Housing and Disease
Housing arowana:
Arowana are territoral and aggressive fishes. Therefor, never keep 2-3 fish together in the same tank (with some exception, I have seen 2 adult arowanan live peacefull in the same tank together) Instead, keep 1 alone or at least 5-6 in the tank together. when in groups their aggressiveness tends to be subdued. Arowana is a large fish, it can grow up to 2 feet in aquarium or 3 feet in a wild. Like other freshwater tropical fish arowana prefer slightly acidic, aged water (pH 5.5-6.5) and temperatures betweent (28-30*C). Arowana are surface weller, the deep dimension of the tank is not necssecsary than the lengh and wide. An ideal tank size for adult arowana is 6ft long 2.5ft wide and 2 ft hight, if you want to keep arow in groups the tank size need to be at least 8x2x2 ft. Arowana is a jumping fish therefor cover is a Must in other keep arowana (the death of arowana by jump out of water is higher than any cause death by disease).
Desesese & Treatment:
Loss of Appetitte:
Is very common problem for arwana keeper. This result my be due to the following reasons: poor wanter condition(high amonia/nitate/nitrite/pH/ teperatural levels); tressful environment (newly moved fish, recent change in environment, jumpy...); over feeding (alway feed 70% amount of food that arowana can normal consum at one time- for small fish less than 6 in 2 times a day, for large arowana over 12 in one aday or one very other day); internal parasites...Treatment can be done by larger water change (50%), check water chemistry, cover the tank and add black water to came down the fish, cut down feeding.
Dropped Scale & Fin Membrane Tear:
Also one of the most common problem due to a jumping and acgressive behaviors: Cause by Physical injury ( fight, jumping or darting around the tanks). they heal fast, within days or weeks, however it may take months for the color of the new scale to catch up with the rest. Treatment, usually let the nature do the jobs. add 0.3 % salt, and feed nutritions food, add antibiodic to revent infection at injure sites.
Head-Rod & SCale Seem Smelted Away Syndrome: (common at X-Back Golden):
The head of the fish start to get swollen followed by a layer peeling off from the skin, small hole in the head and start to get larger day by day, or a scales of the fish seem smelted away (some kind of corrosives,or somthing eating the scale away form the out side in) scales become iregurlar shape
sign start after introdcing activated cabon into filter. Treatment removed activatied cabon, healing is usually occur within fews days when activated cabon is removed.
Gill Curl Syndrome:
Common problem at adult arowana: gill cover of the arowana curl outward start from the soft part toward the hard part causing breathing difficulty in result may be fetal. Cause may by due to poor water conditions (high Amonia, Nitrite,Nitrate levels), or lack of space (big fish in small tank). Treatment need large water change (50%) increse oxygent dissolved and water current, moved fish to larger tank. may need surgery to removed the curling if the hard part of gill is effected.
Dropeye Syndrome:
Also common seen at adult arowana: This is not a disease, may cause by change of nature to captive environment, which make the fish look side and down rather than up (fish can see trought glass or fiber plastic tankwalls) this also belved due to overfeeding (fat's fish) fat layer developed
in the eyes socket make the fish drop down. Genetic also the biggest factor in this problem.
Broken Barble:
Barble is important part of arowan beauty, it also beleve the symbone for dragon horn. due to physical injury of viollent behavior. Treatment, porvied good food and water conditions, add 0.3% salt. if the base of the barbles is not damage the barble will grow back. if the base is damage cut the barble at base and hopefully it will grow back again.
Inforamiton are taken form Dr.Yoong arowana pages