Arowana - The Royal aquarium fish.

Arowana is a Royal aquarium fish. It is a bony fish of freshwater and from the family of Osteoglossidae. Sometimes the Arowana is called as dragon fish because of its colorful, metallic and reflective scales. The beautiful Arowanas are also known as bonytongues.  

As per I know there are only ten described living species of Arowana from which three from South America, one from Africa, four from Asia, and the rest two from Australia. In the family of Osteoglossidae Arowana fishes, the head is bony and the elongate body is covered by large, heavy, metallic and colorful 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 arowana is a facultative air breather and they can obtain oxygen from air by sucking it into the swim bladder, which is lined with capillaries.

The Arowana can be a great choice for those that think something like big. The fish can grow up to 3-4 feet long (120cm) and it can live at least 25 years. They are excellent jumpers; it has been reported that Arowana have been seen leaping more than 6 feet from the water surface to pick off insects and birds from overhanging branches in South America.

These popular, beautiful and royal aquarium fish have special cultural significance in areas influenced by Chinese culture. They believed that, it is able to ward off evil spirits and bring good luck, happiness and wealth for the owner. Chinese people consider themselves descendants of dragons, and many of them would pay big money, to own their very own dragon (Arowana). There is also a superstition about the fish is that; it’ll be benefit from the charmed Arowana by displaying pictures or images of it. As you may know, in China and Asia, the older the fish, the more expensive it is, as like as a good wine. Sometimes they claim that this fish creates positive energy. It is also said that the Arowana possess ability to stay focus and understand human language (!).

Arowana fish at a glance
Family	Osteoglossidae
Subfamily	Heterotidinae and Osteoglossinae
Genus	Scleropages
Origin	South America, Africa, Asia and Australia.
Order	Osteoglossiformes
Class	Actinopterygii
Kingdom	Animalia
Phylum	Chordata
Max. Size	3 – 4 feet (120 cm)
pH level	between 7.0 and 7.5
Water	Keep them in clean water
Water Conditions	75-86° F, KH 8-12, pH 7.0-7.5
Foods	small fish, crab, crickets, Hikari pellets, insects or Shrimp (try to avoid the salt)