Australian Arowana
Silver Barramundi
Northern Barramundi
Arowana Scleropages
Gulf Saratoga
These fish are aggressive carnivores that can grow up to 24 inches long
in captivity, tipping the scales at an impressive five pounds or more,
and are best left to the care of experienced hobbyists. Most of the fish
that you’ll find for sale are taken from captive breeding programs.
Photo by
Badman’s Tropical Fish
The Arowana has a long, flat body with large eyes that they use for
accurately sighting their prey when hunting. The body is silver-gray to
greenish-yellow and is streamlined with seven rows scales with pink-
orange colored edges. Each scale on the fish’s sides has a red spot. In
older specimens, the throat is golden orange to red in color, and the
fish’s barbels have a greenish-blue tint. The finnage has a darker,
metallic coloration with orange to pink spotting.
The Silver Barramundi has a large, oblique mouth that’s lined with
small teeth, which are strongly rooted in the fish’s tongue, pharynx,
jaw, and palate. Barramundi also has forked barbels on the tip of the
lower jaw that the fish uses for sensing activity on the water surface
that might indicate the presence of prey.
Tank size
As the Jardini can grow up to 24 inches in length, you’ll need an
aquarium of at least 180 gallons to accommodate one of these
monsters.
Water conditions
The Scleropages Jardini is very sensitive to water quality and
chemistry, preferring water with a pH between 6.0 and 7.0 and KH of
between 2 and 4.
AD
You’ll need to carry out 15% to 25% water changes every week or so,
depending on the efficiency of your filtration system.
Tank decoration
Jardini Arowana Scleropages like a gravel or sand substrate. Be sure to
include driftwood in your aquascape to help maintain a lower pH level,
and include some free-floating plants, as well as some of a species that
will attach to the driftwood. Although some Barramundi will tolerate
rooted vegetation, many won’t, and will pull up your carefully planted
greenery with relish!
Tankmates
Arowanas are solitary, territorial fish, although they have been known
to share their space with large Manguense, predatory catfish, big
Oscars, Tinfoil barbs, Knifefish, and Giant Gouramis.
So, generally, these large predators are better off kept alone.
Health
Members of the Osteoglossidae family to which the Silver Arowana
belongs are generally extremely hardy and rarely become sick.
However, if the fish grow to their full size, health conditions may
develop if the water conditions are allowed to deteriorate due to
accumulations of fish waste and rising ammonia and nitrate levels.
Feed young fish twice a day, reducing that frequency to just once a day
as the fish mature.
Breeding
The Arowana Scleropages Jardini is an egg-laying mouthbrooder.
Unfortunately, breeding these fish in an aquarium is extremely difficult,
and you would need a tank of over 600 gallons to be successful.
Wild Arowanas begin spawning when the wet season arrives. The fish
pair-off and the female will lay between 50 and 200 eggs. Once the
eggs are fertilized, the male fish carries the eggs in his mouth until they
all hatch. After hatching, the fry remains with their father for around
four to five weeks. When the young fry is threatened, the father fish
opens his mouth to allow the young to take shelter.
Availability
The Jardini Arowana can be found at good fish stores, but they are not
as easily available as their cousin, the Silver Arowana.
A search online may locate specimens for sale, although you will need
to pay shipping costs, which could push up the price of your fish.
FAQ
In this section of our guide, we answer some of the questions that
people ask about keeping the Jardini Arowana as a pet.
A: Yes. The Arowana is a very skilled and athletic jumper. In the wild,
the fish predate on small animals and insects by leaping out of the
water and snatching their prey from overhanging branches. So, you’ll
need to have an aquarium that has a tightly fitting lid if you want to
keep this species safely contained.
AD
Final thoughts
The Jardini Arowana might not be the most popular choice of tropical
fish, but one of these prehistoric-looking creatures would certainly
make an interesting addition to a large aquarium.
You will need to pay close attention to maintaining good water quality
in the aquarium to keep your fish healthy, and breeding them in
captivity is not an option for the hobbyist unless you have an 800-
gallon plus tank. Take care to provide your fish with the best quality
live food to maintain good health, and you could enjoy one of these
fascinating fish for 20 years or more.