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Why does everyone loke putting Arowanas in undersized tanks!


Dixon1990

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They may look healthy at the moment, but that could just be due to diet. Once the aro gets older, you can start to see signs like a curved spine or gill curl more obviously. Another thing I've noticed about aros in pics even on this forum is that many have droop eye, indicating an excessively fatty diet. I don't want to imagine what their livers look like! :o

I guess people like the idea of keeping aros without taking into consideration how much tank space they really need. Ideally the length of an aro's tank should be 1.5x the length of the fish and the width should be at least 1x the length of the fish. I wonder how often LFS ensure aros are going to proper homes before they sell them off at such exuberant prices..

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i always thought there is no explanation for drop eye

i have had a few aros in my time,all get feed the same things and some have DE and some dont it just the luck of the draw with their genes

Hmmm.. I don't think so.

From what I've been reading and researching about aros (for my future dream tank), the main causes of drop eye are fatty foods resulting in a "pocket" of fat on the upper eye lid, causing the eye to "drop".

Another reason is having a reflective bottom surface, or having other pets/ children running around beneath the tank, causing the aro to look down at its own reflection/ external movement.

I don't know this from first-hand experience, but it's based on what I've read on aro care/ husbandry.

almost tempted to buy them just b'cos they look so uncomfortable!

I'm tempted to buy them whatever the reason! Aros are my dream fish, pity they are so expensive.. :cry:

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Hmmm.. I don't think so.

From what I've been reading and researching about aros (for my future dream tank), the main causes of drop eye are fatty foods resulting in a "pocket" of fat on the upper eye lid, causing the eye to "drop".

Another reason is having a reflective bottom surface, or having other pets/ children running around beneath the tank, causing the aro to look down at its own reflection/ external movement.

I don't know this from first-hand experience, but it's based on what I've read on aro care/ husbandry.

i have read alot about DE but there has been no true research to prove what causes DE, i have/had 6 silvers and 2 asian reds, they all get feed the same foods, bare bottom to tanks with substrate and i have found some aro gets it and some dont

once you get an aro, you will know its the luck of the draw, no matter if the tank is bb or what type of foods you feed it

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evil_elmo is on the money, I've seen wild caught aros with de, aros in huge public aquariums with de, aros in tanks with no tankmates and only fed pellets that got de.

ally07; good on you for researching the topic, however you should automatically ignore anyone who says that de is caused by an aro looking at its reflection in the bottom of a bare tank. Why? Go put a mask on and stick your head in the tank and look at the bottom..... :wink:

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evil_elmo is on the money, I've seen wild caught aros with de, aros in huge public aquariums with de, aros in tanks with no tankmates and only fed pellets that got de.

ally07; good on you for researching the topic, however you should automatically ignore anyone who says that de is caused by an aro looking at its reflection in the bottom of a bare tank. Why? Go put a mask on and stick your head in the tank and look at the bottom..... :wink:

Hmmm.. Interesting.. Maybe it's genetic? Some aros have worse DE genes than others?

Haha, sounds like a fun weekend activity! :bounce:

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I've often wondered about that, as aros (not sure if this is strictly the south american species but I'd guess so) have specially adapted eyes for spotting insects in the branches above the water in the flooded forrest, perhaps putting them in a tank with several bright lights causes them to constantly look down away from the light. I'd like to experiment with pond-raised fish, but our climate isn't cooperating! My biggest questions about that theory is why it only happens to silvers and not blacks, and why it often only happens in one eye.

In reality I think its likely to be a combination of things, including genetics and environment.

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yes i believe it is a combination of conditions, food types and genetic prediposition

maybe the upward gaze means the bottom muscle on the eye is stronger and diet can accumulate more fat or fluid in the system around the eyes, weaker top muscle letting go first?

living in a river as opposed to an aquarium would probably produce a fitter and leaner fish

not couch potatoes

frequency of food may be greater as well in the aquarium

would be interesting to know how many aros with DE lived for awhile when younger

lived with bottom fin nipping tankmates :wink:

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