Asian Arowanas

The top fish for this category is no doubt Indonesian Super red Arowana (one of the most beautiful Arowana and endangered species). Selectively screened most of the time, bred in captivity in closely guarded private ponds. Some even have armed security guards and electrified fence to ward off thieves.
Such of fish has each a microchip embedded by the back. Legal export requires this microchip as sure ID and a guarantee the specimen is from authorised breeder.

I have no idea if legal export of this exotic fish is illegal to posses in California.

Other types however are not so lucky as they cost a lot cheaper. Deep in the jungle they even still consume the poor mouth-breeding fish.

super reds are so expensive even if you just buy the juveniles directly from the pond. i wonder how much is the price on the receiving customer end.

2 G's, according to aquabid. Oh, before shipping too.

What made me very, very suspicious is that the seller claimed he bought it from a LFS. The picture was very clearly a super red asian arowana. Probably a scammer.

There are lots of LFS selling Asian aros......just gotta know who and where.

You can buy them up in Canada for a lot cheaper, but they are still expensive.
Papers legit, as for bringing them back into the States, not so sure.

2 G's is not a realistic price for a red in the U.S. For one, all Asians are illegal to own or sell here, so black market is the only way and I doubt anything on Aquabid is legit. I would guess either a scam or a legal entrapment and I would avoid completely.

I saw one guy posting on the internet for a low-grade red (pinkish really) that seemed to be a real ad. He wanted $3.5K for it and you had to pay without seeing it. Crazy!

If you can get a black they're quite beautiful. I have two silvers that are very nice, and legal.

I'm not interested, but I was just wondering if this was actually legit.

I never got the hype on the asian arowanas. I mean they are nice, but basically a slightly colored jardini. 2,3 thousand dollars pfft. I'd so rather have a big bad ass dovii instead. price 8 bucks.

Supply and demand. Oh, and the fact it's an endangered species, many asian cultures believe it brings good luck, and the fact that it is really a rare fish.

They really are an exotic fish, and seeing it in person is well worth the experience. I have a friend who has a green Asian aro, and it's beautiful. It's huge too! It's the king of freshwater fish.

Here's a typical one that looks so-so:

craigslist

Not worth the money, stress, or possible fine in my eyes.

Accoring to the Wikipedia entry for Asian Arowana, it is illegal to posses them without a permit. This is footnoted with a reference to the Fish and Wildlife Service Threatened and Endangered Species System. I'll leave it to someone else to check out F & WS.

Oh, and another thing, I didn't get all the hype about planted tanks, until I tried it. LOL, It's one thing to just see them on the internet and stuff, it's another to own one. Even though I just have a Jardinii, it's awesome.

I have kept Aros for quite some time. You will never understand until you have kept one for 5 or so yrs. I have had quite a few silvers and I am currnetly housing a 10+" Jardini. I love them.

I would only keep one in a pond. I don't think I could give an aro a home big enough without that.

Turns out asian arowannas are now legal to import. Apparently, the only one on the endangered species list is the green asian arowanna, and they have recently reclassified all the other species separately. Super reds, golden, and silver are now all different species.

^^ where did you find that information out?

I forget exactly where I found the article, but I think it is technically right. At the very least, it is now under review. I'm sure it is frowned upon because it is a loophole. Here is the official CITES list of species: http://www.cites.org/eng/app/appendices.shtml

Here is the article from CITES addressing the issue of reclassification:
http://www.cites.org/common/prog/criteria/fauna/S_formosus_US.pdf

Here is the article about reclassification:
http://www.mnhn.fr/sfi/cybium/numeros/french/274/07.sumpouyaud.html

Since the species listed on CITES is only the original species and not the new species, technically, it is not restricted. However, if someone were to put this to the test, I am sure they would be met with opposition.