So.i recently got a black arowana. He's currently in a 250 gallon tank. Before I explain, water parameters are spot on. Water changes are always done and always have been. He is in fantastic water conditions. Now my problem. I've had him for almost a week now and this dude just doesn't eat. He's about 4-5 inches long Tried floating pellets, MW. Talapia, blackworms. Etc. I do not want to give him live and go through that battle of getting a garbage fish and he gets sick. But all he does is sit up at the top corner of the tank. Water current isn't strong at all at the top. He just hangs. I'm not sure if he is still adjusting or what to do to get this guy to eat. It's super boring right now and this is someone who has had a Lungfish for 10 years! Lol I have no clue what to do to try and get him to eat.
Arowana frustration
- Thread starter Nyrkorey
- Start date
I've always started off growing Silver Arowana in smaller aquariums and offered floating foods starting with freeze dried blood worms and freeze dried Mysis Shrimp. It was easier for me but past the 6 inch growth mark feeding became easy.
When their small baby Arowana are finicky most lfs feed live feeders like small guppies. Like yourself I prefer not to feed live feeder fish.
Do freeze dried blood worms float? Because if they sink then it just sits at the bottom. He ate a floating pellet once on day two then never touched anything again. . I'll try worms and shrimp. I don't know he is being so skittish and not eating, it's the worst part of this hobby!
Small red worms (small earthworms) are almost irresistible to even the pickiest eater. I have raised a number of small arowanas, starting them off in small tanks with shallow water, perhaps 6 inches or so deep. Most will descend to the bottom in shallow water like that for a squirming worm. Another option is to purchase a small "air injector" from a fishing tackle shop. This is just a hypodermic needle attached to a small squeeze bulb, and it lets you inject a small amount of air into a worm, frozen/thawed silverside piece or other food item, keeping it floating until eaten.
I am also not a fan of live feeders, but they may be necessary to get your fish eating. However, it sounds like he is more or less past the tiny finicky stage; usually by 5 inches they are settled and eating, and as
tlindsey
says, once they hit 6 inches or so...which is just a few weeks away, once he starts eating...you will have no problems at all.
Perhaps you could check your parameters once again? I would expect your fish to be cruising constantly; hanging in one corner is not typical. Are temperatures warm enough? I'd be looking for 80F, for both water and the air above it.
I am also not a fan of live feeders, but they may be necessary to get your fish eating. However, it sounds like he is more or less past the tiny finicky stage; usually by 5 inches they are settled and eating, and as
tlindsey
says, once they hit 6 inches or so...which is just a few weeks away, once he starts eating...you will have no problems at all.Perhaps you could check your parameters once again? I would expect your fish to be cruising constantly; hanging in one corner is not typical. Are temperatures warm enough? I'd be looking for 80F, for both water and the air above it.
My silver would look for the disturbance of food hitting the water as it got bigger, that’s also what he does now at 20”.
However, to really start him I used to have to dangle food at the top. Ie. Put a wriggling worm in tweezers at the surface.
The one issue I have is when fish like this are in large bare tanks, we are trying to keep them in highly unnatural surroundings and then are suprised when they don’t act naturally and eat. Hopefully your large tank, is well furnished, plenty of cover and plants and some floating plants, this should them be much easier to get him to act naturally and start eating.
However, to really start him I used to have to dangle food at the top. Ie. Put a wriggling worm in tweezers at the surface.
The one issue I have is when fish like this are in large bare tanks, we are trying to keep them in highly unnatural surroundings and then are suprised when they don’t act naturally and eat. Hopefully your large tank, is well furnished, plenty of cover and plants and some floating plants, this should them be much easier to get him to act naturally and start eating.
Best bet is to have a fish that eat pellets and let it starve so it know that it food bc other fish r eating it or go with the live food to boost it confidence with you then try to start hand feeding, once he start eating from ur hand start feeding frozen food that is defrost from ur hand then u can start droping pellets or frozen food ?
Starving a fish in order to switch it to pellets or other prepared foods usually works, especially when it has tankmates that are chowing down right in front of it and setting an example. But this presupposes that the fish has tankmates at all...something that I personally don't recommend with hatchling arowanas...and also that the fish is already eating something, i.e. live food or whatever, that you want to replace with a better diet.
You can't starve a fish that is already starving itself. The OP needs to get the fish eating some type of food regularly, even if the idea of live food is something he/she finds unpleasant. An Arowana 4 -5 inches long is still a very young fish, comparable to a typical young cichlid or livebearer perhaps a quarter or three-eighths of an inch in length. This is not the stage of its life to think about starving it or training it; that needs to wait until the fish is well-nourished and feeding without hesitation, then the switch to the desired diet can begin.
You can't starve a fish that is already starving itself. The OP needs to get the fish eating some type of food regularly, even if the idea of live food is something he/she finds unpleasant. An Arowana 4 -5 inches long is still a very young fish, comparable to a typical young cichlid or livebearer perhaps a quarter or three-eighths of an inch in length. This is not the stage of its life to think about starving it or training it; that needs to wait until the fish is well-nourished and feeding without hesitation, then the switch to the desired diet can begin.
Last edited:
So the tank is live planted tank but he doesnt swim in the middle or bottom or the tank so I will get him some floating plants for coverage..I'm not at all opposed to feeding him live guppies/neons, I just don't want to buy a fish with a disease bc some LFS aren't the best and then he gets sick from it. He did take 2 floating pellets last night after the lights went out. I will pick up some worms after work and try that out for him. If nothing else works, I'll try live then as he grows start and gets comfortable ill get him off live. That seems to be the best option
