Queensland Saratoga 12cm

Queensland Saratoga

The saratoga is Australia's most perfect solution to keeping the banned Asian Arowana. This species is a native Australian fish that is a very close relative to the highly coveted arowana and carries basically all the same care requirements whilst only looking slightly different. In Australia these are actually a common sports fish but in an aquarium they are truly majestic as they glide through the water. There are actually 2 species of saratoga being the Jardini and Leichardti, both of these fish only have minor physical differences. The leichardti is the more easier to acquire and cheaper for both species.

These are large going fish that get around 95 cm, they look absolutely stunning in large tanks and are often the kept in a species only setting to really show off their beauty. Colouration wise the Saratoga leichardti has varying shades of olive green to a golden brown. Their underbelly starts as a metallic gold colour which then transitions up to a darker brown. Across their large armour like scales, the saratoga has speckles of reddish pink which stand out really well. The other recognisable factors about these fish are their trap jaw-like mouth and large fins which make these fish look like a dragon in the aquarium.

Saratoga are highly territorial to members of their own species and for this reason, it is best to keep them alone. Breeding them in captivity is possible but only in the largest of tanks and is generally impractical. A vast majority of these fish are wild-caught caught but some are bred in large, natural ponds. Males and females do not have any distinguishing factors either.

Tank Recommendations for your Queensland Saratoga
Since the saratoga leichardti will reach around 90 cm it is best to keep them in a minimum aquarium volume of around 800 litres. These are active fish that are always moving and in smaller aquarium sizes they can get easily startled and jump. It is also a must to have a tight-fitting lid due to the risk of jumping.

Saratoga are an open-water fish, in the wild they are often found swimming under overhanging vegetation looking for food but there is little obstruction under the water when they swim. It's actually better to keep these fish without little to no hardscape due to the higher risk of them being injured in the aquarium. If you did want a hardscape, it would be best to have a thin, sandy substrate along with large, smooth river stones and small short, and once again smooth driftwood pieces.

Suitable Tank Buddies
It is usually best to keep the saratoga alone or with minimal, selective tank mates. These fish have surprisingly large mouths and can eat pretty large fish, they are however easily spooked and stressed by aggressive fish. In this situation their first resort is to jump, they can quite easily break through a glass lid at full size or cause serious spinal damage when they hit the glass.

Usually Compatible
Barramundi, Australian Lungfish, Freshwater Stingrays, Severum, Oscar, Silver perc,h, and other larger, semi-aggressive fish.

Sometimes Compatible
Smaller - medium size cichlids or native Australian perches which can either be constantly attacked by the saratoga or straight-up eaten.

Rarely Compatible
Nano fish because it's almost certain that the saratoga may attempt to eat fish smaller than the size of its mouth. There are also some species that are too aggressive for Saratoga such as Murray cod.

Feeding your Queensland Saratoga
Since almost all saratoga leichardti come from the wild, they may not take to pellets right away. It is best to start them on invertebrate-based live foods like black worms or earthworms and try to avoid live feeder fish since these have a high risk of carrying diseases unless you have bred and raised them yourself. Regular attempts to feed floating pellets can be made and they should take to these after a few attempts.