Newly bought Silver Arowana Always stays at the bottom

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Arjun

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It's been 2 days since I bought a silver Arowana, and he always stays at the bottom when someone is near or during day time. He is about 6 inches, on the first day he just stayed at the bottom with his tail curled in, when I checked at night time he was swimming in all his glory, but during the daytime, he stayed at one bottom on the tank.

From the second day, he started to move a bit but still stuck to one side of the tank and that too at the bottom. Also, he was easily spooked when someone or I just walked by.

This is my first time keeping an Arowana, is this normal? how long will it take for him to get adjusted?
Btw I do 50% water change once a week and the tanks holds 50Gallons, I know it's not enough but a new tank is coming.
 
Hi welcome to the forum :)

Bottom sitting is always worrying especially with new fish. How long has the tank been set up? Are there any other fish in there? What kind of filter do you have on the tank too?

Like you said, the 50g needs to be extremely temporary as they are huge fish.

Wills
 
It's been 2 days since I bought a silver Arowana, and he always stays at the bottom when someone is near or during day time. He is about 6 inches, on the first day he just stayed at the bottom with his tail curled in, when I checked at night time he was swimming in all his glory, but during the daytime, he stayed at one bottom on the tank.

From the second day, he started to move a bit but still stuck to one side of the tank and that too at the bottom. Also, he was easily spooked when someone or I just walked by.

This is my first time keeping an Arowana, is this normal? how long will it take for him to get adjusted?
Btw I do 50% water change once a week and the tanks holds 50Gallons, I know it's not enough but a new tank is coming.
Hiya, welcome to TFF :) I am so sorry to hear that you are having these troubles.
Silver arowanas are quite emotional fish especially when young (you wouldn't think it haha) so this means they get stressed quite easily and they get spooked very easily too so try to make sure you have a strong lid and no sharp objects in the tank. I would give it a few more days before you take action as it is most likely that the fish is settling in (My severums were the exact same) but if nothing changes then I'd reommend contacting whoever you bought the arowana off asking if it had any problems beforehand.. Is there any noticable marks, fungus or infection on the fish?
 
What is the ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH and GH of the water?
How long has the tank been set up for?

How long was the fish at the shop for?

Any pictures and video of the fish?

Is the fish wild caught or captive bred?
If captive bred, which country was it bred in?

It might be suffering from jet lag, poor water quality, or is sick. Pictures and video can help rule out disease. Water test results can help rule out poor water quality.

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What size tank did you plan on getting for it in the future?
Saratoga and Arowana can reach 3 feet long and regularly grow to 18-24 inches in aquariums. They need huge tanks or preferably a pond so they can move around. They also jump and many are found dry on the floor or suffer brain injuries when they jump and hit coverglass on the top of the tank.
 
This tank has been running for more than a month now, there are 3 angels and one tiger barb. I moved them to this tanks to help him cope with the stress faster.

I wasn't able make a water change last week because the local authorities have added chlorine to my well. So im waiting for it to settle.

I haven't checked the Ph levels but im pretty sure it's perfect. The water available from my well has good quality and i have been keeping angel fish for more than 3 years now.

And to be more specific im not using a glass tank, I'm using a big fridge box. Here are some pictures of him.
 

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How long was the fish at the shop for?

Any pictures and video of the fish?

Is the fish wild caught or captive bred?
If captive bred, which country was it bred in?
I have no idea on these. But the shop keeper said he is in perfect health cus when i saw him there he sitting at the bottom. But they were making a water change about 50% of the water was drained, i thought maybe that's why he was scared.
But then he catched him put him with another arowana (8-9inches) and he was swimming happy along with that arowana.

Also he said "look at his tail curled in, thats a sing of a healthy arowana" is it true?
 
What size tank did you plan on getting for it in the future?
Something bigger than 400 gallons. I have researched a lot about arowanas online and i know they are great jumper so i have covered the tank with a steel net.
 
Why did they put chlorine in your well?
Chlorine should come out after a few days but you might want to test it before using it in an aquarium. Or add a dechlorinator to any well water used in the tank for a couple of weeks.

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Never buy fish if the shop is doing a water change or has done a water change in the last couple of days. The fish suffer stress when they get a water change and if you take the fish straight after it has had a water change, and put it into a new tank with new water, it will stress even more.

Try to find out when the shop does water changes and buy the fish the day before they do the water change. You want the leave the fish in the shop tank for at least 3 or 4 days (preferably more) after they do a water change so it recovers from the stress.

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The fish in the picture looks a bit stressed, probably from being in a white container. The white reflects the light and stresses the fish. this is probably why it was swimming fine at night but sits on the bottom during the day.

These fish come from black water, which is dark tea stained water and it is not very bright.

If the container is on the ground, it will also stress the fish when someone walks past because there is no surface cover to hide under. Young Arowana are eaten by lots of birds and without something to hide under, it will stress.

You can put plastic or real water lilies or floating plants in the container and that will shade it and make the fish feel more comfortable.

Put a thin layer of brown or black gravel on the bottom so the light doesn't reflect around and stress the fish.

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TURNING LIGHTS ON AND OFF
Stress from tank lights coming on when the room is dark can be an issue. Fish don't have eyelids and don't tolerate going from complete dark to bright light (or vice versa) instantly.

In the morning open the curtains or turn the room light on at least 30 minutes (or more) before turning the tank light on. This will reduce the stress on the fish and they won't go from a dark tank to a bright tank instantly.

At night turn the room light on and then turn the tank light off. Wait at least 30 minutes (or more) before turning the room light out. This allows the fish to settle down for the night instead of going from a brightly lit tank to complete darkness instantly.

Try to have the lights on at the same time each day.

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Also he said "look at his tail curled in, thats a sing of a healthy arowana" is it true?
Normally fish curl their tail if they are stressed, sick or have some type of infection around the tail. Healthy fish don't normally curl their tail.

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i know they are great jumper so i have covered the tank with a steel net.
Use stainless steel or plastic/ nylon netting. Stainless steel won't rust. Plastic or nylon netting is less likely to damage the fish if it jumps, whereas steel could scratch it.
 
Why did they put chlorine in your well?
To kill bacteria and all, this is done by the government authorities and happens every summer.
Use stainless steel or plastic/ nylon netting.
Im using a steel net coated with plastic, this is used to make bird cages.



I have a glass tank it is small maybe about 15 gallons should i move him to there for now?
 
Here is a video of him during day time, btw tank is outdoors in a shade. I slowly spied on him :D
Looks like he is ok even when there is light. But gets spooked and hide when he sees me or someone.
 
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I have a glass tank it is small maybe about 15 gallons should i move him to there for now?
No, don't move the fish, just leave it where it is.

Try to find something that can float on the surface and act like a water lily leaf. A piece of polystyrene foam can be used. Cut it about the size of a dinner plate and let it float on the water.

And try to add some dark substrate, it will make the fish feel a lot more comfortable. Apart from that just give it time.
 
No, don't move the fish, just leave it where it is.

Try to find something that can float on the surface and act like a water lily leaf. A piece of polystyrene foam can be used. Cut it about the size of a dinner plate and let it float on the water.

And try to add some dark substrate, it will make the fish feel a lot more comfortable. Apart from that just give it time.
Have you seen the video? He looks okay with the light and only gets scared when someone is near the tank.
No, don't move the fish, just leave it where it is.

Try to find something that can float on the surface and act like a water lily leaf. A piece of polystyrene foam can be used. Cut it about the size of a dinner plate and let it float on the water.

And try to add some dark substrate, it will make the fish feel a lot more comfortable. Apart from that just give it time.
Ill do this. :) Thanks a lot for the reply.
 
It's been 2 days since I bought a silver Arowana, and he always stays at the bottom when someone is near or during day time. He is about 6 inches, on the first day he just stayed at the bottom with his tail curled in, when I checked at night time he was swimming in all his glory, but during the daytime, he stayed at one bottom on the tank.

From the second day, he started to move a bit but still stuck to one side of the tank and that too at the bottom. Also, he was easily spooked when someone or I just walked by.

This is my first time keeping an Arowana, is this normal? how long will it take for him to get adjusted?
Btw I do 50% water change once a week and the tanks holds 50Gallons, I know it's not enough but a new tank is coming.
Welcome! Arowanas are fantastic, would love to see photos, especially when it gets bigger.
 
Welcome to the forum! :hi:

Neat fish! I’ve always wanted an Arowana, but never had the room for one. It’s great he’s doing better. :good:
 

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