Do Black Arowana get dropeye?

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I have had 5 black arowanas in the past and present and currently have a 24" pair and no drop eye occurred in any of them.
 
I've seen photos/videos of at least 3 different black aros with one drop eye. That's not bad compared to silver aros drop eye rate.


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I've seen photos videos of millions and millions of silvers with drop eye

So by you saying you have seen three is like me saying I have seen 3 photos videos of double headed aros


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Yes, they can get drop eye. That's info from a guy who's been a marine biologist and ichthyologist for over 30 years and in the aquarium business for just as long. Both silvers and blacks can get DE and it doesn't have anything to do with genetics or fat deposits. It really has everything to do with the fish having to look down for food or down at things outside of the tank and inside the tank. Keep a silver in a pond-like setup and feed only floating foods and it won't be likely to get DE.
 
His explanation, paraphrased, was: "It's not genetically linked because then you would have populations of silver arowanas that always get DE and populations that never do. It would also be evident from much earlier in the fish's life as well. It can't be fat deposits because if it were due to that then the eyes would be affected all around, not just pointed downwards so it can't be due to fatty deposits. The only explanation left that would make sense is that arowanas get DE due to looking down for food in the home aquaria all of the time and looking down at tankmates. It's also noted that silvers are a bit more paranoid of their surroundings than black arowanas are too, so they are more likely to constantly keep an eye on things that are under them both inside and outside of the tank."
 
I disagree on everything, Black arowanas are way more skittish then silvers and I have not seen one black aro with DE. Just about every silver arowana I have seen has drop eye and blacks are kept in the same type of aquarium setups with no drop eye. It all has to do with genetics and inbreeding! Same reason lots of asian aros get drop eye as they are line bred,farm bred and inbred like silvers. Majority of black arowanas are WC!
 
I also do not buy that theory. Years of bla ks and silvers in aquaria, kept in exactly the same condition, poitns otherwise.

It may not be genetics, it may not be fat deposits. But silvers have the established tendency for DE and blacks do not.
 
I disagree on everything, Black arowanas are way more skittish then silvers and I have not seen one black aro with DE. Just about every silver arowana I have seen has drop eye and blacks are kept in the same type of aquarium setups with no drop eye. It all has to do with genetics and inbreeding! Same reason lots of asian aros get drop eye as they are line bred,farm bred and inbred like silvers. Majority of black arowanas are WC!
Many, if not all, of the silvers that we get are WC as well and the WC silvers I've seen have all had DE, which again discounts your hypothesis that it's due to inbreeding and genetically linked. Again, it's not genetics. If it were inbreeding there would be many more deformities than just drop eye that would be common in the trade. You would have short bodied silvers, lots of finnage deformities, etc. He's seen blacks with DE as well, not just silvers. Again, all of the facts that we know tells us that it's not genetically linked nor is it due to fat deposits. Disagree all you want but those facts still stand.
 
To the earlier post, yes indeed the huge black aro at the shedd aquarium in Chicago has drop eye.

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To the earlier post, yes indeed the huge black aro at the shedd aquarium in Chicago has drop eye.

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Thanks, any chance of getting pics? How big is it?
 
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