Arowana / Dragon Fish

Arowanas are freshwater bony fish of the family Osteoglossidae, also known as bonytongues. In this family of fish, the head is bony and the elongate body is covered by large, heavy scales, with a mosaic pattern of canals. The dorsal and the anal fins have soft rays and are long based, while the pectoral and ventral fins are small. The name "bonytongues" is derived from a toothed bone on the floor of the mouth, the "tongue", equipped with teeth that bite against teeth on the roof of the mouth. The arowana is a facultative air breather and can obtain oxygen from air by sucking it into the swim bladder, which is lined with capillaries like lung tissue.

The History of Arowana

Asian Arowanas are considered "lucky" by many people, particularly those from Asian cultures. This reputation derives from the species' resemblance to the Chinese dragon, considered an auspicious symbol. The large metallic scales and double barbels are features shared by the Chinese dragon, and the large pectoral fins are said to make the fish resemble "a dragon in full flight."

In addition, positive Feng Shui associations with water and the colours red and gold make these fish popular for aquariums. One belief is that while water is a place where chi gathers, it is naturally a source of yin energy and must contain an "auspicious" fish such as an Arowana in order to have balancing yang energy. Other mythological stories tell of many accounts where the Arowana can preserve its owner from death by dying in his/her place.

The Asian community strongly believe that these fish can increase the momentum of health in a generation, gather accumulation of wealth and neutralize negative forces. The Chinese always associate the fish with abundance and prosperity with the saying "nien nien yew yu" which means "seeing abundant harvests every year". Because of its strong symbolic meaning, Chinese homes are normally decorated with fish ponds, aquariums and art pieces. They believe this will make the family income "float". The Arowana is known as the "living dragon" or "golden dragon" because it has scales of a dragon's, where it is metallic, reflective and colourful.

Breeding of Arowana

Arowana fish spawn once a year. Maturity generally ranges from two to four years and during that process the fish will be paired up to produce eggs and sperm. The fertilized eggs will be collected by the male fish which will be incubated in the mouth for two months before they can be released, which is when they can swim on their own. Planet Arowana intensified efforts to raise three types of quality arowana with its technology and R&D.

Malaysian gold Arowana, red Arowana from Kalimantan and Indonesian gold are in the price range of £800.00 to £2000.00, where as one mature parent can reach up to £8000.00. When breeding usually the male parent can take care of 20 to 60 young in his mouth at one time. Within these two months, the male fish will not be able to eat anything until the brood can be released, in different places in order to reduce the risk of being caught by predators.

However, for commercial purposes and quality control, the fish's mouths are checked every two months to keeps tabs on its reproduction and its young are then placed in an incubator with the same temperature and water parameters as found in the parent fish's mouth.

Type of Arowana

1. Cross-Back Golden Arowana
2. Green arowana
3. RTG (Red Tailed Golden)
4. Yellow Tail
5. red arowana
6. Pearl Arowana / Northern Barramundi
7. Spotted Barramundi
8. Black Arowana
9. Silver arowana

Black Arowana