Aquarama's most expensive fish?
Pictures by Neil Hepworth
One of the most photographed fish at Aquarama 2007 is also one of the show's most expensive - a platinum arowana with a mortgage-inducing price tag.The fish is an Osteoglossum species from South America, rather than the usual Scleropages from Asia, and is owned by Singapore-based Dragon fish breeder Aro Dynasty.
Unlike most Osteoglossum, this mutant is virtually white with virtually no other colours present, not even on the dorsal surface.
It was recently offered for sale to prospective buyers by a UK arowana importer for more than £200,000.
However, Aro Dynasty told Practical Fishkeeping Online that the fish is no longer on the market.
It confirmed that it turned down S$80,000/£26,376 for the fish a few years ago.
We've yet to hear of a fish with a higher price, although some of the more unusual arowana's on display are said not to be for sale at all.
Aro Dynasty said that the fish is now "the only one of its kind in Singapore", suggesting that others exist elsewhere.
While arowana of the Osteoglossum genus are neither particularly rare nor that expensive - the species is farmed and imported from the wild and small ones cost around £20 - platinum ones (or Snow aros as they're sometimes known) are exceptionally rare.
This unusual colour variant appears to crop-up only very rarely, and as Arowanas are considered lucky in the Far East, the fish has a correspondingly large price tag.
The fish measures around 40cm/15" in length, and looks stunning. It does have one minor flaw, though. The fish's right eye is starting to look downwards.
This is said to be a common defect in captive arowana and is believed to stem from their feeding mode in captivity, where food tends to drop past them. In the wild, they normally leap from the water to catch their food.
One trade visitor told us that some arowana keepers are now resorting to cosmetic veterinary surgery for their fish to correct the problem if it arises.
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Matt Clarke: 25.5.2007Views: Read 50,948 times
Comments feed
"i thought it was nice but nothing special the originals are far better(and cheaper!) it looks like it's been bred artificially"
Posted by: Paul Deadman - 2 years, 6 months agoDate: Friday May 25th, 2007, 8:32 pm
"All I can say is rearrange these words: Money more than sense."
Posted by: Alan Lilley - 2 years, 6 months agoDate: Friday May 25th, 2007, 10:44 pm
"Crazyyy man, crazyyy."
Posted by: Luke Allsop - 2 years, 5 months agoDate: Saturday May 26th, 2007, 5:35 pm
"Madness, who would part with their hard earned cash for a fish that looks like death warmed up."
Posted by: Luke Allsop - 2 years, 5 months agoDate: Saturday May 26th, 2007, 7:55 pm
"Way too much cash for any fish, I think it is more about bragging rites than with this type of situation than enjoying the hobby. "
Posted by: Kevin Sheppard - 2 years, 5 months agoDate: Sunday May 27th, 2007, 9:59 pm
"Madness, who would want to part with their hard earned cash for a fish that looks like death warmed up."
Posted by: Luke Allsop - 2 years, 5 months agoDate: Monday May 28th, 2007, 10:50 am
"This fish is truly stunning, I have seen it and was completely bowled over by it, although it is a wee bit too pricey"
Posted by: John Mccready - 2 years, 5 months agoDate: Wednesday May 30th, 2007, 10:14 am
"Yes, I think the price is perhaps more a publicity stunt than anything else. Before seeing the fish I wondered what all the fuss was about, but having seen the fish in the flesh, I have to admit that it is an exceptionally impressive looking specimen - apart from the drop-eye... "
Posted by: Matt Clarke - 2 years, 5 months agoDate: Wednesday May 30th, 2007, 10:21 am
"Not what I'd spend £200,000 on given the chance but definately an eye catching fish.
I do find the idea of cosmetic surgery for fish quite worrying though. "
Date: Tuesday June 5th, 2007, 7:35 am
"i would rather buy an asian !"
Posted by: Bradley Mcguinness - 2 years, 5 months agoDate: Wednesday June 6th, 2007, 11:08 am
"Looks great but i still don't understand why this fish has such a hefty price tag,surely if this is a rare fish or has very specific needs then it should not be available to purchase for the fishes sake."
Posted by: Antony Davies - 2 years, 5 months agoDate: Friday June 22nd, 2007, 5:02 pm
"Looks like a zombie fish that i saw in a game a few years ago. Cant see the attraction though."
Posted by: Shaun Burns - 2 years, 1 month agoDate: Tuesday October 9th, 2007, 10:56 am
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 | Editor-in-Chief, Matt Clarke, writes the regular Interesting Imports column on rare and unusual fish in the UK aquarium trade. He's kept fish for 30 years and holds a degree, two higher degrees and two diplomas in fish biology, taxonomy and computational biology. |
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"It looks dead , it looks as thought it should be in a jar of preserving liquid in a museum "
Posted by: Myles Roberts - 2 years, 6 months agoDate: Friday May 25th, 2007, 5:35 pm