Sorry for the long lull. Have been very busy lately with my day job!! icon smile Why is your Red Arowana still not red after so long??? Hope everyone’s in the best of health and chugging along fine! With the world economy being so ‘challenged’ these days and so nary of good news, I wish everyone well.

Anyway back to my topic today… I’ve been getting many emails asking me why their red arowana is still not red after all this while.. some after a year but some several years…!!

Let’s address the easy ones first ok… If you buy a grade 1.5 or grade 2 red arowana, they WILL NEVER BE RED OK!!! Period! (They are also sometimes called amongst other names, Banjar Red) There is nothing you can do about this! icon smile Why is your Red Arowana still not red after so long??? Don’t get taken in if the seller tells you it will be red because I repeat, they will never be RED!!!

Now for a little history lesson …
If you were to buy a red arowana, there are so many names for reds that I cannot possibly name them all… Some of the original ones are like Chilli Red, Super Red, Blood Red, Purple Red, etc… (My first Arowana was a Ultra Purple Red because it was supposed to have a purple tinge when it turns..) Also let me say this, every individual farm will also name their reds after their own farms! icon smile Why is your Red Arowana still not red after so long??? I know it’s confusing but that’s the fact out there unfortunately. icon smile Why is your Red Arowana still not red after so long???

Now for some facts. Best way is a short FAQ here..
Q1) Why is my red arowana still not red after a year?
Fact : No one will be able to tell you when your red arowana will become red! It can take 3-4 years OR never become the red that you wanted! (Unless you have really high grade ones) My first red arowana had a dull reddish body which was not really what I had in mind after 3 years! icon smile Why is your Red Arowana still not red after so long??? I expected it to be RED RED like everyone else! I was kinda disappointed but what to do? Anyway, I took it back to the farm and exchange for 5 golden x-backs! icon smile Why is your Red Arowana still not red after so long??? (My original red is used for breeding in one of the ponds now)

So I hope that this clears up any misconceptions about how easy (no pun intended) it is to get a red arowana red! I have only seen real red ones in our breeding pond because it is exposed to the sunlight constantly. Unfortunately you cannot do this with your tanks at home because you would have an algae bloom in your tank if it’s exposed to too much sunllight!!

Q2) What can I feed my arowana to help it become redder?
Before I go into this, let me repeat myself again… if you own a grade 1.5 or 2 red arowana, please read my 2nd paragraph above again. icon smile Why is your Red Arowana still not red after so long???
Ok back to Q2 now… Well, anything that contains carotenoid will definitely help. Prawn shell is rich in it so shelled prawn is a good source. (Ofcourse cut out the top part of the head and tail as these can puncture the arowana’s stomach)
The other way is to feed your arowana’s live food like crickets and meal worms, fresh carrots before you feed them to your arowana.

I hope this has helped you understand red arowanas a bit better and not be frustrated when the color does not come out OR WHEN IT DOES COME OUT, it is not the RED that you expected. For reds, it’s a patience game! Oh.. and a little prayer would not hurt either. icon wink Why is your Red Arowana still not red after so long???

Oh yes, one more thing… you know those books that you buy with beautiful arowanas pictures where you would go ohhhh ahhhh .. I wish I had one of those beautiful reds!! .. errr. some of them has probably been enhanced with photoshop ok. icon smile Why is your Red Arowana still not red after so long??? I’m not saying all of them are doctored but just take their beauty on paper with a pinch of salt! icon smile Why is your Red Arowana still not red after so long??? We’ll never know if their colors are real or not!!!

Cheerio and take care!!!