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ArapaimaPirarucu ~ Arapaima gigas Family: Arapaimidae
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The Arapaima is considered by many to be the largest strictly freshwater fish in the world!The Arapaima, also known as Pirarucu, are beautiful, but they are a fish that can get up to 15 feet long. They are fast growers, powerful swimmers, and in the wild will jump out of the water to snatch small birds from low hanging tree branches. Because of its large size this is probably not really a good choice for a home pet, but is well suited for a public aquarium. This monster has had its population decimated by food fishing throughout its range in the Amazon. The flesh of the Arapaima gigas is reputed to be very delicious, so it is much sought after by many in South America. Much of their natural habitat is swamp type waters, and low in oxygen content. The Arapaima has a lung type lining in its throat that enables it to breathe air from the surface. They need to surface about every 20 minutes for air. As the Arapaima must occasionally come to the surface and gulp air, that makes it particularly vulnerable. This gulp can be heard by fisherman who will then track down the fish and spear it, or catch it in large nets. Finding full grown specimens in the wild is a challenge for biologists and they never have been considered common so it is not known exactly just how vulnerable this species is. For more Information on keeping this fish see:
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| Geographic Distribution Arapaima gigas |
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| Data provided by FishBase.org |
Distribution:
The Arapaima, also called the Pirarucu, was described by Schinz in 1822.
They are found throughout much of the Amazon River basin in South America, as well as in flood plains. Much of its habitat is oxygen deficient.
Status:
The species is listed on the IUCN Red List: DD - data deficient and listed on CITES: Appendix II.
Description:
The Arapaima is large and elongated with two small pectoral fins on the sides of the body close to the front. The coloration is gray with iridescent golden greens frontally extending back into blue greens with orange specks along the rest of the body, the fins are sometimes edged in red, and the belly is white. A unique characteristic is its tongue, which is bony or toothed.
Size - Weight:
This giant can grow to as long as 15 feet (4.5 meters) and weigh as much as 440 pounds (200 kg).
Care and feeding:
The Arapaima are carnivores,
a predator that mainly eats other fish. They will also eat animals or birds if they are near by. It has been known to jump out of the water to snatch a small bird off of low-hanging tree branches. In captivity they can be fed smaller fish, chopped meaty foods, crustaceans, pellets, and prepared foods such as krill and plankton.
An Arapaima quickly gets extremely big so needs a very large home. If you plan on keeping one as a pet, be prepared to invest in a tank of 1,000 gallons or more. They need a fine gravel substrate and a lot of swimming room. As they are air gulpers, they need plenty of space at the surface and must have adequate oxygen available. So a wider aquarium is best with a square tank being ideal, and a vented canopy type top is suggested. They are quite adept at jumping so the canopy needs to be tight fitting..
This is a fish that is best suited for public aquariums, they have the facilities to keep something this large. There it can be fed live fish and kept in a tank containing 10,000 gallons or more.
Water Region: Top, Middle, Bottom:
The Arapaima will spend most of its time in the middle or near the top of the water column.
Acceptable Water Conditions:
Temp: 77 - 84° F (25-29° C)
Ph: 6.0 to 6.5
Hardness: 10° dGH
Social Behaviors:
They have a large mouth and a large appetite so smaller fish will quickly become a meal.
Sexual Differences:
During the breeding season, males are said to be more colorful than the females.
Breeding/Reproduction:
The Arapaima has been bred in captivity, The female becomes sexually mature at five years of age and about five and a half feet in length (168 cm). In the wild they are subject to the flood seasons, so will build their nest during the low water period from February through April. Then when the waters start to rise, the eggs hatch and there is abundant food for the young. They build a nest in a sandy area that’s about 20 inches wide and 6 inches deep. The female lays her eggs in the nest where they will be fertilized by the male. Both parents will guard the eggs and the fry.
Availability:
The Arapaima, also called the Pirarucua, are not commonly available but when they are available they are quite pricey.
Before you purchase this species, be sure to check with the Fish and Game Department or other environmental authorities in your area to be certain that you can keep one of these fish. In certain states they are banned from public and /or private possession, Texas being one. Most likely this is due to concerns that people may unwittingly release them into native waters.
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