arowana not acting right...

aro7

aro7

New Member
ok heres the deal...i have had my asian aro for about a week and a half. He is 12" and lives in a 150g tank with no tankmates. actually one siamese algae eater which my friend put in, but will be taking back soon. so basically no tank mates as of now.

when i first got him, he seemed very stress from the ride home, jumping around, but when he was released into the tank seemed to be swimming ok n just exploring. after the first day i would see him sitting at the bottom of the tank, not moving or swimming much. I assumed it may be my water quality. I started to do partial water changes every other day. and maintained temperature of roughly 82-84F. All the water changes were treated with prime. and i also added stresscoat once i saw he wasnt acting normal. the filter, hearters, aeration all seem to be perfectly normal.

he sits at the bottom of the tank for sometimes hours without swimming. and when he does swim, he dives up and down n then back to the bottom again. He only started eating again. but only eats if i turn off all the lights.

is this normal?? i am super paranoid!!!!

thanks for advice
 
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Was your tank fully cycled prior to bringing him home? do you have good water flow with power heads, lots of oxygen with airstones?
 
i had my tank running for about 2 weeks with the filter. I filled my filter with media taken from an established tank, in hopes of jump-starting the bacterial colonization process. After about two weeks i put a single fish in there, n watched for a few days, everything seemed to be ok...then added the aro.

I have two airstones running along with a powerhead with aeration.
 
you can also add some Seachem Stability to see if that helps. 2 weeks doesn't seem like a long time but if add some stability it might help...just trying to think of anything that might get him moving...
 
thanks for all the advice....

should i continue to do more partial water changes every other day or should i just leave it at 20-25% a week?
 
you have cycle your tank.... prior to introduction your aro to the tank.... check you water parameters and increase the water temp to 85.... and do not open the light.... for week... it possible cover the tank... so the fish will stablize. Do not feed it... the are very strong fish.. they do not have eat.. and will live. Mechanical and Biological are the two key factors for a health environmental..... Good Luck with your Aro...
 
im thinking that is my problem...tank not fully cycled.

i am going to test the water asap.


also i had a bacterial bloom a week ago...i thought it was caused from an ammonia spike, but i was reading an article and it says bacterial blooms ARE the cause of ammonia spikes not the other way around...i'm totally confused.
 
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id either go to a buddys place or your lfs and steal some dirty filter floss and stick it into your filter. i wouldnt wait to cycle the tank even with "cyle" added in, especially with an expensive aro like that inside your tank. id get dirty media and add that to your tank. always worked for me.
 
Go get your water tested at BA at Dundas since you're in Mississauga...also pick up a bottle of Seachem Stability while you're there to help with the cycling of the water. I had my tank running for a good 2+ months including using media from another tank before I added an Aro and stingrays to my tank. I had also use some other fish to help cycle the tank...best thing to do right now is get BB into the tank and stabilize it.
 
m_class2g said:
id either go to a buddys place or your lfs and steal some dirty filter floss and stick it into your filter. i wouldnt wait to cycle the tank even with "cyle" added in, especially with an expensive aro like that inside your tank. id get dirty media and add that to your tank. always worked for me.
Click to expand...

That would work too...but be sure you're getting filter from "Clean" tanks and that no bad stuff comes with it like ick or any "nasties"...
 
:-) Just incase....you never know...and make sure the filter floss or media has been fully cycled at your buddies place ....
 
ya i got the dirty filter floss from a buddy's clean cycled tank already n i put it in my filter last week...
thanks for the advice everyone..

ill keep you guys posted.
 
heres the update...hes been swimming actively now. on the occassion still sits at the bottom, but his appetite seems to be back and eats around 5-6 sw's. seems to have gotten use to the new tank and looking forward to see it grow and get better color.
 
aro7 said:
i had my tank running for about 2 weeks with the filter. I filled my filter with media taken from an established tank, in hopes of jump-starting the bacterial colonization process. After about two weeks i put a single fish in there, n watched for a few days, everything seemed to be ok...then added the aro.

I have two airstones running along with a powerhead with aeration.
Click to expand...

If you went 2 weeks without an ammonia source then all the bacteria that you introduced may have died off.

IMO this def a cycle problem.
Keep a close eye on your params and do small freaquent water changes if you have too
 
Arrow said:
If you went 2 weeks without an ammonia source then all the bacteria that you introduced may have died off.

IMO this def a cycle problem.
Keep a close eye on your params and do small freaquent water changes if you have too
Click to expand...

I think he's got everything under control now. His aro looks great now :D
 
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