Help with silver arowana

[pyroman522]

I just got a new silver arowana about a month ago.

It appears to have fin rot.... its fins just seems to be degrading to a worrying amount.

That tank is a 55g and he is alone, he is about 5 inches long.

I feed brine shrimp.

78 F degrees.


Whats your advice?

 

[Hooked Newbie]

I'm not an Aro expert by any means, but first I'd point out that that fish will outgrow a 55 VERY quickly. Also, the fin problems may be related to nutrient deficiency, brine are very low in value. How big is it? What are you water parameters? Maybe try feeding rosy reds or other live food. Not gold fish.

 

[pyroman522]

hey i know very well the size they get to. as i said it has a 55g by itself and a magnum 350 canister filter on it. its 5 inches right now. water parameters appeart normal for a tropical tank.

 

[---MR.CLEAN---]

Hmm never kept arowana but try a very colorfull diet: insects, fish, fruits, veges, worms, larvae. If that dosent help you could try MELAFIX its all natural from Tea trees it repairs damaged fins, ulcers and opened wounds.
Hope this helps

 

[Hooked Newbie]

I mean no offense and like I said, I'm not an expert. Most folks recommend a huge tank for an adult though. By "normal water parameters" you mean? Ammo, Nitrite, Nitrate? Knowing nothing about them, I'd still suggest that you improve it's diet.

 

[Lupin]

Doing plenty of water changes is always the solution for mild cases of finrot. I'd like to know your water parameters, tank maintenance schedule, feeding schedule and whether you introduced the arowana or not while the tank was cycling. Aros are hardy enough as they mature but sensitive as juveniles and prone to finrot and cloudy eyes.

 

[pyroman522]

nitrate 20
nitrie 0
hardnessss 150
alk 80
ph 7.2
temp 78

have had tank running for a week when i got it and those are the same stats. I have had it for a month

feed it nightly x2 squares of brine shrimp

magnum 350 filter in it

i introduced it by keeping it in its bag and setting the bag in the tank for a half hour. I tested the water from the bag and stats were very close so i then net the fish and put it in the tank.

No offense taken, i know very well it will outgrow the tank. And that gives me a excuse to go bigger

 

[Lupin]

Hmmm..What's the ammonia? Is that all you feed? Brine shrimps? You need to vary the diet. How often do you maintain that tank?

 

[TMDragon]

Like Lupin said, frequent water changes will help the most. If you result to treating the finrot with medication, be very careful. Most medications only recommend using half doses for Arowanas. You might want to double check with your lfs to make sure. Best method is just plenty of water changes.

Definitely get your arowana off the brine shrimp and get him on some floating carnivore pellets. If they are too large for him, a good flake food will suffice for the time being until he's large enough to handle pellets. Stay away from feeders and keep your lid tightly secured. I lost my first Silver Aro that way when he was 13 inches. Knocked the phonebooks off my lid and jumped out. Also make sure every, and I mean EVERY opening is covered. All he needs is a tiny hole as big as he is wide for him to escape and kill himself (That actually just recently happend to a fellow arowana keeper on MFK).

Btw: Monster Fish Keepers has an Arowana subforum if you have any future aro specific questions. Lots of experienced aro owners with true monsters.

 

[pyroman522]

why stay away from feeders?