Arowana is considered the most expensive aquarium fish in the world. It is considered to bring good luck and prosperity to the owner.
Arowana, the “king” of fish, is scientifically known as Scleropages formosus, a very rare species. Arowana lives in fresh water, is a large fish, the body length can reach 90 cm, and the weight of more than 7 kg when mature.
Arowana has many types based on the color of the fish, but the red arowana is the main arowana species in terms of color and value.
There are 2 main bloodlines of arowana: the red pepper red fish and the blood red fish. They are distributed in the upper reaches of the Kapuas River and Lake Sentarum, West Kalimantan Province, Borneo Island, Indonesia.
Food mainly insects, small fish and frogs. Arowana eggs are generally large and each reproduce less. The eggs are incubated in the mouth of the fish until they hatch.
A distinctive feature of this fish is the change in color from young to adulthood. The whole body of the fish has a bright red color, the scales are evenly covered with a beautiful shine.
The reason why arowana has a high price tag is because of its luxurious shape, noble and beautiful scales.
The reason why arowana has a high price tag is because of its luxurious shape, noble and beautiful scales, shiny like coins, wavy like dragons, different from other fish.
Due to its rarity and value, whenever arowanas appear in competition, the audience is specially protected. Expert Emily Voigt, researching arowanas, said that when she was lucky enough to participate in the international Aquarama Arowana competition in Singapore in 2009, she saw around 10 rare arowanas with armed guardians in the middle of the police car. The highest price she knew at the time was 300,000 USD (nearly 7 billion VND).
Previously, former Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhono had already paid $ 20,000 to own an arowana in Jakarta.
In the wild, the arowana is an endangered fish. It is illegal to import this fish into the United States. In Southeast Asia, there are arowana farms where they are bred for spawning, often extremely well protected, sturdy concrete walls, guard dogs and barbed wire.
Arowana is mainly sold around 6 months old.
“Stealing a fish is not as easy as stealing a piece of jewelry,” said Kenny Yap, known as the king of aquarium fish, owner of Asia’s largest aquarium farm.
Yap shared in the New York Newspaper that arowanas are mostly sold when they are around 6 months old, when their length is equal to a pencil for between $ 1,000 and $ 2,000 depending on the type.
“People want to raise them from a young age so that they can be easily fed. They live up to a few decades, but it has not been determined exactly how long.”
