Good Article on Arowanas – 'A fish worth its weight in gold'

Hi all,
A reader shared this article with me recently. I thought that it's a pretty good article on arowanas. Many of you asked how much asian arowanas can cost… well this article will give you some insight. Don't freak out ok! Enjoy …

Arowana article

I'm not sure how long it will be available on this URL but I have reproduced it below here just in case it is taken off the site.

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A fish worth its weight in gold by Rintos Mail
Posted By Web Master On 29th April 2007 @ 10:00 In TheSundayPost

The arowanas are one of the most expensive fishes in the world and prices upwards of RM35,000 are common
KUCHING: It is revered as the embodiment of an auspicious dragon that can bring prosperity and good luck to its owner.

BUJAY RED: This arowana fry is sold at HT Aquatic for RM1,200 each.

Its other big asset is being valued as the “best fish” among the varied paraphernalia of geomancy or feng shui.
Arowanas, also known as aruanas or arawanas are freshwater fish of the family of Osteoglossidae, sometimes known as “bony tongues”. The name “bony tongues” is derived from a toothed bone on the floor of the mouth, the ‘tongue’, equipped with teeth that bite against teeth on the roof of the mouth.
Altogether, there are 10 described living species — three from South America, one from Africa, four from Asia and the remaining two from Australia.

MALAYAN GOLDEN: A fry of this arowana costs at least RM2,500 each.

In Malaysia, it can only be found in a few areas, and there are several names for it — some call it Cross Back Golden, Pahang Gold, Malayan Bony tongue, Bukit Merah Blue, Taiping Golden and the Malayan Golden.
These descriptions basically refer to the same fish — the Golden Arowana which will have golden colour completely across its back when the fish is matured.
The main reason for the array of exotic names is that cross back golden arowanas are found in various parts of Malaysia such as Perak (in Bukit Merah), Terengganu, Johor and Pahang (in Bera Lake) Also believed by many to be a “lively antique” given by the god of nature to humans, the arowanas remain one of the most expensive fishes in the world and prices upwards of RM35,000 are common.

JADE-BASED: This is one of the Malayan golden varieties available at H T Aquatic.

The most common aquarium species is the South American arowana (osteoglossum bicirrhosum) while the most impressive is the Asian arowana (scleropages formosus).
The Asian arowana, or better known as the dragon fish, is regarded as a king of the aquatic world due to its immense popularity, value and great looks. In the eyes of the Chinese, the dragon fish has the appearance and majesty of the Chinese Dragon, especially the large scales and barbels.
The unique shape, large mouth and scales, and air of mystery have made Asian arowanas so special that they have stolen the hearts of many hobbyists.
Asian arowanas are also considered “lucky” by many people, particularly those from Asian cultures. This reputation derives from the species’ resemblance to the Chinese dragon, considered an auspicious symbol.

FOR DISPLAY: This is red arowana 14 years old and priced at RM68,000.

The large metallic-like scales and double barbells are features shared by the Chinese dragon, and the large pectoral fins are said to make the fish resemble “a dragon in full flight.”
According to Chinese mythology, the dragon fish brings good luck and business success to its owner, as well as wards off evil.
The dragon is an auspicious “yang” creature that signifies supremacy, prosperity, wealth, strength and power. It is also believed that a dragon can protect the owner and his family by driving away evil spirits and bad luck.
According to Lillian Too, the international best-selling writer on feng shui, the arowana is the dragon fish that brings instant wealth to those who have it close by.
“Many of the richest tycoons of Asia keep stunning specimens of this beautiful fish in their homes and workplace. Capture the wealth “chi” of this fish by keeping him close to your body always. Let the arowana embrace your fingers,” she wrote.
There are basically four different naturally occurring colour varieties for Asian arowanas — the cross back golden from West Malaysia, the super red from West Kalimantan, Indonesia, the red tail golden from Pekanbaru in Indonesia and the green variety which can be found in rivers of Malaysia, Indonesia, Myanmar and Thailand.
Due to its popularity and great demand, Asian arowanas have been fiercely hunted in their native habitats over decades for profits, thus their population in the wild has declined, and in some places, they are already extinct.
This is especially so of the Malayan golden arowanas and the Malayan red arowanas.
Its relatively low supply and great demand in the market also make the Malayan golden one of the most expensive colour specimens for the Asian arowanas now.
The main reason for the high price is its scarcity as well as lesser number of gametes on each spawn. Currently, only Malaysian and Singaporean farms are breeding the Malayan golden arowanas.
In Sarawak, HT Aquatic Sdn Bhd is the only breeder of the Malayan golden, Malayan red and bujay red species.
The company chairman Harold Tham Chun Jin said he only bred the three species because of their good market demand and high price.
“These species are the fortune of the river … very expensive and everyone is going after them so much so that they have become extinct in the wild rivers,” he told thesundaypost.
Tham said his Malayan golden came in two varieties — the jade-based from Bukit Merah and the copper-based from Pahang.
He said both varieties were in great demand among the Japanese and the mainland Chinese.
“These varieties are the most expensive among the arowanas — the price of each adult (about four years old) is usually more than RM35,000, depending on its size and age.
“The Malayan golden is expensive because it’s a rare species and does not breed well in other countries. Singapore and Indonesia tried to breed this species but did not do well because of the water and environment,” he said.
Tham added that second to the Malayan golden in terms of price was the red arowana.
His own red arowana comes under two categories — premium red and bujay red.
He said bujay red bred well in Kalimantan but not so in other parts of Indonesia or Singapore.
“Like the Malayan golden, the red arowana is also rare, and that is one of the reasons it is very expensive.”
He said the breeder stock of red arowana was sold between RM50,000 and RM60,000 each to commercial farmers, depending on its age and size.
According to Tham, all the arowanas he had now are bred in earth ponds in Singapore (the Malayan golden but they are not doing well because of unsuitable water conditions), Indonesia (red) and Malaysia (both red and Malayan golden) as they are no longer found in rivers.
He does not breed green arowanas because they are one of the cheapest Asian species.
“The green arowana is cheap because it can still be found in many rivers. Its colour is dull and wealthy people don’t really like it, so the price is low.”
He said it was not worthwhile breeding the green or silver arowanas because of their low price, adding that the price of selected green arowana fry (50 days old) is only RM40 each while that of silver fry is only RM5 each.
He said selected fry of bujay red were sold for at least RM600 each while a fry of Malayan red and Malayan golden fetched at least RM1,800 and RM2,500 each, respectively.
“The time, effort and money needed to keep or breed green or silver arowana is the same as bujay red, Malayan red and Malayan golden, but the end returns for the former are very low.
“Of course, in business, we must look for better returns,” he added.
For some tropical fish enthusiasts, the arowana is just a curio, but to many, especially the wealthy, it is also often a “status symbol” that comes with a big price tag.
Despite being fish of good omen, arowanas were not in such good demand in the local market, Tham noted.
“Not many locals are prepared to keep expensive fish or spend a big amount on one. The arowana is sought after, especially in China and Japan, not only because it’s rare, beautiful and graceful but also because it’s a status symbol and good for feng shui.
“The Chinese believe arowanas bring them business luck and prosperity. The Japanese believe the Malayan golden is most suitable for display in the office and home while the red arowana is suitable for home but not the office.
“I am not a believer anyway … I only breed and take care of the fish for business,” he jested.
Tham said arowanas were now protected by the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and classified as an endangered species, threatened with extinction.
This means any illegal trading and hunting of such fish from the wild will incur heavy penalties. Even now, the trading of Asian arowanas is still banned in certain countries like the US and Taiwan.
Tham said the export of wild arowanas was illegal in Malaysia, adding that a microchip was tagged to the captive-bred arowanas to differentiate them from the wild stock.
This method allows law enforcers and consumers to positively ascertain whether the fish is captive-bred or wild stock.
“If you buy an arowana for decoration, I will have to inject a microchip into it, but if you plan to breed them, I need not use the microchip because it may affect its reproduction system,” he said.
He said microchipping was compulsory if the arowanas were for export.
He also said a young Arowana was normally identified using a passive integrated transpounder (PIT) tag to certify it has been captively-bred and approved by CITES NOTIFICATION to the Parties number.

Tham is a CITES licence holder, a legal breeder and exporter of arowana.

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