New Raphael catfish: Care with arowana, discus, and angels?

Arowanas need large tanks due to their size. They also require powerful filtration to maintain water quality. Water changes will also be critical to water quality since they produce a lot of wastes. Use only conditioned water that is temperature matched to prevent stress or shock. A home test kit should also be used to monitor water chemistry. Minimum tank size should be between 130 and 150 gallons. Adults will need larger tanks. Keep a cover in place as they are accomplished jumpers. They should be kept in "soft" water and, being tropical fish, maintain temps between 75 F and 86 F. Feed a varied and balanced diet including krill, shrimp, mealworms, nightcrawlers and feeder fish. Food can be fresh, frozen (thaw it first) or freeze dried. Lastly, these are aggressive fish, so tank mates must be chosen carefully, if at all.

Bottom feeders such as plecos or corydoras catfish will do well in a tank of angelfish. Other community fish include silver dollars and the larger Tetra species. Monitor for fin nipping and remove fish if necessary. You have a lovely tank and the angels look very nice in it. Be cautious when adding fish as you may overload your tank. The angels will grow as will any additions and your tank may not be able to support the population. This could lead to poor water quality, aggression and sick fish.

That would depend on the size of your tank and the size of the oscars. Arowanas need a lot of space usually. I have seen them successfully being kept with arowanas before, but the oscars must be at least the same size of their mouth, not smaller. Unfortunately there are not fixed ruled and the only way would be to try them out together. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

Check the water chemistry and temperature. Use a home test kit or submit a water sample to test fro elevated ammonia or nitrite levels. Most pet stores will do this for free or for a small fee. Partial water changes can be done, if indicated, to stabilize chemistry and improve or maintain water quality. Ideally, you want 0 ppm ammonia and nitrites with nitrates at 20 ppm or less in a non-planted tank or 40 ppm or less in a planted tank. Use only aged or conditioned water that is temperature matched to prevent stress or shock. You'll need to keep the temp at the upper limits for Red Tails in order to keep the Angelfish comfortable. That would be in the 78F to 80 F range. Both have similar pH requirements, 6.8 to 7.5. You can fast the Angel for 2-3 days then feed bits of cooked, shelled green peas. This will usually resolve constipation and bloating. Pristine water quality may resolve the patch on your shark. Recommending a medication without more information or a clear image would be risky to the stability of the tank's nitrogen cycle. You can use plain aquarium salt (NOT table or Epsom salt) as a general tonic. It will reduce stress, improve gill function, may treat minor infection and aid in recovery. Dissolve 1 tablespoon per 5 gallons of water in a cup of tank water and gently pour it into the tank. Treat for 10-14 days then reassess the condition. A note on tank size: Although the two fish may be fine in a 15 gallon tank now, you will likely need a larger tank as they mature. Red Tails can reach 6-7 inches and Angels can reach 6-8 inches. At adult size, a 15 gallon tank will be insufficient and could lead to some aggression from either fish.

Thanks for reaching out about your arowana. These are tough fish to co-habitat in an aquarium as they tend to eat other fish and can be territorial. Introduced fish must be large enough to not appear as prey and not too timid, or will hide and not compete for food. This readily depend on how large your arowana is at present. Good luck.

Thanks for your questions about your tank. You have a number of fish in your tank already - a general rule of thumb is 2.5 square centimeters of fish per 3.8 liters. Depending on how large your fish are, you may be close to the carrying capacity of your tank, and you will also need to plan on how the fish in your tank will grow over time (mostly the rainbow sharks). If you are looking for tank mates for discus, it is best to look for fish that are housed in the same temperature zone, and occupy different areas in the water column than they do. Examples would be bottom feeders like cory catfish, those that live on the sides and bottom such as plecos, and those that are in the middle of the water column like some species of tetras. For the question about vacation - I would not recommend leaving your tank for that long without someone checking on it regularly. Power outages can be detrimental for tanks, and water changes or additions would likely be required. Also, automatic feeders also have the potential to fail, and this could cause a large spike in ammonia if a large amount of food was fed, and starvation if there was no food dispensed over a long period. I hope that helps to answer your questions, and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

The fish pictured are incompatible in the same tank. Angelfish (black ones) are tropical fish and do best in temps between 73 F and 84 F. Goldfish (white and orange) are cold water fish thriving in temps between 65 F and 72 F. It also appears as if one of your angels has some damage to a tail fin. This is typically due to fin nipping by other fish. You will need to remove either the angels or the goldfish and place them in a different tank. Check the water chemistry for elevated levels of ammonia or nitrites. This can occur in an uncycled tank or a tank that is overstocked. Partial water changes (30-50%) daily can decrease toxin levels. Use only aged or conditioned water that is temperature matched to prevent stress or shock. Confirm your filter is rated for at least twice the water volume of the tank, especially for the goldfish. The links below provide additional information for care of angels and goldfish. http://aquariumtidings.com/angelfish-care/ http://aquariumtidings.com/all-about-goldfish-how-to-care-for-a-goldfish-fish-at-home/