(Associated Press)
updated 7:06 p.m. ET, Fri., March. 2, 2007
MELBOURNE, Australia - An Australian woman was sentenced Friday to nine months of community service work for smuggling protected fish from Asia in her dress.

Sharon Naismith, 45, was caught in June 2005 at the airport in the southern city of Melbourne after customs officers heard "flipping" noises coming from her clothes and conducted a search, Australian Customs said.

In a specially made apron under her dress, they found 15 plastic bags filled with water and fish: one rare Asian arowana that customs said was worth tens of thousands of dollars, and 14 catfish.

**************************************************************************

Enjoy and comment if you have any. If anyone has any other kinds of stories like these, feel free to let me know and I'll share them here.

Steven

A) Below here is the feedback I got from a reader.
**************************************************************************
I recently purchased your online book which was very informative.

I was interested in keeping arowana and wanted to be prepared the best I could.

I followed everything your book mentioned down to the slightest detail and purchesed an Austrailian arowana.

This was no common Australian arowana,he must have been a hybrid between a pearl and a spotted because he had beautiful red spots along with green scaling.

(I have attached a photo which dose him no justice).

He was a very beautiful (and expensive for me) fish.

The shop keeper had raised him since he was 1-2 inches and was going to keep him but sold him to me at 4 inches.(I have been buying other fish from this gentalman for 2 years and have established a good relationship with him,I own a 210 gallon tank).

The hospital tank's previous inhabitant was a Datnoid (which is a relatively delicate fish when young but fared just fine for the 3 months I kept him there) so the tank was well established, well planted (plastic) and well aireted.

The PH was 7.0,Temp 80 F.

So, I floated the arowana for twenty minutes, then acclimated him further by dripping water from an airline tube into his bag for another 20 min and then finally put him in the tank.

He was doing just great!

That night I fed him frozen krill and he ate vigorously and did so the following 2 days.

On that day while going over your book again I noticed had I failed to pick up the "black water extract". So I purchased this, read the instructions,and added to the tank.(This is my first time using this product but I wanted to follow all your instructions).

The following day I woke up to feed the arowana, He wouldn't eat and was darting around the tank. It was obvious he was stressed.

Everything was fine except the PH.

It had gone from a steady 7.0 to below 6.0 (my PH test kit ranges from 6.0-9.0)

I immediately did a 25% water change, waited an hour, then tested the water, and repeated this in total 3 times till the PH went back up to 7.0

He did not eat that day and the next morning I found him dead.

I felt that the black water was to blame and I believe this stuff is very powerful.

So, my suggestion to you would be if at all possible to edit your book a bit by adding that "the adding of Black Water should be done cautiously and added to the tank prior to adding fish to ensure proper PH being that this product has the ability to drop PH levels drastically." Or something along those lines.

I thank you for your time in reading this and hope you can pass this information along so that other arowana keepers don't make the same mistake that I have made.

This is my answer …
John Doe
***********************************************************************

B) The following is my reply to him.

Thanks for your very concise email. However, your case is the first one that I have heard about black water extract being the culprit. I personally do not think that this is the problem as I have used it extensively in my years of arowana care. In fact, my farm and many hobbyists we know also uses it extensively without problems. In fact I always put more of the black water into my tank when I change water as it help to calm my arowanas. As you know I have 5 xback golden arowanas which cost me quite a bit of money and I would not use something that I have not tested before myself. But I thank you again for sharing your story with me.

Because you have been so concise, I am able to offer some possibilities on why your arowana could have lost it's appetite and later died. Again I must emphasize that this are only my observations based on what you have said below.. (but for why it died, I am pretty certain of my point 3 unless I interpreted your wordings wrongly)

1) If your datnoid (or tiger fish ) is larger than your arowana, they will attack arowanas smaller than them. In fact I had one Siamese tiger which was very aggressive. They stalk their preys and will usually not hunt when we're around. It could have attacked your arowana over the few days which made it become agitated eventually.

2) Arowanas will not eat when they are full. In fact I know of some that will lay off food for a few days because they over ate.. So if you arowana is not eating for a day or two, it is ok. If you see it behaving strangely, (out of the norm) the first thing to do is to change the water.

3) If I interpreted your process of changing your water correctly, this is the most probably cause of death of your fish. (In fact I'm 99% sure) You cannot change so much water in one day. You changed it 3 times over a period of a few hours I believe. ( Eventhough it is 25% each time but this is almost like changing 75% of the water at a go) You should have changed only once and wait for the next day before changing another time.

**************************************************************************

So now… to answer my own question about whether black water is safe to use…? Well… I will have to say yes for now as I've yet to personally encounter any issues with it. I never had problems with it before and it does help to de-stress my arowanas after a water change. If any of you have differing opinions about this topic, feel free to add your comments below. To me, there is truly no right or wrong answers….

Cheers!
Steven

The reply from the Australian authorities is as below …
********************************************************
Subject: Importation of Asian Arowana into Australia [SEC=UNCLASSIFIED]
Date: Mon, 2 Jun 2008 15:09:51 +1000
From: Kerrie.Hankinson@environment.gov.au
To: simonchaw@hotmail.com
CC: Nick.Gascoigne@environment.gov.au

Our reference: 2006/07196

Dear Mr. Chaw
Thankyou for your email of 21 May 2008 seeking information regarding the legalisation of Scleropages formosus (Asian Arowana) in Australia.
The Asian Arowana is not listed on the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) list of specimens approved for live import; therefore it is currently illegal to import this species into Australia.
An application was received by the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts (DEWHA) in August 2006 to amend the list of specimens suitable for live import to include Asian Arowana. This application was rejected for inclusion on Part 2 of the list by the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources on 26 September 2007.
The primary reasons for rejecting inclusion of the species on the live import list were:

There is potential for the species to establish feral populations in northern Australia. Their potential for establishment could have undesirable impacts on the Australian environment. For example two native species in the same genus occur in northern Australia and have the same habitat requirements as the Asian Arowana. Competition would therefore be probable if a population was to establish in Australia, to the possible detriment of both native species.

Asian Arowana is listed on the “grey list” under the Strategic Approach to the Management of Ornamental Fish in Australia, which was endorsed by Commonwealth, State and Territory Ministers at the Natural Resources Management Ministerial Council on 24th November 2006. Species on the “grey list” are being reviewed under this strategy to decide whether they should be considered a noxious species. It is likely that states and territories would not accept the general keeping of this species if they were considered noxious and in this context, a decision to list such species on the live import list would be highly unlikely. Information on the strategy can be found at: http://www.affashop.gov.au/PdfFiles/ornamental_fish_report.pdf

Please note: Applications to amend the live import list to include Asian Arowana are not likely to be considered until the grey list review has been completed and would only be considered if the species is not a noxious species.http://www.affashop.gov.au/PdfFiles/ornamental_fish_report.pdf' \o 'blocked::http://www.affashop.gov.au/PdfFiles/ornamental_fish_report.pdf
The Asian Arowana is a CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Flora and Fauna) species and if listed would be an inclusion on Part 2 of the live import list. Restrictions may be imposed on Part 2 listings.
At this stage Asian Arowana cannot be legally imported into Australia due to the potential risks it poses to native Australian species, and the uncertainty of its status as a noxious species. As stated, an application to DEWHA to amend the list of specimens suitable for import has been rejected.
Further information about listing species on the live import list can be obtained from the Departments’ website:
http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/trade-use/lists/index.html
http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/trade-use/lists/import/amend/index.html
Yours Sincerely
Kerrie Hankinson
Exotic Species Regulation
Wildlife Branch, AWD
Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts
ph: 02 6274 1242
fax: 02 6274 1921
********************************************************

****************************************
Dear Steven,

I have two 32 inch silver arowanas in a 350 gallon aquarium. One has not eaten in 7 weeks the other 3 weeks. They exhibited courtship behavior until recently one almost killed the other and had to be separated. No spawning occurred. Is this unusual to go this long without eating? Any ideas on how to stimulate an appetite?

Anonymous - John Doe
****************************************

I ask John many questions and as far as I could tell, he did everything right.. He changed water, check for nitrates, ammonia, pH, etc .. and monitored the temperature closely. When they fought, (or rather when one tried to kill the other) he administered Metronidazole, Methylene Blue to prevent infection and help them recover. I was extremely impressed with his very detailed plans to help his arowanas recover.
John also mentioned that his silver arowana was now sitting at the bottom of the tank 90% of the time now..

This was my reply to him..
****************************************
John,
I used to have a red arowana who sat at the bottom of the tank quite often as well. With water changes, it helped it get better over time.
I am not sure abt using reverse osmosis water but my water change is just tap water with some salt and black water added. I hardly use any medicine because to be frank, it is not good for your fish. I usually stay away from medicine unless I know it is needed. (like fin rot, ich, etc) I have cured many of my fish problems with just salt alone! I'll be frank here, I really do not know what the problem here is with your fish but I would like to suggest a simple process for you to follow for the next week or so.

1) Change 20% of your water every other day for the next week or so. Use tap water. (I've never used reverse osmosis water before BUT I have used water from the popular diamond energy water system before.)

2) Just add salt … about 1 teaspoon per gallon of water.

3) If you can get blackwater, add in some too.

****************************************

I basically asked John to just do two things different here. Add salt and blackwater if he had any. Guess what, this worked like a charm! His arowana's appetite started to return in no time.

This are my final thoughts for this particular case…
1) When you have problems with your arowana, think simple… I am not joking as I have never used medication before to cure any of my arowana's problems. Sometimes, medication can make your fish lethargic, lifeless, etc.. Once I used to add one of those 'disease away' formulas but have not used that for a long time as well. This, in the long run, reduces the resistance in the fish! It's like giving medication to a healthy fish! BUT having said this, if you see visible signs of lice, finrot, etc.. then ofcourse you have to administer medication ok. But what I'm saying here is, I ACT WHEN IT IS STILL EARLY. What to do first? CHANGE WATER! CHANGE WATER! CHANGE WATER! ( Sound like your mother… well I hope you remember this always :-))

2) After changing water, I ALWAYS add a little salt and blackwater.. Blackwater will help calm your arowana but to me, salt is a must! Salt somehow manages to keep many diseases away from my arowana. John was reluctant initially to add salt because an aquarium shop owner told him that it's not good for the fish! I'm not sure what that statement was based on BUT for me, it has worked for years! BUT BUT having said that, please don't start to add salt to your water IF you're not changing water. Only do it when you change water ok!

Cheers!

My first love are arowanas so it won't surprise you that they make up the bulk of the books here.. I will try and get more books on other fishes in the future but that will take time. Please be patient. If you have any request, do let me know and I'll try and get them if they are available.

Meanwhile, please visit the AroAquaticWorld site to check out the books that might interest you.

Cheers everyone and talk to you soon.

Steven

The 'highlight' of the trip was the earthquake that hit Japan recently. Scared the heck out of me! I was staying on the 25th floor of a service apartment in Tokyo and it started to shake! The ceiling lights was moving from side to side! Boy was I scared! Anyway, I'm home sound and safe now. It just makes me realize how fragile life can be sometimes! My new motto is live life to the fullest and spend more time with my loved ones! We never know when our time is up next!

Oh by the way, my fish book site will be up in the next day or two. (Finally after MONTHS OF PROCRASTINATION!!) I will open this up to those on my list first.. so if you like any of the books here, do grab a copy. I just want to reiterate that most of them are non-mainstream books and you probably will not be able to find them on the internet… some because they are out of print and others because they are not distributed to the big boys to sell..
ALSO especially for the older ones, once they are gone, I'm not sure whether I can get my hands on any more copies… So get it if you want a copy…
I have included not only arowana books but also flower horn (Luo Han), goldfish, etc and some others as I've received request to include other fishes as well. I'm surprised I managed to get quite a few flower horn books.. so it shows that if you look hard enough, you will find! (Well most of the time anyway!)
AND THE GOOD THING IS, YES (to answer some of your queries) I DO SHIP WORLDWIDE!

So catch you in a few days time!

Steven

So rather than write to each of you, I thought I'd write an article here to provide my take on this lucrative YET very risky venture. I have published it in ezeinarticles.com under arowana breeding but I have reproduced it here for your easy reading as well.

**********************************************************
Asian Arowanas Breeding Venture - Know The Risk

In recent times, we see that many more individuals have expressed interest in wanting to go into the arowana breeding business. Here we mean the asian arowanas specifically, especially the gold (or cross backs), red and red tail golden (or RTGs) as they are the ones that fetch the highest prices in the market. There is a saying that as long as there are Asians (especially the Chinese), there will always be demands for this magnificient fish. This rise/surge in demand is more pronounced now with the rising affluence of the middle class families in China in recent times.

The asian arowana's resemblance to the mythical dragon has made them a much sort after 'feng shui' fish. They are considered a 'good luck' fish and many people swear by this! Many feng shui masters have considered them to be one of the three 'lucky' fishes, the other two being goldfish and koi. There was a 'fourth' one which is the flowerhorn or 'Luo Han' but I think this is passe now and has not really stood the test of time.

What has also driven up the prices for these beautiful asian arowanas are the fact that it is very difficult to breed them. (Again we are talking about the red, gold and RTG arowanas only.) Thus far, they have only been successfully bred commercially in Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore. No one has succeeded in breeding them anywhere else which has led to a constant 'short supply' of asian arowanas in the market. Success rates in breeding asian arowanas in tanks are also too few and far between and is just not viable commercially.

As is evident above, the arowana breeding business can be highly profitable when done on a commercial basis. This has driven up the interest of people wanting to get into this business. But please be aware of some of the inherent risks before you do take the plunge into it.

1) The barrier to entry can be quite steep because of the high initial investments needed. For this business to be viable, you will need many ponds with a minimum of 20-40 adult asian arowanas in them to breed as not all ponds will be productive from the start unless you already have some producing ones. With each adult arowana being between $5,000 to $10,000 each, you do the math. Bear in mind that these cost does not include the investment you have put up to build the farm!

2) Even if you have the farm and the arowanas in place, there is still a chance that they will not breed enough for you to sustain the farm. Please do not take the plunge if you do not have someone experience to run it for you. You need an experience individual with a 'sharp' eye who can spot pairing arowanas (which means possible male arowanas that are carrying the fry in their mouth) and know when is the right time to harvest the fry. Even experience breeders don't get it right all the time, let alone us. So be mindful here!

3) If you are intending to try this in a place or country which has no history of breeding success in the past, then you have to be triply sure this is what you want to do. Asian arowanas are very picky about what kind of environment they will breed in. There must be a 'right' climate and optimal mix of soil and water in the mud ponds for them to breed in. I want to emphasize again that they have only been successfully bred commercially in 3 countries, namely Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore. Does this mean it cannot be bred in any other country? Frankly, no one knows! Never say never but you just need to know the facts thus far and be ready for any eventuality!

**********************************************************

Hope you enjoy this and do provide your comments here after reading it. Cheers!

Steven

BUT that changed about 2 weeks back…They just stopped EATING!! I have not changed much in what I do every week. I change water, add blackwater and a bit of salt about once or twice a week. No big drama… same old boring thing! They are still swimming around as usual but the only thing is… they refuse to eat!

So I tried to find out what else has changed in the environment… As I go to work in the morning, I can't really tell but 2 things different was happening in my housing estate. They were repainting the block I am staying in and my direct neighbour upstairs was renovating their home. I deduce that it is the renovation upstairs that has probably upset my babies! I came home during lunch one day last week and they were hacking the floors upstairs and it was such a ruckus! The vibrations were extremely bad and I could feel it in my bones! They are still renovating now but all the hacking is completed now! Thanks God!

Anyway, my arowanas are still not eating much now… just a little.. they are more likely than not to just bite the prawns and spit them out. I might buy some feeder fish for them today to try and bring back their appetite.

So do check your environment if you encounter these kind of situation. Hope you learn something here.

Cheers!
Steven