Arowana Photography

Recently went back to Singapore and decided to try to capture some shots of Spartacus with the new diffuser I bought for my SB600. I took about 20 over shots and on the last shot before my flash ran out of batteries, I managed to capture the best shot of Spartacus.

At the date of this posting, Spartacus is already 3 years old and 23 inches.

Below is the shot after adjusting for exposure only.

The next has been adjusted to my "dream" of how spartacus will turn out in a few months time.

A new Comm Tank

Yes!! U read the title correctly!!

I thought that after the failure of the first comm tank, we will not be embarking on any new comm tank adventures. However my dad who could not control himself when out and purchased 5 x-backs for S$1,300 each. They were only 4 inches in lengths.

Once again, this comm tank did not do much better than the first comm tank. Fights were not as serious and common, however in one of the struggles for supremacy, one of the x-backs became blinded when it was struck in the eye. After 1 year, we decided that comm tanks were not for us anymore and we ended up selling the entire comm tank for about $900 a piece.

Below are pictures of the 5 x-backs. No names for them as by then, we were numbering 12 arowanas in our household.

A Time To Sell

After making the decision to "disband" the comm tank, I had to make the painful decision to sell some pieces off as there was not enough tanks in my house to hold them.

In then end, we sold off Takeru who was already 19 inches and Barny when he was 18 inches.

While it was a painful decision to make, limited resources dictated the move.

I hope both fishes are doing well with their new owners.

Big Mistake No. 1

We kept the comm tank consisting of Takeru, Spartacus, Barny, Anus and Small Red together for almost a year. Spartacus was the Alpha in the tank, but he was an agressive alpha and the fishes suffered under his charge.

In the end, tails were almost bitten off and scales were always missing due to endless fights.

In a last resort, I decided to place in the X-back (Aro No.2) into the comm tank to increase the head count. I was also hoping that he would be the new Alpha and keep Spartacus in check.

In the end, Takeru's and X-back's tail was totally ruined. Barny's mouth was damaged by a redhook while snatching for food. Those stupid red hooks have strong mouths. In the end, I conceded defeat and split the comm tank. My pain was indescribable as I assessed the eventual damage.

Below are 2 pics taken on during the better days.

Takeru - Aro No. 9

As the fights amongst the reds got worse, we thought that adding another arowana will diffuse the fights. So we went to Singapore Arowana Breeding Farm (SABF) to purchase a RTG.

We named this guy Takeru after the Japanese Food eating champion because of his amazing appetite. At times we were worried that his stomach would rip.

Love his shine and blue base.

He was immediately thrown into the Comm of reds to hopefully bring peace. Alas, it was wishful thinking on our part. Ha Ha!!

Communal Living

So many aros, so few tanks. The only option for us is to have a comm tank of arowanas. However, arowanas are very territorial fishes and they dislike their own kind. Having 3 or more arowanas in the tank reduces the likelihood that one weak individual will be overtly targetted. Many have tried and failed, I am no exception as time will tell.

There is no denying that watching a community or arowanas swimming toghether is mesmerizing and inspiring. For this comm project, we placed Spartacus and the 3 redlings together and kept our fingers crossed, however as they grew, more fights broke out.

Below is a picture of the 4 reds together. :)

3 Little Reds (Aro nos. 6,7,8)

This 3 came as a batch. My dad and I were very tempted to try our hand at raising a community of arowanas in a single tank. So while visiting a guy known as “porkman”, we ended up buying another 3 Qianhu Violet Fusion Super Reds for S$1,500 a pop. We have gone crazy (Apparently not crazy enough if could tell the future at that time).

They joined the collection in early 2006.

So now we had 4 super red arowanas in one tank. If I were to list their “names” given by us to them, it would make no sense to you. But nevertheless, presenting:

Barny: The biggest of the 3. Was my personal favorite with great body shape and color. Unfortunately its mouth got seriously damaged by a red hook. So now it is considered as a “defect” fish.

Anus: Again, very nice body shape and color. He was called Anus because it suffered from a protruding anus while growing up. Caused us much concern.

Small Red: Smallest of the 3. Always got bullied. The bodyshape is not exactly the best, but the color is the most intense. I have high hopes for this little bugger.