Asian Arowana
Scleropages formosus
The Asian arowana, or dragon fish, is an endangered Southeast Asian fish up to 90 cm long. Scleropages formosus lives in tannin-stained blackwater streams, peat swamps and flooded forest. It is a long, large-scaled surface hunter with an upturned mouth and one pair of chin barbels. Trade names such as super red, golden, green and platinum describe color strains of this one species, and a 2003 proposal to split those colors into separate species has not been adopted by most references.
In the United States the Asian arowana has been listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act since 1976. That makes it illegal to import one, or to sell or ship one across state lines in commerce, and the rule makes no exception for farm-bred fish. Elsewhere the species is on CITES Appendix I, and commercial international trade is limited to fish bred on farms registered with CITES, each moved on permits and marked with a microchip. Where it can be kept legally, it needs a very large covered tank, warm, soft and stable water, heavy filtration and a meaty diet. Ask for the farm registration, permit and chip numbers before you talk about price or color.
