My arowanas are also not eating…

thanx buddy!

i was facing the same problem from last 2 months. now i know that it was all due to heavy construction work going beside my building.

thanx for ur valuable article.

keep on with ur good work.

Hello there…

I agree dat perhaps renovation would b 1 of da possibilities…but steven I experienced a diff
thing..it's da water problem…since I seldomly feed my aro with pellets…they're only fed on living foods…da water is so clear to convince me to let it flowing as usual n not to change it..till 1 day my aro totally refuse to eat..it's really freakin me out..but da appetite gradually cured when i change da water n put some salt into it…n this really taught me a gud lesson..

Note:Don't give up to find out da probs..

Cheers…

May be the temperature was too low?

Hi

As a fish vet, I highly recommend that changing the water is a good idea. We had many cases like this and found that the vapor or dust of the paint or other chemicals caused by construction can really damage the fish. We had as low as .01 ppb paint composition concentration to start damaging the liver function before. You can also give some liver tonic if fish start eating a bit. Ask your vet about it and place it in food. I hope your fish gets better soon.

hello
i had the same problem, when i try to do the hardwood flooring in my house last fall. now i know the answer,
anyway good that they r back in the track.

my arowana fish also not eating, the tank and the water verry god and no broplem i have,, bat also not eating,,
bat i have th idea for all friend how they have same broplem,,
you can pot some of (garlic) with th arowana food, its aesy,, you can bay it from the fish market or you can do it on your self by take halve piece of garlic and put it few minutes with arowana food,,th arowana wl be more healthy than befor,,,

Dear Nantarika,

I am lucky to bump into a fish vet like you.Your logic is very sound of the paint vapours polluting the atmosphere.My guess was the same,when I was reading the comments before yours.

Now, I wish to seek your advice.My Arowana,had to be moved into my waterfall pond,because my glass tank inside the house gave way in the corner and am trying to repair it.I was told that because of new environment the Arowana will not eat.I feed it prawns.To see that my Arowana does not starve,I bought some feeder gold fish. I also put some big gold (8 inches)and some suckers with the Arowana.The arowana seems to have accepted their company.But, suddenly I find the small feeder gold nibbling the back/spine of the Arowana from top, hwere the slimy part from its back had got scraped off due to constant rubbing when it was kept in a tub earlier and the tub was covered with a coarse bedsheet to prevent it from jumping.

What do I do ? Please advice.I do not know whether it eats.I put prawns in the tank for the Arowana, but the other fish may be consuming it, thouhg I out pellets for the other fish.

Hi ! Steven,

I have replied to Nantarika's comment.I am sure,your Arowana is in safe hands like yours.My suggestion is to see the colour of the Arowana's droppings.If colour is pinkish means good digestion, if colour is greenish,then the feed may not have been fresh and the Arowana would prefer to starve itself.The natures way of getting the digestive system of the fish back to normal I suppose.I have seen my Arowana rejecting the food I give it, unless it is really hungry.

Thanks for pains you take to keep the Arowana fans united.Nice forum to share each others pains and pleasures.

Bye!Take care.

Nantarika,
I never thought of paint vapour. Could be that as well. But as I always said, change the water if you see any changes in the behaviour of your arowanas. (or for that matter, any fishes at all!)
I bought some feeder fish yesterday.. it's eating them… so I guess it's got it's apetitite back… I'M SO GLAD!!!

Steven

Shankar,
If the other smaller fishes are eating the slime off your arowana, this is not good… Take those fishes out now.. If your arowana is healthy, these small fishes would not even dare go near it…

Steven

Hi Steven,
Dont be to worried as your babies are by nature able withstand without eating for one month.I have personaly seen a X back gold not eating for two years and still grow and look very healthy and very broad body and beautiful.Let them be for a few daysand change your feeds try frozen worms.Hope this will help. Bon APPETITE

Cheers
RT

Hi Steven ,

It's sad to hear that your precious mermaids are not eating , i know arowanas are wary in their
natural instinct and surrounding's environmental. I remembered back in March , my place needs renovation to removed my filthy old carpets,on the first floor and every other furnitures and beds to upstairs second floor .
Have my 30 Gallon tank temporary moved upstairs with my Rosie arowana (5 months )This way ,rosie will not be jumpy and be calm during the processed of renovation for 7 days . So i could finished the paintings on the 1st floor and replaced new wooden mahagony on the removed carpets.

Hi Steven ,

It's sad to hear that your precious mermaids are not eating , i know arowanas are wary in their
natural instinct and surrounding's environmental. I remembered back in March , my place needs renovation to removed my filthy old carpets,on the first floor and every other furnitures and beds to upstairs second floor .
Have my 30 Gallon tank temporary moved upstairs with my Rosie arowana (5 months )This way ,rosie will not be jumpy and be calm during the processed of renovation for 7 days . So i could finished the paintings on the 1st floor and replaced new wooden mahagony on the removed carpets.
This is my Rosie ,posted on utube before renovation in mARCH 18TH 2008 'Please click on the link .
http://www.youtube.com/user/simonchaw

Dear Mr. Steve,

I have Silver Asian Arowana which is 1 Year Old. It had grown about 2 Feet Long. Last few months I find that the growth is very less. I feed them with Feeder Gold Fish, Chicken Pieces, Chicken Liver, Prawans & Arowana Foods.

I also want to know whether my Arowona is Male or Female and how & When can I breed them.

Also recommend me how frequently we need to change water from the Tank.

Please give your suggestion.

Thank & Regards.
V. Hem Sankar, Chennai, India.

Hi Steven,
Im sorry to hear about your 5 XBack which were not eating for quite a time now. As long as they look and move healthy, I think its no problem. At least you did notice some problems in the near surroundings of your aquarium. Thanks for sharing me your observations.
I have a 2year old Blue base RTG which I notice recently loosing gradually its appetite, and some scales looks like melting and its lateral holes are getting bigger. I did the 20%water change more frequently and add 3% salt every water change. In two weeks, the RTG is back to its normal appetite. Can you advice me on what to do with its crooked scales?
Thank in advance.

Hi everyone,
Thanks so much for all your concerns. The GOOD News is my 5 arowanas are eating now! I bought some feeder fish and fed it to them and they are eating heartily now. I am in Kuala Lumpur for Vesak Day holidays and have asked my maid to continue to feed them everyday. (I bought extra feeder fish which I put into my pond so my maid just has to scoop up some everyday.)
I think they are fine now. Thanks again everyone for your concerns..Cheers!

Steven

Tonio,
Your arowana lost some scales probably because it jumped against the cover or something. Don't worry as this is normal.. I'm not sure what you mean by crooked scales but if these are the loose scales, they will drop off when the new ones grow underneath it.

Steven

Sankar,
I cover all these and more in my arowana care book. Would encourage you to get a copy at http://www.arowana-care.com/arocare
to learn more.

Steven

Simon,
Nice arowana. By the way, what is that device attached to your tank?

Steven

Roland,
Are you serious? 2 years? Man that is a long time! The longest I have heard is from another reader who's arowana did not eat for 5 months.
Unbelievable! Thanks for sharing…

Steven

tHANKS FOR YOR compliments ,Steven .That special device is for my aquarium PH reading andAMMONIA reading ,but needs to be change in several months,when it gets weaker indication'S .

Hi all

I also facing the same problem. It's may be the summer time. that's why my arowana is not eating much food like humans also lose their appitite in summer.

After my 30 inch Silver South American Arowana and 30 inch Platinum South American Arowana quit eating for 8 weeks Steven successfully advised the following:

1. Add 1 tsp per salt (non-iodized) per gallon.
2. 25% water changes daily.

In addition, I raised the temperature per Gabriel Posada (Wattley Discus)to 90 degrees. He also agreed with the water changes. He said to be patient.

I also used heavy metal and chlorine neutralizers when changing the water.

After 4 days of the above they started eating.

Be patient!!!!

KISS: Keep it Simple Stupid. Most of us over analyze the problem and forget about basic water quality.

Hi,

Im planning on importing a Super Red arowana to the UAE through some aquarium dealears here. Each dealer seems to have their own suppllier either in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand or Taiwan. The Prices of the malaysian imports seem much higher than that of the other countries. When I asked why, the dealears say that malaysian arowanas are of supirior quality in comparison to other countries. Is this true?, or should I order from one of the other countries since the prices are much cheaper than the malaysian origin. All imports from all countries provide Certification and Microchip embeded fish.

Please advise

Regards

Zafi

Zafi,
I won't comment on who's fish is superior as most of them are marketing gimmicks and unless you know how to see a 'good' fish from another, you will definitely be overwhelmed by all the talk! Every batch of babies that come out will have good and bad ones. You just need to make a educated guess base on your own 'feel'. I always say, if you look at something and you like it.. then that is for you! Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
But having said that, yes they must have a chip in them with a cert from the farm that produced the fish.

Steven

Steven M,
I was going to share your story soon! But thanks for sharing anyway.

Cheers
Steven

Hi Steven,

Thanks for the info.

Let me explain my situation in deatail so that you get a better idea.

Since I'm in the UAE I have no way of viewing any of the fish which will be imported, hence having to rely solely on the dealers here. All dealers assure me that any type of asian arowana imported into the UAE from any country (Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand) will have proper CITES certification as well as microchip embedded fish and all arowanas will be of 7-8 inches in size. My major concern is, Why the Malaysian import costs more (US$ 2000 for super red)in comparison to Thailand(US$ 1500 for super red)Since I have no way of knowing what I'm paying for, would it make any differnce where I import it from and hope for the best. Hope I'm not putting you in an awkward situation by trying to make you comment in terms of which country has better quality arowana, if so , you don't have to say anything and I'll tataly understand, but any kind of advise will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Zafi

Hi Zafi - Why not cut out the middlemen and import the fish yourself?It is really not that hard to do. I have been arranging group buy orders in Canada for years now with great success. This way you can choose your farm by reputation and be assured of the quality. If you are prepared to spend between $5,000 and $10,000 US for an order, then importing yourself makes total sense!

Hi Theo,

Thanks for the response. The method that you've mentioned of importing Asian arowana, direct from a reputed farm, seems to be one of the best methods in terms of assuring Quality and cost, but…………

1. Aren’t the logistics behind this method very complicated?
2. Shouldn't one acquire an import permit / licence?
3. Collection and responsibility for mortalities?

Also, since Dubai doesn't have much of an arowana fan-base, it might be difficult to find interested parties for a group order. I know this for a fact, since I tried locating people here who would be interested in Asian arowanas and the results were very disappointing. Besides, not even a single aquarium or pet store here, have Asian arowana for sale and only a few of them are even willing to import as a special order. Having said that, I will nevertheless, try and work around your method. So I would really appreciate it if you could let me know more info regarding this matter.

Thanks a million

Zafi

I wrote an article explaining the method I used at http://www.aquarticles.com/articles/management/Wyne_Importing_Asian_Arowana.html

If you are not looking to buy a lot of fish, but are looking at spending around$4,000-$5,000, you can still do an order on your own. I can recommend several farms. Panda has always done very well by me. For other farms you might want to email me at dragonfish.ca@gmail.com and I will pass on more recommendations.

The main challenge for you is to find out which department in your government handles CITES applications. Once you establish that information, the rest is very very easy. Who knows, once you import the fish and can show prospective customers their beauty, you may be able to sell some so as to offset your import costs…

It might be the cause of renovation. But mine was due to the change of water (sometimes). Good idea about adding salt. And the best way to add salt is that we sew a small cotton bag and put about 1/2 kg at a time. I don't know if I'm correct!!!

But how to make my fish not to be scared while feeding? It jumps out of the aquarium twice 2 years ago. Sometimes it jumps up & down inside the aquarium too injuring itself. Scale came off etc.

Cheers
WHY

ur baby is very beautiful, take good care off it.

to steven & all aro buddys,
due to this " not eating" problem, it can be so many reason, what i had experiences with as below.
1. water ph change due to feed with live food, bcoz off it mught not show a cloudy water, but dosen't means it ph & dh will stand always the same, as an exp my baby stay at a very high ph condition water due to my housing area is that, but water ph will drop from ph8 to about ph6 around 3-4 days, the fish will adapted the water condition, so in diffrent area it might have a different situation, but is not a problem, beside is a very exciting n joy for learn n upgrade ourself.thats all about it, take this as a hobby.

2. some fish not having appetite due to over feeding, when we r too good with them, they might show this kind off character, what i do is maintain my routine off changing water, keep track with the filter, n soon or later it will understand we r the 1 who feed"" hahaha….

3. one off the main reason i encounter with, is "emotion"; aro is very emotional, due to my experience with this hobby, "discus n aro" is the one most emotional n most eazy to keep, if we know what n how to take care off them. sometime we just need to sit n talk to them, look at thier eyes, tell them that we care n love them, it help to calm them down n help the fish to understand us. touch is sometime nessescery .
some others reason had been stated down from the rest off buddys, and is very usefull n priceless expriences, appreciated.
some others things to add here, when more a week the fish is not eating but still active n seem alright, i add a capsule off multivitamin to my 4' x2'x2'tank, is proof to be usefull.(1 capsule/2 weeks)
is very nice to have a place to express myself here. most off aquarium owner might not like someone that too honest with what they have in their shop.
goodday friends

Hi Steven ,

The Environment Australian have rejected the proposal of
importing Asian Arowana, please click on the link;
http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/trade-use/lists/import/amend/unsuitable.html

Lawrence,
What you can do is introduce a routine in your feeding pattern. I have 2 small holes in the glass cover on top. What I do is always feed from one hole only. This routine will kinda ensure that if you are going near that hole, they know that you are probably going to feed it.. So they will wait with anticipation. This will usually lessen their nervousness.

Scales coming off due to injury from jumping is common. Don't worry about it.

Steven

Simon,
It is indeed sad that certain countries have again rejected the importation of this beautiful fish.. but life goes on I guess.

Steven

Steven Tan,
Thanks for sharing. I think the people here will appreciate your sharing..

Steven

Zafi,
You can try Theo's suggestion if you can get a groups of people to import arowanas. But unfortunately like you say, if the demand is not there, this proposition can be tough.

Also I want to comment on some of the points in your post. Today only Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia are breeding asian arowanas commercially. Thailand also buys from these countries. So my take is, buy direct from the source countries.

As for why the price difference, I can't really say as it could be anything! For example, higher cost to ship to you from certain countries, better breed in certain places, etc..

Hope this helps.

Steven
Steven

hi , I have an arowana , and he has stoppped feeding this past week , no changes in water etc' and no changes in the house ?? please help

Margaret,
If that is the case, you might want to start to change the water first as most problems are link to your water condition.

Steven

Hi Steven , thanks for the advice have allready done that and checked temp' filter and water chemistry

Hi , still no sign of the arowana being interested in food , does anyone have any suggestions please HELP!

11

Margaret,
How often are you changing your water? Also how much do you change at any one time? Do you add anything when you change the water?

Steven

Hi Zafi,im in uae too and recently i have been interested in buying an arowana. I want to discuss many things. Add me strongboy_f5@yahoo.com

Hi Mate,(strongboy)

If you are still interested in getting an asian arowana in the UAE,do cantact me. I got an RTG arowana from Xiangleng Malaysia which is supposed to be one of the best and reliable farms around (Hope Steven can clarify this statement) and have friends who have many different types of asian arowana, sting ray etc. (building up an arowana fan base in the UAE). So we can help you out with good and reliable contacts if you want to get an asian aro for yourself.

You can e-mail me on: zafijameel@gmail.com
or call me on my mobile: 050 3596244 (Dubai)

Regards

Zafi

Hi,

As a newby in having Arowana,

1) a)How often we need to change water after the 1st setup of a new tank?
b))how many %?

2) a)What type of the 1st food you give when a new Arowana comes a new tank?
b)How early to give them food as i'm aware that they wont eat for the first few days maybe weeks?

Azhar,
1) every 2 weeks would be gd..
2) depending on how big it is.. I assume that it is a 6-8inch aro. guppies would be gd. You can start to give them food maybe a day or 2 after they arrive..

Steven

Hey ppl i need help i took a closer look at the scales of my arowana and it seems that there are quite alot of small holes and there is lyk something cloudy on both eyes and also this is my first time having an arowana i really need help pls thanks

Jethro,
If your arowana's eyes are cloudy, then your water quality is not good. You need to change it more often.

Steven

Hi,

Please help me !!!!
I m having silver arrowana of one year 16"…. 2 weeks back he jump out of tank,Luckyly I saw and immediatly put him back in the tank,but since that day he had stopped eatting food….i gave him everything whatever he liked, prawns,guppies,etc…i also change 1/4 water daily and also add 3% of salt in it,but still he is not eating,he swims well..and all of his injury has been healed.Please help me i really want to save her

Priya,
I can't really comment here as it could have an internal injury that you don't know about. You just have to continue to monitor it and hope for the best. You don't have to change water everyday.. Just change maybe twice a week.

Steven

Hi,
Need your advice badly, please….as i am very new in this arowana thingy.
Ok, here is the case, i bought my arowana on the 25th Nov. it's a YT, about 2 fingers in size when i bought it. Prior to this purchase, i have let the water in the aquarium running for 24 hrs. Then only, i purchase my aro.

1 st week he was swimming OK. Eating moderately, 2-3 small worms ea feeding. i fed my aro twice in day.
on last saturday, i change the water and again on Sunday. Ea time about 30%. add 1 spoon of salt and 1 cap of anti-chlorine.
he was eating fine, in fact on Monday, he ate 13 worms in the morning and 7 in the evening.
I do not know why but thanks to my no good instinct, i change the water again on Tuesday and put in a plant.
That's where the problem started, he has stopped eating, he swim with his nose upward as if taking air and he act as if it's body is iching by rubbing the body at the aquarium floor and side glass.

I have added S1- the green colour and take out the plant. The iching has stop but he still doesnt want to eat and sometimes still swim with the nose upward.

what should i do?? Should i change the water again?? Was there a possibility the pail that i have use to add in the water was contaminated. It was used to wash clothes, anyway.

Please advice,

Hello Everyone.
I Just bought an Arowana, i cant really tell what type it is <__<", it has an orange-like tail.
The shopkeeper sold us her food too, which is baby shirmps, well at least look like it.
ShopKeeper told us to give 5 baby shrimps a day.. and we did..
But she pukes her shirmps.. I don't know what am sppose to do and am getting worried. Its her 2nd day and hasn't eaten anything, ill happy if someone suggest me what i should.