Coming directly from The Amazon, Black Arowanas (Osteoglossum ferreirai) are the right fish for those looking for a rare and unique-looking fish.

This fish is a demanding species, recommended for experienced aquarists. In addition to its aggressiveness, the Black Arowana demands high-quality water and spacious aquariums.

Juveniles have a beautiful and shiny black coloration on their scales, with yellow and gold stripes on the body and fins.

As they grow, the dark coloring of its body, and the yellow markings, give way to beautiful iridescent scales of dark bluish gray tones. The fins continue with a slightly sleek dark color, something graceful and unique to this species. When adults, they somewhat resemble the Silver Arowana (Osteoglossum bicirrhosum), however they display a more slender body with darker colors, in addition to reaching a smaller size and being notably more territorial than its silver cousin.

Black Arowanas are undoubtedly incredible and robust surface predator fish. Locally known as "monkey fish" by fishermen, it earned this name because this fish can launch itself out of the water to hunt its prey.

With a restricted occurrence in the dark-colored waters of the Rio Negro basin, their distribution ranges from Brazil to the border region between Colombia and Venezuela, where you can find them in slightly lighter-colored waters.

Black Arowana Care Information:

Scientific name: Osteoglossum ferreirai
Common name: Black Arowana
Order: Osteoglossiformes — Family: Osteoglossidae
Distribution: South America. Rio Negro basin
Behavior: Generally peaceful. Territorial towards its own species. 
Compatibility: Does well in a community tank or solo. Tank mates must be big enough to not fit in the Arowanas large mouth, and must not be too aggressive either. Great tank mate options are fish such as large peaceful South American cichlids, large bottom dwellers, or any fish with similar care requirements that will not harm the Arowana. It is typically advised to only keep a single arowana in an aquarium, however if you have enough space, you can keep several in a group. If keeping multiple Arowanas, it is a good idea to keep no less than 3, preferably more, as it will help to defuse any aggression and ensure that a single fish is not targeted by aggression. This should only be done by the most experienced of aquarists.
Adult Size: Up to 36” in the wild, with +/- 24” in captivity being more common.
Life Expectancy: 20 years
pH: 6.0 to 7.0
Temperature: 77 to 86 F
Minimum size tank: 250 gallons
Diet: Carnivore.
Reproduction and Breeding: Oviparous, buccal incubator. The male will court the female, moving close
to her. If accepted, they will start swimming in circles where the female will release the eggs into the substrate, and the male will then fertilize, keeping it in his mouth cavity shortly after. The male will carry the eggs in his mouth until they hatch, as will the juveniles for the next few weeks.
Sexual Dimorphism: Almost imperceptible sexual dimorphism, adult females usually have a more rounded body and a slightly shorter anal fin.
Additional Information: You should vary your diet as much as possible; and consider possibly even including insects and other types of live foods in their diet. The length and width of the aquarium are extremely important for the maintenance of the species more-so than the height, as having plenty of space for the fish to rotate is vital since its body is not as flexible as it may appear. You must also use a strong/heavy cover on the tank since this species is a very strong jumper.