Advice on my newly acquired HBRTG

Hi bros! I just acquired a Merlion HBRTG. I need your advice, bros since this is the first time to take care of a 6 inch Arowana (I had a 20 inch RTG before). Please advise me on the following:

1. Tank setup-What should I do to to my tank in order for my aro to not be stressed? He has 7 full grown Silver Dollars with him. Should I cover the sides of the tank and leave the light on?

2. My aro ate MP yesterday but today it did not want to eat anything. What should I do?

3. How will I pump it up to support its growth?

Your inputs will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

[nev]

give him sometime to settle down....

i believe if u shift house, u need sometime to unpack your stuffs also right?

[streetsmart73]

Originally Posted by stormshadow

Hi bros! I just acquired a Merlion HBRTG. I need your advice, bros since this is the first time to take care of a 6 inch Arowana (I had a 20 inch RTG before). Please advise me on the following:

1. Tank setup-What should I do to to my tank in order for my aro to not be stressed? He has 7 full grown Silver Dollars with him. Should I cover the sides of the tank and leave the light on?

2. My aro ate MP yesterday but today it did not want to eat anything. What should I do?

3. How will I pump it up to support its growth?

Your inputs will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

hi there


1. bro, it is just like some new kid in town.
2. pls allow it to settle down in the new environment.
3. it is still a juvenile too.
4. maintain good water parameters.
5. better not to overfeed it at such initial stage.
6. looking forward to more good news from you.

[OST]

Hi there

6" i guess still a baby.Allow it to settle in the new environment.Also maintain good water parameter.Guess you need to monitor if your silver dollar is disturbing your aro or not.If the silver dollar is disturbing your aro,he may not be able to settle that fast.Just my thot

Since he's only 6 inches, try to space out his feeding. 2x daily is good, but not too much per feed. A 6 inch aro's stomach is not very big, so if he's very full, he will fast for a day to compensate.

To pump him up, put in a wavemaker to creat some current. This will encourage him to exercise more, build more muscle and want to eat more. Raising the tank temp also helps boost metabolism and apetite. Regular water changes also help improve apetite.

Pellets are the best staple diet (IMO), but other people have had good results with MP as a staple. Live foods like SW, BF and crickets are also good for pumping mass. You can also gutload the live foods with pellets and vitamins before feeding them to the aro. The key is variety, otherwise aros tend to get bored of or addicted to one type of food then they will fast.

Ultimately, be reasonable to the fish haha. He's only young, so don't expect him to eat as much as an adult aro yet.

Thank you for your answers bros! Do you think I should cover the sides of the tank and keep the lights on?

[streetsmart73]

Originally Posted by stormshadow

Thank you for your answers bros! Do you think I should cover the sides of the tank and keep the lights on?

hi there


1. bro, lights on at least 12/7 or 24/7 to further calm your precious little one.
2. covering up the sides, i think it is optional.

[gereld_hor]

congrats on ur new purchase.. give him sometime yo settle dwn to the new environment..

for me, i onli on the lights when feeding time or when i wan to view the fish..
as for covering the tank. it onli help to calm the aro dwn temporary, once u remove it, he will start dashing ard again..

best is give it time to settle dwn, let him get used to ppl walking ard.. once settled, u can easily pump with MP or small froggies..

[giantbetta]

Does the full grown silver behave agressive towards ur new hb?since u comm them he will settle down faster. Ur HB started to eat is a good sign already..he will be abit jumpy frm time to time but will settle down.i would turn on the lights for the time being n lesser feeding as she will fast herself if she's full..feed her twice a day but smaller potion n she will recognise the feeding pattern..care to share ur HB here..

[Air Tiger]

Take it easy.
Don't rush so long as she is stable.