How to take perfect care of a 80g fish tank, with koi fishes and an arowana?

Question

I'm kind of new to taking care of an aquarium. I've had a smaller fish tank with gold fishes, but I didn't add any kind of designs to it. What I really want to do with my 80g fish tank is to design it really nice. I'm making it a freshwater tank with sand at the bottom, rocks, plants, everything.

I've done some research, I've looked up on yahoo answers, and tried everything but nothing really answered my questions or maybe I'm asking the wrong ones.

Since I want to design my fish tank really life-like, would it be a perfect environment for koi fishes and arowanas? Typical tanks for these fishes are just a plain tank filled with koi fishes and arowanas without ANY plants or rocks. But to me this is to plain, and I really want to design it to the fullest, but would it damage any of the fishes?

Any tips of keeping my fish tank clean would really help, thank you.

Answer 1

if you want a real natural feel use sand as a substrate.

Answer 2

You can't.  Koi are cold water fish, and arowanas are tropical.

Answer 3

Koi will get big  quick

koi will eat any plant life, eat it strip it out ,and mash it up.

koi are messy

I feel koi would prefer heavy ish gravel ,than sand.

Koi want and need a lot of gallonage

Answer 4

Koi get to be as much as three feet long, so they need a 1000 gallon pond minimum. I would really suggest using live plants. If you get hardy ones like anubias, java fern, and hygrophila it won't be very hard to keep them healthy.  

Answer 5

koi are cold water pond fish and need a minimum of 1000 gallons

arowanas are tropical

Answer 6

You simply cannot keep an Arowana long term in an 80 gallon tank, it's just that simple.  Even a smaller final sized Asian Arowana, Illegal to own in the US, or Jardini is going to also outgrow that 80 gallon as well.  If you are even going to consider an Arowana, do not do so unless you have at least a 180 or higher for the first few years.  You can keep even South Americans in a 180 until they hit about a 24 inch size range, then you can start looking into the 300-500 gallon tank they would require for final adult sizes or you could set up a pond.  Anything less, and you are going to severely stunt or kill an Arowana, sorry.

Koi, I can't speak much of as I don't keep coldwater fish.  I'd have to say you could probably keep a few in an 80 gallon set up, but again, Koi usually prefer and do better in a pond.  I think the biggest issue here really is you are attempting or want fish that are or will get too big for the tank you have, sorry to say.

Just so you know as well, I've kept and have extensive experience with Arowana.  You do not have to devoid a tank of decor when keeping them really.  It can be beneficial to do so, but it is NOT a must to do so.

Side note here as well.  Not to start anything, but Arowana are NOT schooling types.  In all seriousness, you can group Arowana, and if one does so, it's highly advised to keep Arowana in groups of no less then 5.  Given the sheer size they get, and the higher waste output, you'd need a VERY large tank, so large I wouldn't even think the economics of it make it an option.  I've kept up to three juvenile South Americans in my 180 until they hit 24 inches, then sold them off as I couldn't get the proper tank they'd need.  Once they got to that size, aggression among the three set in big time.  If you group Arowana, don't group them in numbers under five, but again, they don't prefer to be in groups at all.

Answer 7

This is probably not what you want to hear, but those fish are really not compatible with each other. Koi and other goldfish are cold freshwater fish, meaning they like their tank to be around 60-65 degrees. Koi can also grow to be quite large, at least up to two feet so they need more room than an 80g.

Arrowana's are schooling fish and they need 240 gallons for the first fish, with 100 gallons for each one after that since they grow up to 36" (3 ft). They are also tropical freshwater fish, so they like a tank that is at least 75 degrees.

Answer 8

first ideally koi should not be mixed with arowana specially the arowana is bigger than koi it will eat it.  However in Singapore someone manage to put arowana with koi in a pond but they are the same size.  

Plants koi will destroy your plants and the size of these fish they will get hurt with the rocks you put in and 80 gallons is too small for koi and arowana one arowana stays in 70 to 80 gallons.

http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/world...

Answer 9

i havent read the other answers so i dont know what's been said but i know you cant keep koi forever in an 80g tank, for a while maybe even a year or two but to grow to their full length and be completely happy and healthy they need 1000 gallons for the first koi and 400 gallons for the ones after. That's alot lol

good luck =]