Any one figgered out the cause or cure for Drop Eye yet?

[Onion01]

I think it is some chemical found in the water.

 

[Peanut_Power]

So you think that if you got an RO Drip unit that changed 150% of the water a day, that it might keep the arowana from getting drop eye? Man this would be a great experiment!!

 

[dmopar74]

i think it just a bunch of things added up. placement of eyes high on the head and collisions with the tank, some genetics thrown in there, and an unnatural feeding habit. in the wild aro's not only eat whats in the water but also leap out of the water to catch bugs and whatnot, which im shure helps keep those eyes straight having to look up for food.my first silver was a real bad jumper always colliding with the tank, got dropeye really rapidly. my current silver has jumped maybe 5 times total and is now 20" with no drop eye yet, but is starting to slowly develop a very slight drop in one eye.

 

[rallysman]

So body structure? Do they get it in the wild though? There has to be more variables to the equation....perhaps food, tank size, and age affect it all?

My thoughts are head shape from when it hits it's head on the lids. It's the only variable that I can think of that doesn't apply to the others. There isn't much difference, but there is some.

 

[Onion01]

I don't think it is injury. I don't think it is tank size, reflection, looking down either. Just look at johnptc and arapaimag's aros. They are in tanks that mimic the amazon about as close as you can get, and even they get DE. So do aros I've seen in public aquaria. I am convinced there is some essence in the water we haven't been able to derive out of the amazon and into our tanks yet

 

[dmopar74]

has any body ever seen pics of large 24"+ silvers in the wild? maybe they do get drop eye, i have never seen proof that they dont, only heard that they dont.

 

[rallysman]

I don't think it is injury. I don't think it is tank size, reflection, looking down either. Just look at johnptc and arapaimag's aros. They are in tanks that mimic the amazon about as close as you can get, and even they get DE. So do aros I've seen in public aquaria. I am convinced there is some essence in the water we haven't been able to derive out of the amazon and into our tanks yet

Have those fish always been in a tank that large? Does that explain why the other fish aren't affected?

 

[rallysman]

has any body ever seen pics of large 24"+ silvers in the wild? maybe they do get drop eye, i have never seen proof that they dont, only heard that they dont.

I've seen a video of a silver jumping for food where people claim that it has drop eye, but I think it was aiming for the food.

 

[Bderick67]

DE occurs in almost all silvers kept in the home aquaria. So being caused from captive breeding is unlikely. Myself and many others have seen the DE show up after the silver had violent collisions, others have stated that it came on gradually. I think that silvers in the wild can get DE but are able to recover from it(if they don't it is unlikeky they would survive). So I really dought that there is anything that can be done to prevent DE, short of keeping the silver in a large pond.

I have seen pics of jars with DE but never a black or a lei.

 

[Onion01]

Have those fish always been in a tank that large? Does that explain why the other fish aren't affected?

that's a good question. I know both john and arapaimag grew some silvers out, and always kept them in large tanks. I would have to ask them. I guess genes play some role, but as far as being wild caught, I don't think so. My silver is wild from peru and has mild DE in both eyes