Arowana and Discus?

[inmisawa]

I've recently started with discus after numerous attempts during my younger years. So far, so good. My wife has even given me the ok the get a larger tank after we buy our next house, I'm hoping for at least a 100g.

Anyway, I'm going with discus for sure but I'm thinking about tank mates. I like tetras but it's just not the direction I want to repeat. I'm thinking an arowana would be neat. I had one once and my wife loved it. I can't find anything say yay or nay, so I thought I'd ask here for some thoughts.

[Altum Nut]

This is just my opinion.....NO!
Arowana's are predators and will roam the entire tank. In this event, your Discus will huddle in some corner of the tank and will be stressed.
So my answer would be either Discus or Arowana but not in the same tank.

...Ralph

[inmisawa]

That's a good point. I was more concerned about an arowana possibly getting big enough to eat a discus, I hadn't thought about the discus getting stressed.

[dean9922]

I agree with Altum Nut....discus should be kept on there own...much happier fish.....plus just think how many more discus you will be able to put into a 100 gallon....lol

[Wahter]

Walter

[DerekFF]

Ive kept arowanas for about 3 years and ive never had an issue with them being aggressive or hostile in any way towards any other fish other than goldfish. Thats not to say that they wont be, but ive found them to be pretty docile when not feeding. However at feeding time is where i could see the problem arise. Arowanas as im sure you know feed VERY VIOLENTLY lol. Water usually works its way onto the floor. I dont think they would eat your discus as at the LFS i work at we keep them together as 3'' discus and 4'' arowana assuming you keep your discus relative in size to your arowana. All in all id probly say dont do it, but i dont think there would be an issue of them eating your fish or fighting with them, more so just freaking them out at feeding time.

[inmisawa]

Yeah, I figured I would have to keep them proportinate in size if I did it. I certianly never planned to have a two foot arowana. It's funny you should mention how violent they are when they eat. I can't remember how I came across it, but I watched a video where a guy fed a live mouse to an arowana. I thought that was crazy as I don't see a mouse going down the belly with out trying to claw its way out. It couldn't be healthy for the fish. Then again, I could be wrong.

[joshuajames]

you should have a well over 100 gal to keep an arowana.keeping an arowana in anything less then 180 i would consider cruel.keeping discus with arowana is even more cruel.arowanas grow fast! there tank mates would be oscars-clown knives things like that.stick with small tetras as tank mates for your discus.some corys.bn pleco.

[Rex82]

Yeah, I figured I would have to keep them proportinate in size if I did it. I certianly never planned to have a two foot arowana. It's funny you should mention how violent they are when they eat. I can't remember how I came across it, but I watched a video where a guy fed a live mouse to an arowana. I thought that was crazy as I don't see a mouse going down the belly with out trying to claw its way out. It couldn't be healthy for the fish. Then again, I could be wrong.

I used to use mice and rats for bait to catch Murray cod when i was a kid, Best bait around.

[DerekFF]

I used to use mice and rats for bait to catch Murray cod when i was a kid, Best bait around.

THATS AWESOME!

[Wahter]

They like frogs too:

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/717092...a_eating_frog/



Walter

[Darrell Ward]

you should have a well over 100 gal to keep an arowana.keeping an arowana in anything less then 180 i would consider cruel.keeping discus with arowana is even more cruel.arowanas grow fast! there tank mates would be oscars-clown knives things like that.stick with small tetras as tank mates for your discus.some corys.bn pleco.

I grew a silver aro to 28" in a 240 gal., and sold him to a guy with a 600 gal. because he was getting a bit cramped and stressed in the 240. A big aro would stress the heck out of discus swimming above them 24/7. I've seen idiots on another forum do them together, but these people are teenagers, and well, idiots!

[roclement]

Well...I'll go against the grain...I have in the past had a show tank with a silver aro, brown discus, and teacup (hystrix) stingrays on the sand bottom and they all lived very happy together for over two years...if anything the discus caused the stingrays to be spot fed since they would steal their food and the aro had to scare the disus away from his pellets in order to swallow them up!

I have also seen morons keep arowanas in 55gal tanks thinking they had a big tank! As well as redtail catfish in 29gal tanks...they are so cute as babies!

I bred silver arowanas (with very limited success) in my basement in 300gal rubermaid vats during my off discus years, along with motoro stingrays (more succesfully) and would never hesitate to put discus in a suitable, bio type display with them...now the discussion becomes what suitable is and that can be a very long one!

Rodrigo

[DerekFF]

Bottom line....it can be done, most wouldnt "recommend" it nor do it themselves, but its been done with success before.

[roclement]

perfect! The biggest question to me is why do it? Unless you are planning a monster bio-tipe, show tank...why do it? It won't be the best situation for your fish, or for you with hundreds of gallons of water changes every week! Big fish = big waste!

Rodrigo