With the recent addition of our third arapaima (Arapaima gigas) to the flooded forest, now is the opportune moment to give more information on how we manage these fish. The two large arapaima are fed twice weekly with frozen trout, herring and capelin. These frozen fish are supplemented with a multi-vitamin to account for any lost nutrients during the thawing process. However, the newest addition, which is about three feet long, is fed daily – both to encourage growth and to discourage predation on the smaller fish in the tank.

Here is a picture of our newest addition surrounded by pacu:

The daily feedings have the effect of associating people with food – in essence, it begs for food whenever a biologist is around the rim of the tank. This allows us to monitor the fish’s health and behavior easily; and in a 100,000 gallon tank, a three foot long fish can be hard to spot.

One very hungry little arapaima:

For more general information on Arapaima gigas, check out our Rainforest FAQ’s post.