Arowana not eating, plays with food

[TankBuster108]

I need help. I have a 6 inch banjar arowana and I see that it wants to eat, once it gets the food in its mouth it chews it a bit then spits it out. I have tried frozen foods and pellet foods, but it does the same thing with all of it. The size of the food is clearly small enough to fit in its mouth. What could be wrong?

Parameters
PH: 7.5
Ammonia: 0 ppm
Nitrite: 0 pp,
Nitrates 10 ppm

 

[kno4te]

Is it a new fish? Do u know what it was fed prior? Wait it out and can try soaking the food in some garlic.

 

[tlindsey]

Is it a new fish? Do u know what it was fed prior? Wait it out and can try soaking the food in some garlic.

+1

 

[TankBuster108]

Is it a new fish? Do u know what it was fed prior? Wait it out and can try soaking the food in some garlic.

It has been with me for 1 and a half months.
Edit: The shop said it ate frozen chopped up sardines. I tried that but to no avail.

 

[islandguy11]

What frozen foods have you tried? Can you get frozen ghost shrimp where you live? My Aros have always gone bonkers over them. Also soaking frozen food and pellets with garlic as kno4te says might help. For pellets have you tried Hikari Foodsticks (broken into smaller pieces)?

 

[headbanger_jib]

It has been with me for 1 and a half months.
Edit: The shop said it ate frozen chopped up sardines. I tried that but to no avail.

Sometimes new fish, especially you arowana get stressed out very easily, it could be something as small as TDS of the water, or temp.

Add an air stone, as that helps, the other thing I tried with my super red, and a xback when they were completely stressed and wouldn't eat was, added rosy barbs along with them in separate tanks, the xback started to eat them barbs and eventually settled, the chilli red although wasn't relaxed till I removed them rosy barbs.

So try adding a few small fish that could be eaten by the arowana and see how things go. Of the fish snacks on one or two of them in the next few days let them be else remove them after 4 days and see.

Also try adding some soft insects (lobster or red runner roaches) or earthworms.

 

[headbanger_jib]

What frozen foods have you tried? Can you get frozen ghost shrimp where you live? My Aros have always gone bonkers over them. Also soaking frozen food and pellets with garlic as kno4te says might help. For pellets have you tried Hikari Foodsticks (broken into smaller pieces)?

View attachment 1372475

I too use ghost shrimp

 

[TankBuster108]

What frozen foods have you tried? Can you get frozen ghost shrimp where you live? My Aros have always gone bonkers over them. Also soaking frozen food and pellets with garlic as kno4te says might help. For pellets have you tried Hikari Foodsticks (broken into smaller pieces)?

View attachment 1372475

As for ghost shrimp, I have not tried them yet. I will go out this weekend and buy some. But as for the Hikari Food sticks in small pieces, he actively goes for them but he keeps it in his mouth for 3 seconds then spits it out in pieces.

 

[islandguy11]

I too use ghost shrimp

Btw, just wondering if you cut off their heads? My LFS advised to do this, not only because of the sharp beak I guess, but because the guy mentioned toxins are more likely to accumulate there. It's a pain in the rear as they're so small so it takes a while to de-head a pack then re-freeze, but I pay my daughter and her friends a bit to do it lol.

As for ghost shrimp, I have not tried them yet. I will go out this weekend and buy some. But as for the Hikari Food sticks in small pieces, he actively goes for them but he keeps it in his mouth for 3 seconds then spits it out in pieces.

Younger Aros esp. seem to like things that go down quick and easy, no chewing required, so besides being super tasty the ghost shrimp are small and slimy, thus very palatable -- I'd be really surprised if your Aro didn't take to them -- if so it could indicate other environmental issues as headbanger_jib mentions in post above.

Also take note of my message above about cutting off their heads -- though I'd also be interested to know if headbanger_jib does this or just feeds whole (as they would consume in the wild anyway).

 

[headbanger_jib]

Btw, just wondering if you cut off their heads? My LFS advised to do this, not only because of the sharp beak I guess, but because the guy mentioned toxins are more likely to accumulate there. It's a pain in the rear as they're so small so it takes a while to de-head a pack then re-freeze, but I pay my daughter and her friends a bit to do it lol.

I don't cut their head, I just take one and flatten their spike on the kitchen table one at a time, if the shrimp is bigger than 1.5", else they get the shrimp as is. Just afraid of the sharp spike.

I receive live ghost shrimp, which I then freeze and make it a point to clear out the stock in less than three weeks, as after three weeks even in zero temp they lose their nutritional value. So their gastrointestinal organs shouldn't be toxic in such a short period of time.