[95Harley]

I have a question for all my forum Aro lovers. I have had several Silvers in the past and I know that they go through a juv. phase with lots of red colors in their fins and scales.

In the past I was limited to the amount of time I could keep one as I only had a 55gal tank. However, I have finally upgraded to a 240 Long tank (8x2x2) and I hope to grow one to maturity and 2-3 ' long.

With this new Silver Aro I have had a great growth rate, as he is 13-14" at 6-8 months old. So here is my question:

In the past I have fed only feeders, or only Aro Sticks. The othrs had this red patterns at about 8" and then lost the coloration and became more Silver.

My current Aro is on a varied diet that includes a lot of Shrimp (cocktail, raw, and Ghost) as well as Food Sticks, and Gold Feeders. He seems to have a lot of red for a 13-14" Silver. Do you think I may have found some lucky gene's or is he just in adolesence and has grown faster than my other Aro's due to tank size? Here's some pic's...

[Dracofish]

Feed foods high in beta caroteine, which will help with the red coloration. Just look for foods that list carotenoids as an ingredient. I know Azoo's Arowana Sticks do.

[AJ]

that's a great looking Aro!
thanks for sharing

AJ

[95Harley]

Would Cocktail Shrimp stuffed with Hikari Food Sticks cause this high red coloration? Should I expect him to loose some once he matures. As I said he is still a baby at 7-8 months. I have read on other sites that they could easily live over 20yrs and possibly as much as 32+ years. I hope I can keep my little guy happy and heatlhy in his tank for 20 yrs.

Here is a pic of his current tank and mates. Once he gets much larger I'll probably get rid of the red hooks and possibly the knife...but the rays and the Aro are for life......