How Often Should you Feed Arowana Fish?
Arowana is a beautiful, long, sleek and well-groomed fish with a unique character. Arowana is a broad and often aggressive natural born hunter with potential for rapid growth. Many people believe that Arowana brings good luck and good fortune.
These fish have a bony head with an elongated body which is covered by heavy and large scales. Mosiac pattern of canals is also present on their body. The anal and dorsal fins have long based with soft rays present on them. At the same time, the ventral and pectoral fins are small and tiny. Arowana is also known as dragonfish.
Interesting Fact about Arowanas:
Arowanas are a facultative air breather and have a swim bladder, not gills. So they obtain oxygen from air by sucking it into their swim bladder. This swim bladder is lined with capillaries through which the exchange of gases occurs.
Arowanas are beautiful fish of multiple species. To learn more about Arowanas, continue reading.
How Many Types of Arowana Fish are There?
Depending on the classification system used, ten types of Arowana are generally kept as pets. Four from Asia, three from South America, two from Australia, and one from Africa.
How Often Should You Feed Your Arowanas?
Feed young Arowana fish 2-3 times a day, and adults once a day. Feed them only what they can eat in 1 to 2 minutes.
Things to remember when feeding your Arowanas:
- Arowanas are surface feeders/top dwellers often gliding just beneath the water level.
- Thaw freezing foodstuffs before feeding.
Arowanas Facts
- Average Adult Size: Up to 2 feet, but mostly depend on species
- The Average Life Span: Depends on species but the most average age is 10 to 15 years
- Diet: Carnivore
- Minimum Aquarium Size: 150+ gallons, depending on fish size
- Water Temperature: 72-82°F
- Arowana has whiskers or mandibular barbels that are used to sense movement on the surface of the water.
- Arowanas are known for jumping out of tanks without a safe top because Wild Arowanas will have to jump out of the water to catch prey in the wild.
Cost of Arowanas – The Highest Price Asian Arowanas Fish /Dragonfish went for $300,000
General Characteristic of Arowanas
Diet:
A Well-Balanced Arowana Diet Contains:
- Fish food pellets designed for surface feeding carnivorous fish.
- Live fish or frozen foods and pests, krill, worms and shrimp.
- Avoid insects or inverts with sharp or tough shells, especially for juvenile Arowanas.
Housing:
Place in an appropriately sized aquarium because Arowana is a surface dweller fish, so the tank’s width and length are more important than the height. Arowanas are enthusiastic jumpers, so make sure the Aquarium is covered completely. Arowanas are more sensitive to nitrates than other fish, so provide adequate filtration and make 10 to 20% water changes as needed.
Stable water quality and parameters are essential for aquatic life. If you are not assured about your water quality, you can take help from water testing services.
Habitat Maintenance:
Daily: check the filter, water temperature and other apparatus.
Weekly: Check the water quality at least once a week.
Monthly: Change 10 to 20% of the total volume of water every two weeks if necessary. Otherwise, change 25% of the total volume of water every 2 to 4 weeks.
Compatibility
Adult Arowanas kept alone due to their size and needs. Suppose the other tanks companions are placed with them. In that case, the Arowanas must be not so large otherwise Arowana may swallow them whole. All the tank mates should never occupy the tank’s upper part; otherwise, Arowana shows aggressive behaviour towards them. While on the other hand, Arowanas somewhat tolerate most lower dwellers.
Also, avoid aggressive tank mates, or they can ruin the long flowing fins of Arowana.
Health:
Signs of a Healthy Arowana Fish:
- Clear eyes
- Eats vigorously
- Swimming at the top of the Aquarium
- Colours should be bright and shiny
Avoid crowded situations. Overcrowding is a significant cause of stress and illness. Preserve good water quality with regular water changes and proper filtration.
Red Flags:
These following points may act as red flags. In that case, you must contact your veterinarian as soon as possible
- Loss of appetite
- Spots or Fungus on body or mouth
- Listlessness
- Cloudy eyes or pop-eye
- Elevated scales
- Frayed or discoloured fins
- Bottom-dwelling
- Laboured respirations
- Erratic swimming
- Bloating
- Weight loss
If you notice any of these symbols take precautions immediately.
Common Health Issues
| Health Issue | Symptoms or Causes | Suggested Action |
|---|---|---|
| Fin rot | Disintegrating or frayed fins; the base of the fins frequently reddens. | Improve water quality; consult your aquatic veterinarian for treatment. |
| Fungus | White cottony growth and discolouration of the skin, mouth and eyes. | Quarantine fish; use a commercial antifungal remedy as directed. |
| Bacterial infections | Cloudy eyes, open sores and reddening of the skin. | Improve water quality; use a commercial antibacterial remedy as directed. |
| Ich | White spots seem on fins and body; fish rubs against firm objects or swims awkwardly—rapid respiration. | Quarantine fish immediately; use commercial ich remedy as directed. |
Shopping List / Needed Supplies for Housing Arowanas
- appropriate size aquarium
- appropriate food, dry and frozen foods
- décor
- water conditioner
- filter
- water test kit
- full spectrum lighting
- net
- thermometer
- freshwater substrate
- heater
- airline tubing
- airstone
- air pump
How Many Days can Arowana Live without Food?
Usually, Arowana can survive two weeks with outfeed. But a young, healthy Arowana may live up to 3 weeks at max without any food. Arowanas are carnivores, and if there is no food they for a long time they try to eat their own tank mates
Dealing with Baby Arowana
First, learn to recognize the specific breed that falls into your lap. Because species of low muscle density such as Southern secleropages (South Jardini or South Australian Arowana) and Green Arowana are less likely to live up to maturity if they land in the Aquarium having already adult Arowanas. It is because adult Arowanas may try to eat them and harm them
It isn’t easy to feed Baby Arowana fish, especially in the species mentioned above. Baby Arowana is temperamental and needs regular feeding, and you will need to feed infants five times a day at most. They need a balanced diet to thrive and live healthily. Being choosy and moody will pose a tremendous challenge for owners in providing a varied and balanced diet. Heavy breeds like the Australian Jardini Arowana will give up most of the difficulties and make it relatively easy for the owners to deal with them.
How Often Should I Feed Baby Arowana?
Baby Arowana are moody, and they need persistent feeding. As we discussed above, you will be required to feed baby Arowana as much as 4-6 times a day. They need a regular diet to develop into healthy adults.
In our personal experience, a persistent feeding schedule would work best for young Arowana. Almost always, these fishes prefer to live fish/live feed over pellets and meat. Baby Arowanas may be at risk of suffocation when you offer them large live prey/fish. So must take care to provide small-sized live prey. When Arowanas grow up to 3-4 inch, then you may use large live fishes.
Some Critical Factors in Baby Arowana Fish Feedings
- High-quality protein is a necessity.
- Baby Arowana fish feedings must be done 4-5 times a day.
- Live feed will work better in the schedule of baby Arowana fish feeding.
- Slice down meats or any other feed you are providing to about 1/4 of their mouth size.
- Hardshell live feed or too big live feed must be avoided.
- All uneaten food must be removed within an hour.
- A mixture of numerous diets must be provided to keep all nutrients balanced in their diets.
Young Arowana Fish Feeding
Here are some Scenarios for Feeding Young Arowana Fish:
If you have raised them from an early age, you will be more familiar with your Arowanas. You may also find fish in a different form from the market and are unfamiliar with the fish’s behaviour and habits. Let’s discuss the two issues in detail.
Case 1: You have Baby Fish
As you progress from early-stage fishlings to next stage, you will notice some changes. Arowana’s acceptance of people or individuals who have been feeding fish for a long time will change. Aggression will be somewhat reduced during the Arowana fish meal break. They will predict you more, jump at you and attack food. At this stage, feeding the young Arowana fish will be more pleasant and manageable. You will find out your young Arowana’s likes and dislikes in feeding, playing and touching.
To make this even more precise, let us give you an example of my Jardini Arowana transition and our Green Arowana, which is 4 to 7 and 5 inches in size, respectively. Here, we would like to plug out that we will only consider the change that we have seen in this work or the style and practice of feeding Arowana fish.
Our Own Experience
A significant change in the feeding of young Arowana fish is in the appetite of the fish. There is a profound change in the amount of food your Arowana eating so far. Another thing you will notice is an increase in the time interval between two meals. If the fish overeats, the fish will start skipping. Please note that you had to feed your fish 4-5 times a day to baby Arowana fish and three times a day to adult.
But over time, this frequency must be gradually decreased from 3 to 2 and be reduced to just one meal a day when it grows to about five to six inches in length.
By then, they will have begun to accept a variety of foods, both fresh and frozen foods/meat, and commercial organic food. At this time, your pressure to feed the young Arowana fish will be widely exposed, so as an effort, you will have to prepare food for your fish. We want to make it sure that our Green Arowana never accepted commercially prepared food. We tried many brands of Arowana sticks, but this fish never swallowed a single one. So we start giving a home-cooked meal, and she loves it.
Full-grown Arowana Fish Feeding
A full-grown Arowana fish in your Aquarium will be a sight to behold. It is a sign of pride. Because by this time you have financed much in its development and will win you admiration all over. Its nutrition requirement will change at this stage of life, and you have to adjust its diet according to its weight and preference.
Changes in the Feeding Pattern
Fully grown Arowana fish will eat less frequent. Arowana will not need to be provided daily for the rest of her life. You do not have to feed your adult Arowana more than once a week. Also, until then, they are more likely to accept commercial feeds readily. You will have less burden to prepare fresh meat and frozen meat for your fish. Please note that over-feeding at this frequency puts pressure on the digestive system of the fully developed Arowana. Additionally, contaminating aquarium water parameters with excess leftover food also lead to stress and water pollution.
Overeating and a fatty diet can lead to some health problems with Arowana. It is essential to try to balance the nutritional needs of your fish.
How Do I Know if my Arowana is Stressed?
You can sometimes look at your Aquarium and think about what a quiet life it is. However, the fish have to swim all day in a beautiful tank and are fed and cared for by their owner. Strange as it may seem, the truth is that fish can be put under the same pressure as humans. Whether it’s a dirty house, strained relationships with friends and family, or a typical business, you can sympathize with the pressurized and stressed fish. Like humans, though, the stress in fish can lead to serious health complications, so it’s important to recognize when you put pressure on fish and what you can do to help.
For any of these stress symptoms, you should observe your fish frequently. Some of the main symptoms of stress in Arowanas are:
- Breathing on the surface: If the fish is panting with its mouth open at the water surface, it is a sign of stress due to bad water parameters, which usually lacks oxygen.
- Appetite: If the fish is stressed, it does not eat often.
- Disease: Ich, or Fungus, which is characterized by white spots on the body of a fish, and other conditions may appear due to stress. If you notice this or any other visible disease or wound on your fish, you should talk to your aquatic veterinarian about possible treatments.
- Strange swimming: When fish are stressed, they often make irregular swimming patterns. Suppose your fish is swimming, going anywhere, falling under its tank, rubbing itself on gravel or rocks, or locking its wings on its side. In that case, he may be experiencing significant stress. Talk to your veterinarian about treatment and see the primary cause of stress and what can be done to cure it.
Other Causes:
Many other different factors also cause stress in fish. Most situations that can result in stress are a change of Aquarium or disruption of routine and behaviour.
Here are some Examples:
- Improper water conditions: If your fish’s water condition is not maintained, you can put a lot of stress on it. If you see your fish panting on the surface, you should immediately get a water test to see what is wrong with it. High ammonia or nitrate levels, low oxygen levels, improper temperature, or high or low pH can cause stress. If you have a saltwater tank, the incorrect level of salt can have the same effect.
- Problems with other fish: Unlike humans, not all fish get along, and they often feel cramped if they live with too many other fish or the wrong fish. Make sure you don’t put too many fish in the same Aquarium, leading to various fish accessories and water quality problems. Also, fish need more than one hiding place to avoid attackers. Again, when feeding your fish, try to distribute the food evenly, so that the fish do not have to compete.
- In addition to those already mentioned, other factors contribute to stress. One of them is the presence of additional chemicals or medicines in the fish tank. When treating a sick fish, make sure it is appropriately quarantined first. Besides, an improper diet can lead to stress. Make sure you know your ideal fish diet and do your best to follow it. Finally, obstruction in the fish habitat, such as banging or loud noise, can cause stress. If you have children, make sure they know how to respect the fish house.
Next steps: If you decide that your fish is suffering from stress, you should take immediate action to treat it. Stress can lead to severe and potentially fatal illnesses such as dropsy and Fin rot by Fungus when left alone. First of all, you should try to figure out what stress is on your fish and try to eliminate that cause. You can do this by testing the water and checking the behaviour of your fish. If this does not improve your fish’s condition, you should talk to your aquatic veterinarian about a possible solution.
How Many Arowana can be Kept Together?
You should also know that when Arowanas are young, they can be kept together and raised. It’s recommended that you must have six or more Silver Arowanas together. This prevents the smaller ones from being excessively bullied by the larger Arowanas.
But again, Arowanas size, age and species matter when you keep them together. So check their compatibility first. But always try to stay fully grown Arowanas alone.
What to Do if Arowana is not Eating?
If your Arowana fish is not eating it could be simply because they had a large meal or are full, or the fish could be stressed, suffering from a disease or any other issues with the water quality in your Aquarium.
Why do Arowana Jump out of the Tank?
An essential factor to keep in mind while maintaining the Arowana is their jumping tendencies, especially the Silver Arowana. Like any Arowana, Silver is notorious for jumping off its tanks. In the Amazon River basins, silver Arowana jumps four feet above the water level to catch hanging prey on leaves and branches. It is natural to understand that Arowana was born to jump.
Unfortunately, this fantastic feature is not a good fit for the average Aquarium. At the smallest hint of food or fear, Arowana is known to jump out of the Aquarium, resulting in severe internal injuries or even death. It is imperative to cover your Arowana fences with heavy objects to prevent such accidents.
Based on our Years of Experience While Keeping these Fish, there are Two Main Reasons why Arowanas Jump:
- Stress
- Food.
A common cause of stress is the small tank size. In confined spaces, Arowana feels trapped, then their first wish is to jump for freedom. To lessen the risks of this happening, you must provide enough space and surroundings for your pet Arowanas.
Why is My New Fish, Not Eating?
Your fish may have an internal disease, such as a tumour or an intestinal obstruction. You may have run out of food (check the date of use, smell and check that it is stored properly). Maybe your fish just jumped out and got bored of eating the same food every day. You feed your fish branded food, try giving them a variety of live foods. If they are still not eating, do not leave it for long. Call the fish doctor
Conclusion
Arowanas are magnificent fish, and you must feed them according to their age, i.e., baby arowanas are fed 4-5 times a day, young arowanas are fed three times a day, an adult must be provided one time a day, and fully grown arowanas must be fed only once in 5-7 days. Many causes affect their feeding; the top of them is stress.
Stress can Occur Due to Many Reasons, such as:
- Hiding for an extended amount of time
- Crashing into objects
- Darting around the tank
- Rubbing against rocks and ornaments
- Gasping for air
- Tank to small
- The common causes of stress in these fish are
- Water temperature to cold
- pH level not at the recommended level
- Aggressive tankmates
- High ammonia and nitrate levels (Due to low water quality)
If your fish is stressed, it is essential to resolve the root cause of the stress to talk to your veterinarian
