It seems like there is a surge in interest of people who are interested in investing in an arowana breeding farm. These investors are of course only interested in the pricier asian arowanas which consist mostly of the reds, cross back golds and the red tail golden. (or more popularly known as RTGs) As the countries in Asia continues to grow in stature and wealth, we will see a growing demand for asian arowanas especially in China.



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.

The prices of these magnificient asian arowanas (red, gold and RTGs) has also been consistently high because they are difficult to breed. As of today, only Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore have successfully bred them commercially. No other country has been able to breed them thus far which makes asian arowanas always in short supply in the market. Some have tried breeding them in tanks but the success rates here are just too low to speak off and is therefore not commercially viable.

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 initial investment into this can be quite substantial because you have to purchase many adult arowanas of breeding age. You will also need many ponds of about 20-40 adult arowanas each if this is to succeed as a business because not all ponds will be producing from day one. Each adult arowana will cost between $5000 - $10,000 so you will need to work out your sums. And this cost is on top of the investment you have put in for the farm itself!

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) I want to repeat the following facts again. Asian arowanas has only been successfully bred commercially in three countries so far, namely Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia. If you are contemplating investing in a breeding farm in some other country, please be very sure this is what you want to try. The climate and soil might be similar in some other countries but obviously they are not the same. Asian arowanas will only breed in the 'optimal' mix of climate, soil and water in the mud ponds. However, does this mean that it will never be able to breed elsewhere? No one knows! In this day and age, never say never but just know the risks you are taking.