Australian Arowana
Scleropages jardinii
Osteoglossidae
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About
The Australian arowana, or gulf saratoga, is a bonytongue from the Gulf of Carpentaria drainages and central-southern New Guinea: a surface hunter armoured in large pearl-spotted scales, each marked with a crescent of red or gold. Juveniles look like any other young arowana on a shop shelf, and that is the trap — Seriously Fish records 90 cm and FishBase 100 cm SL, and Seriously Fish also calls this the most aggressive arowana in captivity. It patrols the top few centimetres, takes insects and fish from below, and jumps hard enough to throw a loose lid off the tank. Females mouthbrood, holding eggs one to two weeks and larvae four to five weeks more.
Care
Seriously Fish calls 180 x 60 x 60 cm (680 litres) the absolute bare minimum for one adult; we gate at 2,500 litres over a 300 cm footprint, the same room the corpus asks for a silver arowana. This is the heavier fish of the two — 12 kg on FishBase and 17 kg at the Wikipedia extreme, against about 6 kg for a silver — and it turns by folding its body rather than pivoting, so two body lengths of water is not a tank, it is a corridor. Keep one: the species is belligerent towards other arowanas unless six to ten share an enormous system. A heavy, positively latched lid is not optional. Hold pH below 7.5, which Seriously Fish links to eye problems above that mark, and keep hardness moderate at 8-15 dGH. Tankmates must be large, robust and not surface-dwellers.
Diet
Surface carnivore: earthworms, crickets, prawn, mussel and floating pellets, bloodworm while small. No mammalian meat, no feeder fish, and sparing use of fatty or sinking foods.
Tankmate compatibility
Possible with care (70)
Avoid (348)
Computed by the AquaSage engine for a spacious reference tank — always check the full verdict for your exact setup in the calculator.
Telling males from females
There is no reliable way to sex this species by eye. That is the honest answer, not a gap in our data.
All the methods, with diagramsSimilar species
Same category and the closest water parameters — if this species isn't quite it, start here.
Sold in Lithuania
These Lithuanian shops listed this species in their public catalogue (checked August 8, 2026). Stock moves — ask before you travel.
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Frequently asked questions
- What tank size does a Australian Arowana need?
- A Australian Arowana needs an aquarium of at least 2500 litres (660.4 US gallons) with a footprint at least 300 cm (118.1 in) long — for this species, swimming length matters as much as raw volume.
- What water parameters does a Australian Arowana need?
- Australian Arowana does best at 24–30 °C (75.2–86 °F), pH 6.5–7.5 and a general hardness of 8–15 °dGH.
- Is the Australian Arowana suitable for beginners?
- Australian Arowana is a demanding species best attempted with some experience — it needs stable, closely watched conditions to thrive.