What is Asian Arowana? Classification, characteristics & how to raise from A–Z

Blog | by Nice Fish

Asian Arowana, a fish with beautiful appearance, high value and meaning in feng shui. Some beautiful Arowana species such as Huyet long, Qua boi, Hong Vy, Hong long,...

For a long time, Asian arowana has become a "high-class" ornamental fish and is the dream of many hobbyists not only because of its beautiful colors but also because it is a symbol of luck, fortune and power.

If you are interested in Asian Arowana, please refer to the article below of nice fish to learn more about the origin, habits, how to raise and discover some of the hottest beautiful Arowana species in Vietnam!

Asian Arowana Information :

Scientific name Scleropages formosus
Common name

Asian Arowana, Arowana

English name Asian Arowana
Branch Chordata - Chordata
Class Actinopterygii - Ray-finned fishes
Set Osteoglossiformes - Arowana
Surname Osteoglossidae
Spend Scleropages
Source Southeast Asia
Lifespan 10 - 15 years
Size Up to 90 cm.

Origin of Asian Arowana

Asian Arowana, a valuable fish, has feng shui meaning.

Asian Arowana originates from Southeast Asia, naturally distributed in some countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam.

This fish species often lives in slow rivers with still water, many tree roots, duckweed, and rotten leaves, suitable for hiding and hunting.

Nowadays, this fish species has become popular and has high value in the aquarium world because it not only has a beautiful appearance but also has feng shui meaning.

Physical characteristics of Asian Arowana fish

Impressive appearance of an Asian Arowana fish.

In general, Asian Arowana has a luxurious appearance with large scales, beautiful colors, majestic demeanor, always a symbol of luck, fortune and power. Let's learn more about the details of this fish's appearance.

  • Shape : Long, slim like a bullet.
  • Size : 60 - 90 cm for adult fish.
  • Mouth : Upward, lower jaw slightly protruding, with two long whiskers.
  • Scales : Large scales like dragon scales, often reflecting light, divided into 6 rows of scales from belly to back, rows 1 - 4 will color early, rows 5 - 6 (near the back) only high-end lines will color enough.
  • Caudal fin : Large, broad but very soft.
  • Swimming style: Slow, graceful but still very majestic.
  • Temperament : Intelligent, but highly territorial and quite aggressive.
  • Lifespan : 15 - 25 years if kept in optimal conditions.
  • Color : Diverse such as red, gold, yellow body red tail, moss green,...

Asian Arowana Behavior

Arowana should be kept alone to avoid conflicts.

To be able to join the Asian Arowana breeding, you need to understand their habits to be able to take better care of them and minimize risks. Let's learn about some typical habits of this fish line.

Highly territorial and aggressive

Asian arowana are very territorial, especially in adults. If you keep 2 fish in 1 tank, it is easy for fights to occur such as biting fins, whiskers, etc. If you want to keep 2-3 or more fish, your tank must be very large and these fish must be similar in size.

Good memory

Asian arowanas have very good memories, they can remember faces, recognize the person who regularly feeds them and become closer and gentler towards this person. They also react to light, movement and some even know how to "act spoiled" by their owners to ask for food.

Very strong and jumping

Asian Arowana fish have the ability to jump very high, especially when they are startled, stressed or simply see prey. So when raising this fish, you need to design a tank cover to avoid the unfortunate case that the fish jumps out and dies.

Be highly alert

This fish is very alert, reacting to strange lights, noises, strangers and even a shadow across the tank. They are also easily startled and tend to rush into the glass if they feel the environment is unfamiliar.

Strong hunting instinct

Asian arowanas are carnivorous fish and have strong hunting instincts, even though they have been kept in captivity for a long time. Therefore, you should avoid keeping them with other small aquarium fish if you do not want them to become "dinner" for the arowana.

Have feelings

This fish also knows how to "miss its owner" and feel "sad" if it is abandoned by its owner, changes owners or lives in a different environment. It will stop eating, become sad, have broken whiskers and even shed scales.

Detailed A-Z Guide to Asian Arowana Care

Arowana tanks should have a dark background and do not need gravel at the bottom.

If you are new to the "subject" of raising Asian arowana fish, follow the instructions below to gain more valuable experience.

Asian Arowana Fish Pond Design

First, you need to prepare a suitable aquarium to raise Asian Arowana fish. When designing the tank, it needs to meet the following criteria:

Criteria Appropriate standards
Tank size

Minimum 1m5 x 60cm x 60cm

Ideal: Over 1m8

Broken glass Glass type is 10 - 12 mm thick, resistant to force and strong impacts.
Tank cover Must have
Filtration system Large capacity, overflow or external filter type
Oxygen aeration Needed to increase gas exchange, increase dissolved oxygen in the tank
LED lighting system Choose a color trigger like pink, yellow or white
Lake background It is best to leave it bare or you can line it with a thin layer of gravel.

Water parameters suitable for raising Asian arowana

To help this fish stay healthy and grow well, you need to adjust the ideal water parameters as follows:

  • Temperature : 28 - 30 degrees C
  • pH : 6.5 - 7.5
  • Ammonia, nitrite : 0ppm.
  • Water change : Change 25 - 30% of the water in the tank every week. Use dechlorinated water and let it settle.

What do Asian Arowanas eat?

A sub-Arowana is catching prey on the water surface.

Asian Arowana are carnivores so you can feed them some of the following foods:

  • Raw or boiled shrimp : Helps to get good red or yellow color.
  • Crickets, superworms : Provide nutrients.
  • Small bait fish : Choose clean, disease-free types.
  • Specialized pellets : Choose species specifically for arowana fish.

Note :

  • Feed 1 - 2 meals/day with adequate amount of food.
  • Occasionally, you can starve the fish for 1 - 2 days to stimulate their "appetite".

How to care for Asian Arowana fish

Each species of Asian arowana has a different way of maintaining color, let's take a look:

  • Blood dragon : Use strong pink LED lights. Feed lots of shrimp, design tank with black background.
  • Background : Use white and yellow LED lights, choose black or blue tank background.
  • Red arowana, Red arowana : Choose LED lights with light yellow color, eats a lot of shrimp.
  • Dragon fruit : Mainly concerned with health because its color does not change much.

Feng Shui direction to place Asian Arowana fish

If you pay attention to feng shui factors in raising Asian arowana fish, please refer to some good tank directions for the destiny shared below.

Destiny Good tank direction Asian Arowana Line
Needle West or Northwest Red Dragon, Golden Dragon Crosses Back
Wood East or Southeast Dragon blood, Dragon fruit
Water North Red-tailed dragon.
Fire Male Blood Dragon, Golden Dragon Crosses Back
Earth Southwest, Northeast Golden Dragon

Common Diseases in Asian Arowana and How to Treat Them

Below are some common diseases in Asian Arowana fish, please refer to them to know the symptoms, causes and proper treatment.

Disease name Reason Symptom Treatment, handling
Scratched Fish hit the glass, fish jump out of the tank, stress, fight Fish lost scales, body has scratches

Instead of clean water, use diluted salt at a ratio of 1g/liter.

Apply diluted Betadine on scratches.

Deviated, bulging, drooping eyes Genetics, too bright tank background, feed fish live bait swimming on the bottom Downward-facing eyes, asymmetrical eyes, bulging eyes Stick to a black or matte background, use a lure that makes the fish look up instead of down.
Skin fungus Fungal infection from bait fish, sick fish, dirty water Fish have white cotton-like spots on the body, fins, scales, gills,...

Increase temperature to 30 - 32 degrees Celsius for 3 - 4 days to disinfect.

Use antifungal medication.

If kept together, sick fish need to be isolated.

Beard inflammation, broken beard Strong collision, fight, crash into glass, fish startled Short, slanted or missing beard

If the beard does not break close to the root, it can grow back normally.

It is necessary to keep the water in the lake clean and stable.

Disease prevention in Asian Arowana :

  • Keep the water in the tank clean, stable, and high in dissolved oxygen.
  • Do not raise fish in a community style to limit fighting or infectious diseases.
  • Regularly deparasitic.
  • Observe fish every day to detect unusual symptoms and handle them early.

Asian Arowana Price List

Below is the newly updated price list of Asian Arowana fish. If you want to own this fish, please refer to see which type is suitable for your budget!

Asian Arowana Line Reference price
Blood dragon 10 - 30 cm 15 - 30 million VND
Golden dragon cross back 15 - 40 cm 60 - 150 million VND
Red-tailed golden dragon 15 - 30 cm 6 - 10 million VND
Red dragon 15 - 30 cm 15 - 25 million VND
Dragon fruit 15 - 30 cm 2 - 6 million VND

The most popular Asian Arowana species

Asian Arowana have many different color variations, however in Vietnam they are popular with the following species:

Super Red

Blood dragon with bright red color.

Blood dragon is considered the "super vip" version in the Asian Arowana village thanks to its eye-catching appearance with a brilliant fiery red color and super cool appearance. It is considered a fish that brings luck and fortune in feng shui.

They originate mainly from the Sentarum Reef in Indonesia, which is the birthplace of the red arowana. This fish has the following characteristics:

  • Color : Bright red, blood red, orange red, cherry red.
  • Scales : Thick, shiny, can reflect light.
  • Head : Large, long, curved beard pointing slightly upwards.
  • Swimming style : Graceful.
  • Feng Shui meaning : Suitable for people of Fire and Earth elements, helps attract wealth, prosperity, and ward off evil.

Price :

  • Fry from 15 - 20 cm : 10 - 25 million VND.
  • Medium fish from 30 - 40 cm : 30 - 70 million
  • Adult fish over 1 year old : 100 million - several hundred million.
  • Bright red fish, rare genes : From 500 million - over 1 billion VND.

Note : Fish must have a CITES certificate to be legally traded.

Crossback

24k gold dragon cross back is very valuable.

This fish is also called "king of arowanas" by Arowana enthusiasts not only because of its classy appearance but also because of its high feng shui value. They originate from the Bukit Merah & Perak region of Malaysia.

Characteristic :

  • Color : Golden scales all over the body, with a metallic shine from the first row of scales to the back, so it is called "qua boi".
  • Body : Long, slender, wide tail, graceful and majestic swimming style.
  • Color : Gold, 24k gold, blue gold, purple gold or metallic gold.
  • Eyes & beard : Large eyes, long, slightly curved beard.
  • Feng Shui meaning : Compatible with Metal and Earth elements, increases prosperity, attracts money.

Reference price :

  • Fry from 15 - 20 cm : 25 - 50 million VND.
  • Medium fish from 30 - 40 cm : 60 - 150 million VND.
  • Adult fish > 50 cm : 200 - 400 million VND.
  • Rare gold color line : 500 million - over 1 billion VND.

Note : If you want to buy or sell Golden Arowana fish, you need a CITES certificate to ensure legality.

Red Tail Golden

Red Tail Golden with eye-catching red-orange fins and scales.

Red Tail Golden (RTG) is a mid-range to high-end Arowana breed, very suitable for those who are new to keeping "genuine" Arowanas. They originate from Malaysia and Indonesia and are a purebred Asian Arowana breed, not a hybrid.

Characteristic :

  • Scale color : Bronze gold, metallic gold, usually only up to the 5th scale row, not extending over the back like the Kim long qua boi.
  • Tail and fins : Orange red, wine red.
  • Shape : Slender, large fins, wide fan-shaped tail, graceful swimming.
  • Temperament : More gentle than the blood dragon.
  • Feng Shui meaning : Suitable for people with the destiny of Earth, Metal, Fire, increases prosperity, attracts luck.

Price :

  • Fry from 15 - 20 cm : 5 - 10 million VND.
  • Medium fish from 30 - 40 cm : From 12 - 25 million VND.
  • Adult fish > 50 cm : 30 - 60 million.

Red-tailed dragon

Red Tail Arowana.

Red-tailed golden dragon, also known as Indo red-tailed golden dragon, is a popular arowana species in the aquarium world because it has an eye-catching appearance, is easy to raise, has a reasonable price, and also has good feng shui meaning.

Characteristic:

  • Color : Light yellow, bronze or gray, blue.
  • Fins & tail : They are pink-orange, orange-red or dark red, so they are called "Red-tailed"
  • Scales : Golden but not beyond scale row number 6.
  • Feng Shui meaning : Attract wealth, luck, career advancement.

Price:

  • Fry from 15 - 20 cm : 3 - 5 million.
  • Medium fish from 30 - 40 cm : 6 - 10 million.
  • Adult fish > 50 cm : 12 - 20 million.

Green Arowana

Green Arowana

A purebred and most humble Asian Arowana, with a wild and very "cool" appearance. They are widely distributed in Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia and Vietnam.

Characteristic:

  • Body color : Moss green, gray green or silver green, scales reflect little light.
  • Appearance : Big head, long body, looks very solid, looks quite cool and fierce.
  • Caudal fin : Dark, reddish brown or dark gray.
  • Feng Shui meaning : Protect the house.

Price:

  • Fry 15 - 20 cm : 2 - 5 million VND.
  • Medium fish 30 - 40 cm : 6 - 10 million VND
  • Adult fish over 50 cm : 12 - 18 million VND.

In the above article, nicefish.net has shared details about Asian Arowana fish . This is not simply a beautiful ornamental fish but it also has a very high value and feng shui meaning in Eastern culture. Hopefully with the above knowledge, you will be confident in joining the "Arowana fish" sport.

Don't forget to visit our Blog section to learn more about many other beautiful and interesting aquarium fish!

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