Pahang Gold?

The discussion of Pahang Gold came up again on ArowanaClub Singapore. So here is what I know about Pahang Gold arowana. Are there any arowanas in Pahang? Apparently, the answer is YES from this research. From this research, it says that green arowanas can be found in Lake Bera, a huge freshwater lake in Pahang.

From this blog, we can also see pictures of green arowanas being fished out. So there is definitely arowanas in Pahang but these are green arowanas. If there are any, the gold arowanas in Pahang are probably extinct or have never existed in Pahang before.

A green arowana from Pahang

A green arowana

So how did the Pahang Gold come about?

There are 2 types of golden arowanas that we know of today. The Indonesia golden arowana, also known as Red Tail Gold (RTG) and the Malaysian golden arowana, also known as Golden Crossback (XB).

RTG, note the gold scales are only up to 4 levels

A golden crossback, note the gold scales will cover the entire body

Top view of a XB. Note the gold scales on the top. Only XB have gold scales on the top.

Given that there are no golden crossback arowanas in Pahang, then where did they come from? The answer lies in the Bukit Merah Lake located in Perak. Golden crossback arowanas are known to be found in this lake.

According to D24...

Historically, gold is associated with royalty. In the 1970s, the Sultan of Malaysia was from Pahang. As a sign of respect, all gold arowanas exported from Malaysia were termed Pahang Gold. This differentiates the golden crossbacks from the red tail gold arowanas. Thus, there began a long urban legend that Pahang Gold refers to top grade golden crossback arowanas when in fact all golden crossback arowanas originated from Bukit Merah Lake.

A beautiful mature Golden Crossback Arowana

Dropsy - symptoms and cures

Dropsy is 1 of the most feared diseases in the aquatic world. So what exactly is dropsy?

It is difficult to understand what exactly is dropsy but the easiest way to identify an arowana with dropsy is a lethargic arowana that seldom swims, with a bloated stomach and has scales that opened up from the body. Not sure what it meant by scales opening up? Look no further ...

An arowana with scales that open up. Picture taken from this post

As you can see from the picture, the stomach as seen from the top view, appears swollen. According to most publications, there is a build up of fluids inside the stomach. The swelling becomes obvious as seen from the top view and it looks like pineapple with scales opening up. 

Here is another video of an arowana in an advanced stage.

Sometimes, the eyes might bulge out and the colour of the scales would fade off. Here is an example of an arowana suffering from dropsy with bulging eyes taken from this link. When untreated, the arowana will ultimately dies. 

The precise root cause of this deadly disease is unknown. What we do know is that when water is dirty and when temperature is low, arowanas will be more prone to this disease. Feeding live food to arowanas might also be a cause but we can't be too sure. 

So how do we treat it? 

Unfortunately this disease isn't fully understood but there are some documented treatments that might work. The below is 1.

Disclaimer: treatment method is undertaken at your own risks. We are not responsible for any results that happen as a result of your treatment.

1. Replace cotton wool in filter

2. Filter out dirty water about 10%

3. Increase temperature to 30C

4. Add salt. I would add about 3 handful of salt. Some might use Epsom salt

5. Apply Aquamedi Multicure

6. Repeat steps 2 to 5

As seen from this page, this medication can cure the following

"Aqumedi MULTICURE treats most bacterial infections and Aqumedi ICH CURE treats parasite Ichthyophthirius.

Aqumedi MULTI CURE combat & treat dropsy ( stick out gills,raised scales & swelling of the body ), fin shed, cramped fin, red skin ( costia) cloudy eye, oodium, white fungus, blue fungus, pully fingus.Prevent infections & cure injury of the skin ^ open wounds.

Aqumedi ICH CURE is highly effective remedy against the parasite Ichthyophthirius -- small white spots on body & fins of fish. Fish shows discomfort & rubbing & flick on aquarium sides in an attempt to dislodge the parasites."

Once again, if you suspect your arowana has dropsy, act fast. Do not delay.

Becoming a dragon

Ever wondered how a small arowana become a majestic arowana? Check out this post in ArowanaClub. The owner chronicled the transformation of his golden arowana in a year. Pretty amazing.

Succesful captive breeding of the Asian Arowanas

This was taken from an article that we wrote in 2005. I am reproducing it here to share since there has been renewed interest in home breeding of arowanas as seen by the posting in our Facebook page.

As seen on Shin Min Daily News on 16/05/2005

Translated for members by NSK
7 years ago, Mr Richard Goh spent S$80,000 to purchase 30 top grade Asian Arowanas. 7 years later, he was handsomely rewarded when one pair of his arowanas (1 male golden crossback arowana and 1 female red arowana) successfully breed in his own courtyard! This feat also made him the first arowana enthusiast to successfully breed arowanas in a residential property in Singapore.
In the presence of an official from The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA), Mr Goh successfully harvested 28 arowana fries from the brooding male arowana, each measuring only 2 inches long but worth a total of $80,000!
While Mr Goh has been an arowana enthusiast for the past 20 years, this is only the third time that his arowanas mated and the only time that he successfully harvested the arowanas. His passion in the hobby is clearly spelt out as he has spent close to $500,000 for the past 20 years on the hobby, including building a pond in his courtyard to house his arowanas and more than 60 arowanas in his house! The oldest arowana in his house is a 13 year old red arowana that measures more than 2 feet long!

AC: Mr Yap, is this the first home harvest in the world?

Mr Yap: No, there are several occurrences elsewhere which were not officially reported. The only case that was previously reported happened in Japan.

AC: We understand that this is not the first time that the arowanas have paired up in this pond at home and attempted to breed but this time it is successful. Can you tell us why?
Mr Yap: We went through several trials and errors to correct the pH and kH levels of the water and more importantly to modify the filtration in the pond to mimic the natural environment without using carbon or ultraviolet light to remove any contaminants.

AC: So, what is the pH level in the pond?
Mr Yap: It fluctuated between 6.5 to 7.

AC: The current tiles used in the pond are light blue in color, is that the best color to be used for an outdoor pond?
Mr Yap: It would have been better if the tiles were black as a dark environment is more conducive for breeding. The tiles were not replaced since they were already in place and it would be a massive effort to have them replaced.

AC: Thank you Mr Yap. Congratulations to you as we understand that you were instrumental in advising Richard how to go about setting up and adjusting his garden pond. Now we talk to the very happy man himself Mr Richard Goh.

AC: First of all, congratulations on the successful harvest and being the first successful person to do it officially in Singapore. So tell us what is the feeling when you saw the 29 arowana fries?
Mr Goh: Fantastic! No words can describe the feeling! Was a bit nervous initially because last year, there were 2 occasions when I drew a blank with the AVA officials but this time at least they had to issue the electronic chips to me via Wan Hu! LOL!
I would really like to thank Mr Yap from Wan Hu for making all this possible.

AC: So there were another 2 times that was not successful prior to this harvest? Tell us what happen then.
Mr Goh: Well, all the officials were around than, but due to the filtration and maybe the water perimeters, the brooding arowana swallowed all the eggs. At that point of time, the water condition was maybe not optimum as I just moved into the premises few months before.

AC: Tell us about your garden pond and the arowanas in your pond.

Mr Goh: My pond is approx 18ft by 18ft and the water is about 3.5ft deep. In the pond, I have 13 pieces of Asian arowanas. 2 pieces of golden crossback arowanas and 11 pieces of red arowanas.

AC: How many males and females in the pond and what is the ratio per type?

Mr Goh: Ok, as you know I can't be 100% accurate on the gender but a good guess will be 6 females and 7 males. I have 1 male and female golden crossback arowanas. As for the red arowanas, there are 5 females and 6 males. So the ratio is 7 males and 6 females.

AC: How old are the arowanas and how long have they been together?

Mr Goh: All the arowanas are about 5 to 6 years old and I put 15 pieces into the garden pond about 1 and the half year back when I moved into my new house. When I first put them in, the first pair started to pair off almost immediately and 2 months later, the male was brooding, but it was unsuccessful.

AC: Were the arowanas from a community tank, or were they bought from the farm?

Mr Goh: They were all from my individual tanks.

AC: You mention you put in 15 pieces when you first moved in. What happen to the other 2 pieces?

Mr Goh: Well, 1 died and the other arowana was removed after a while as it was a male. There were too many males in the pond.

AC: Lastly, need to ask you about the diet of the arowanas in your pond.

Mr Goh: Nothing special really, just the normal food that you normally feed your arowanas like pork, market prawn, meal worms and bull frogs. I feed them once a day.

AC: You mention pork, how do you prepare it?

Mr Goh: I always use the lean pork and usually rinse it well in water after cutting it into small cubes.

Curing swim bladder problems

In my years of keeping arowanas, I was lucky to be blessed with healthy arowanas but this is not to say my arowanas are and will be immued to the dreaded swim bladder problem (SBP). So what exactly is SBP?

I quote from this website, SBP is any disorder that affects the swim bladder. It can be caused by either disease, physical defects or mechanical environmental. Symptoms usually include the inability to float and hence the fish would sink to the bottom and struggle to rise or swim with tail higher than the head.

D24 and Vic from Arowanaclub had written an article on how they cured a fish with swim bladder but its unfortunate that article was lost. If someone still has that, please send it to me. I have however managed to retrieve the pictures and with some research, I think I managed to figure out what the treatment was. What I am writing here is modified from their work and what I discovered on the internet.

These 2 pictures above clear showed the arowana unable to maintain its usual swimming posture, a clear indication of SBP

Arowana droppings. If the arowana is able to pass out waste, then its unlikely to be caused by constipation.

From research and comments posted on the ArowanaClub page on Facebook, Epsom salt is also used in the treatment. Epsom salt, which is also magnesium sulfate, is used as an occasional laxative to treat constipation. It can also be administered as a bath to relax sore muscles. Thus, the modified treatment is place the arowana in a separate tank and add Epsom salt and starve the arowana for 2 to 3 days. Look for evidence of the arowana passing out excrement or regain its buoyancy. If it passes out excrement, then its likely a constipation problem. Raise the temperature and if problem is resolved after 2 or 3 days, slowly increase the amount of food before returning it to the main tank.

If the arowana passed out excrement, then the problem is likely caused by bacteria or the swim bladders have been severely damaged.

The arowana was able to pass out excrement but still remained in the same position. This indicated the SBP was not caused by indigestion or constipation

Medication was injected into the food. The name of the medication was not published but I believed it must be some controlled drugs that are not easily available

After consuming the medication, the fish recovered. There was no mention of how long the treatment took

Although we do not know what was the medicine used, I suspected it is some controlled medication which was not disclosed. This medicine was able to treat the bacteria infection affecting the swim bladder. I did a search on the internet and found that Interpet has a medication for SBP. I am not sure what this medication does but I would be glad to use it if my arowana has bacteria infected SBP.

Alternatively, I would use any medication that could treat intestinal issues and treat my arowana with SBP because I believe the SBP is bacteria related and infecting the swim bladder.

Disclaimer: we are not responsible for any effects of using the above medicine or treatment. This is merely a guide and in no way are we responsible for any death or injuries that arose from adopting the treatments. 

Harvesting Panda Red Arowanas

Despite being caught in a bad traffic jam on my way to Panda Aquatic Centre, it was all but a fine day for a visit to the countryside. The skies were clear and the air was fresh after a brief spell of rain the wee morning hours. Today, I would be witnessing the harvesting of the red arowanas from Panda Aquatic Centre.

Workers getting ready for the harvest.

I met up with Mr. Kan from Panda Aquatic Centre and was briefed by him on the schedule for the day. Both his red arowanas and his crossback arowanas will be harvested today.

Mr.Kan, CEO of Panda doing his harvest ritual. Just kidding, 

he is actually looking out for snakes for the safety of his workers.

As we walked towards the breeding ponds, his workers were already in the thick of the action. They were walking cautiously in the waist deep waters, planting the necessary nettings and bamboo poles in place to round up the red arowanas.

Workers wading slowly through the chest deep waters to guide the arowanas into the 

specially designed net. Mr. Kan beating the edge of the banks to urge the arowanas along.

Although Mr Kan did not enter the breeding pond, he was also doing his part along the edge of breeding pond with a wooden pole, striking the grass to ward off any snakes that might hurt his workers. As the workers slowly pulled the net along the pond to round up the arowanas, Mr. Kan then used his wooden pole to beat gently around the edge of the pond to urge the arowanas into the net.

The workers carefully ensuring that none of the arowanas were able to escape. 

Every arowana in the pond must be checked for eggs or fries.

While I have witnessed numerous harvesting of arowanas, each harvesting is quite unique. The harvesting procedures are quite similar but you never know what to expect in each harvesting. Beneath the murky waters of the breeding pond are actually numerous productive red arowanas, each capable of producing at least 20 fries! This is already quite a feat as red arowanas are often reported to have a lower productivity. The secret to having such a productive pool of breeding arowanas is probably known to the farmer but from what I have observed in Panda Aquatic Centre, Mr. Kan had probably done his research and set up his breeding ponds to simulate the natural environment of the red arowanas, ensuring that the right atmosphere and environment are present to boost his arowanas’ productivity! Not only were his arowanas productive, I was equally impressed with the physical appearance of his arowanas. Each red arowana displayed a beautiful coat of red scales. I would probably have to bring my water parameters test kits the next time I visit the breeding ponds to find out what is the secret to having such productive and beautiful red arowanas!

Hauling the net partially out of the pond.

When the red arowanas are hauled up from the water and inspected for fries, I could sense the great expectation and anticipation in everyone. There was tense concentration as the worker pried open the arowana’s powerful jaws to introduce the numerous fries to this new world!

Special bamboo sticks were strategiclly placed to form a barricade to prevent the arrowanas from 

leaping over the net. So far, this is only the easy part. Now, let's get to the business at hand!

Catching and inspecting all the arowanas in the pond. Not an easy task if you have slippery and strong jumping customers.

The same procedures of laying the nets and cornering the arowanas were repeated in the next pond. This time, the golden crossback arowanas will be harvested.

A male red arowana is slowly coaxed into the net.

The well-trained and experienced workers soon identified the male brooders. With a firm grip, the male brooder’s jaws were unlocked easily and this time, close to twenty crossback fries were released! It was quite a bountiful harvest, wasn’t it?

Gently prying open the mouth to remove the fries. An electronic scanner is also used to 

scan the tag number of the parent fish. A really fine specimen of red arowana. 1st of the day.

Reading out the tag number to AVA officials witnessing the harvest. Beautiful red arowana indeed.

Over twenty fries measuring about 1 inch each came from the first Red Arowana.

Another male brooder spotted! This piece is a real red shocker!

This time, there were over 40 fries taken from the brooder!

As well, some were already swimming about freely.

Three inch fry

A real catch of the day. Quality all over.

3 inchers up close.

Photos by West 

Article by NSK

Originally published in www.arowanaclub.com

Inspiration

I wish to share these 2 pictures of a beautiful red arowana, hopefully you will be inspired to keep arowanas.