Arowana Care: Weighing Whether or Not to Use Tank Substrate in Your Arowana

Most people do not like the idea of putting tanks substrate in their Arowana tank. This is because the presence of such will require additional efforts in terms of maintaining the tank. Considering the fact that Arowana tanks are generally big in size, this additional measure is a substantial undertaking. Tank substrates require such because it gathers toxic waste. Also, given the rate and manner in which these tanks are sullied by its occupants, the presence of substrates can aggravate the effect of a malfunction in the filtration system into proportions lethal to the Arowana.

The physical size of the Arowana tank, the filtering system, and the Arowana itself ultimately determine the frequency in which the tanks substrates will need to be cleaned. For example, if the filtration system is poor, toxic buildup occurs faster, hence the tank substrates need to be cleaner more often. As a general rule, vacuuming of the substrate needs to be done at least once every 10 days.

Is the extra trouble worth keeping the substrate? In answer, you should consider that it is very beneficial for the Arowana if you can give it a bottom reference point in the form of the tanks substrates. This is a common belief among many Arowana enthusiasts and is the reason why most of them undertake the extra work nevertheless.

A very good argument for keeping substrates in your Arowana tank is that it is the best option for giving a "bottom" for your pet fish. Extra work or not, it is healthy for the fish to have a bottom. In lieu of substrate, you may paint the lowest part of the outside of your tank. This method achieves the same goal as the substrate. However, in terms of the aesthetic schema, it is easy to change, replace, or remove the tank substrate while the paint option is irreversible.