Rescued an arowana today - need help!!

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dvs

Candiru
MFK Member
Mar 28, 2006
213
4
48
NC
Hello :)
This is DVS' wife, I'm typing this while he's running around trying to get all this stuff figured out with the new fish.

So here is the situation.
Today he went to a pet supermarket and they had an aro in a brackish tank with a bunch of fugu puffers. The puffers were tearing it's fins to shreds. He asked someone about moving it to another freshwater tank with a better tank mate and they did that after he told them the aro would do fine in freshwater. We went back to check on it, and those fish were nipping at it's fins as well...I'm assuming that's because they were already eaten up and they figured it must taste good :(

My husband knew that if we didn't bring it home, the chance of it being slowly eaten at the store was basically a certainty. So here we are...at home with this torn-finned arowana and we're just trying to get some advice on how to get him back to good health :)

He's about 4 inches long (silver), and we currently have 46 tank with a 4 inch tiger oscar and some giant danios. We bought a small tank to perhaps use as a 'hospital tank' for the aro while it's getting nursed to feeling better.

Anyone here able to help us formulate a plan with our new aro? We just need to give him time to heal and to get his strength back up :) Not sure if we should keep the aro and take the oscar to lfs, keep the oscar and take the aro, or just keep both. The oscar was a little aggressive towards another 3 inch oscar we previously had, but not sure how it will act towards the aro. We know were already planning on getting a bigger tank eventually for the oscar so thats not a huge problem.

Thanks so much!
 
Very nice save....I know nothing about them, but I'm sure you will get some good advice soon. Good luck with the recovery, and I again say very nice save!
 
I would separate it from the oscar. As soon as the 'O learns it can bully it, then it will. I would also raise the temp and add some salt (slowly) and keep the lights off.
 
ok, the stealth has been raised to 85. Will the oscar be ok with that heat. We took the Danios out (for fear they would pick at the shredded fins), and put them in the 10 gallon hospital tank for now. That doesnt have heat or filtration yet though. What kind of salt should I add, and how much?

Thanks for the help!
 
Good luck with your rescue. Very clean water will be the best in helping your aro recover, keeping the nitrates under 10ppm is best. With the temp adjusted to around 85 add 1 tablespoon of aquarium salt per 10g of water. If there are any open wounds the treat with melafix daily per directions on the bottle.

Small aro such as this will eat freeze dried blood worms, a soft type freeze dried krill/shrimp and some will even eat a high quality flake food.

Best if you can keep this guy without tankmates
 
I would put the oscar in the 10 galon when you are going to put the aro in the big tank, leave the oscar in that 10 for about 3 weeks, then put it in with the silver, so the silver will know the tank and the oscar will be just getitng used to it.
 
First of all, hats off to a REAL MFKeeper's wife !! Secondly to the rescue.

Our friends on top said it all, but remember to keep the tank very very very very well covered ( aro's jump through very tiny holes that people would swear was impossible ).

Keep the tank in a tranquil , darkened, state for the time being.

And, last but not least,

WELLCOME TO ARODOM!
 
thanks for everyone's responses!

I separated part of the aquarium with a big mesh net, and raised left the temp at 85 all night. The aro was laying on the net last night not swimming much, but when I woke up this morning he was swimming against the current like an aqua treadmill, and looked much better. I offered him Hikari Gold, tilapia, and panfish worms, but he wasn't eating yet. The oscar was hiding this morning, and not eating either so I lowered the tank to 81ish, and the O took a good size worm. I'm a little worried about the aro not eating, but I will try some of the other foods suggested.

I'm not sure if I will keep the aro or give it to the good lfs once he is stable, but either way he is in much better hands now. I wish I could find my digital camera. The tail fin, and the long fins on the anterior and posterior side are almost completely gone. He also has a small amount of the clear tissue growing from his gills, but hopefully that will heal. Really ignorant of pet supermarket to let him get torn up that bad. :irked: I will get some medicine this weekend, and try to keep everyone posted. :)
 
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