Are Asian Arowanas Legal in the Uk

In the 1990s, the annual trade in legal animal products amounted to $160 billion a year. In 2009, the estimated value almost doubled to $300 billion. [27] Resources for the activities of the meetings of the Secretariat and the Conference of the Parties (COP) come from a trust fund from contributions from Parties. Parties do not have access to trust funds to improve implementation or compliance. These activities and all activities outside the Secretariat (training, species-specific programmes such as Monitoring of Illegal Killing of Elephants – MIKE) need to be funded externally, mainly from donor countries and regional organisations such as the European Union. An Essex fish farmer has pleaded guilty to illegally selling Arowana. Like all members of the Osteoglossidae, Asian arowanas are highly adapted to fresh water and cannot survive in the ocean. Therefore, their distribution over the islands of Southeast Asia suggests that they differed from other osteogglossides before continental decay was complete. Genetic studies have confirmed this hypothesis and shown that the ancestor of the Asian Arowanas about 140 million years ago, in the early Cretaceous, differed from the ancestor of the Australian Arowanas, S. jardinii and S. leichardti. This divergence took place at the eastern end of Gondwanaland, with the ancestors of Asian arowanas being transported to Asia on the Indian subcontinent or on smaller land masses.

The morphological similarity of all species of Scleropages shows that there have been few evolutionary changes for these recently ancient fish. [10] [11] If you want an Asian arowana, you may want to consider other legal arowanas that add a piece of wilderness to your aquarium. Silverarowanas are the most common variety, as they are the least limited to import laws. The family Osteoglossidae, commonly known as arowanas, includes ten species of large primitive fish common in the tropics. Since they cannot tolerate salt water, the existence of such closely related fish in South America, Africa, Asia and Australia confused biologists for years until continental drift was understood. The simple answer is that these fish are among the oldest known in science, and first appeared when these continents were still interconnected, in the time of the dinosaurs! In fact, recent genetic studies have dated the separation of South American species from African species to no less than 220 million years ago! Arowanas are true „living fossils” such as coelacanth and lungfish, which is one of the reasons why they are widely studied by biologists. For the aquarist, the science can be interesting, but what matters is that these fish are among the most spectacular of all freshwater fish. In addition to their size and beauty, these fish also have a huge presence, that hard-to-define thing that some fish have but most don`t.

Especially in Asia, the similarity of the Arowana with an oriental dragon has made these fish valuable symbols of prosperity and happiness. There is a high demand for these „dragonfish”, mainly species of scleropages, especially among Chinese communities, with therefore high prices for the most attractive specimens. The winning Asian Arowanas are known to change hands for over £300,000! As they are threatened over most of their natural range, Asian arowanas offered for sale are all grown on the farm and can only be sold legally if they are accompanied by CITES certification in support. These fish are also equipped with microchips to ensure that each fish is associated with its correct certificate. A new aqualog book, Aqualog – Asian Arowana, reviews these remarkable fish, their breeding and popularity in depth and is worth a look if you are interested in Asian Arowanas. However, not all arowanas are as expensive, and especially South American species can be purchased at the same prices as large catfish and cichlids. Nevertheless, they are not fish for occasional aquarists, as they grow and cannot be considered hardy in the sense that they tolerate overcrowded aquariums with poor quality water. As always, it`s worth researching and planning ahead.

Basic care and requirementsArovana care can be summed up by their need for very large aquariums, excellent water quality, peaceful tank companions too big to eat and a balanced diet. Starting with the aquarium, adults, even of the smallest species, need a tank with a capacity of about 200 gallons. Of course, juveniles can be kept in smaller tanks, but these fish grow quite quickly. An oft-cited rule of thumb is to expect a juvenile arowana to grow 1 to 1.5 inches per month until it has grown by about two-thirds, after which the growth rate will slow. In other words, a cute 4-inch-long tiddler could be nearly two feet long a year later! Water quality is also crucial. As with any large predator, these fish pump a lot of nitrogenous waste, and this needs to be dealt with quickly. A large biological filter is essential and, in most cases, one or more external canister filters are required. In terms of water chemistry, arowanas come from fresh and acidic water environments, and this should be replicated if possible. That said, most seem to adapt well to hard, alkaline water. The addition of black water extract or the careful use of peat in the filter is also recommended.

All Arowanas are territorial to some extent, and some are downright aggressive. The South American species, Osteoglossum spp. and the African arowana, Heterotis niloticus, are generally the most tolerant and can be kept peacefully with anything too big to be considered food. On the other hand, these arowanas are very similar to wasps in their own species, although South American arowanas can be kept in groups in very large (i.e. public) aquariums. Asian and Australian arowanas, Scleropages spp., are less tolerant of chariot companions and some species, especially Scleropages jardinii, will harass everything else in the tank with them. The chariot companions for these arowanas must be sturdy and not easy to intimidate. Most Arowanas are predators. The exception is the African arowana, which is mainly a plankton feeder, but also sifts sand and mud to extract small invertebrates such as worms. Predatory arowanas feed mainly on small animals on the surface of the water or above; Many species are skilled jumpers and take insects and spiders from overhanging trees. Although Arowanas eat small fish, these are not recommended due to the risk of introducing parasites. The best diet for predatory arowanas is a mixture of commercially produced floating granules and complementary feeds of frozen or live invertebrates such as insects and shrimp.

Overeating is a particular problem with arowanas, and they will definitely accept more food than is good for them. There are three Arowanas from South America, Arapaima gigas, the giant Arapaima, and two smaller species, Osteoglossum bicirrhosum and Osteoglossum ferreirai. With a length of more than 9 feet at maturity, the Arapaima is not an aquarium fish at all, but the two smaller species are frequently marketed. Osteoglossum bicirrhosum is known as silver arowana and reaches about three feet long; The black Arowana Osteoglossum ferreirai is slightly smaller. Both are elongated fish, compressed laterally with large scales and distinctive „antennae” or barbels at the front. These barbels are attached to the lower jaw. Specimens bred and caught in the wild are offered for sale. Of the two, silver arowana is considered the easiest to preserve, as it is less picky about water chemistry. However, young black arowana are attractive, with a wide black stripe that extends from behind the gills to the tip of the tail.