Is It Normal for an Arowana to Lose Scales?
📝 Summary
Some scale loss is normal as arowanas grow, but abnormal, frequent loss signals a problem—injury from handling, crashing into the glass (from overfeeding, fright, or fights), disease (fungal or parasite infection), or poor water. Prevent it with careful handling, a stable environment, separating fighters, and proper water changes.
1 Causes of Arowana Scale Loss and How to Prevent It
What causes arowana scale loss
1. Injury from equipment
When moving an arowana between tanks or netting it out, careless tool use can scrape the body and knock off scales.
2. Crashing into the glass
Several things trigger glass-crashes:
(1) Lunging too hard for food during feeding.
(2) Changes inside or outside the tank that startle the fish.
(3) Fights with other tankmates in a mixed setup.
3. Illness
Scale loss isn’t a disease itself, but fungal disease or external parasite infection commonly causes it.
4. Poor water quality
Changing water too often or letting it get too old also causes scale loss—change water reasonably.
How to prevent scale loss
Prevent according to the cause:
1. Reduce glass-crashes:
(1) Feed the right amount on schedule to avoid scrambling.
(2) Keep the surroundings stable—prevent fright by limiting kids/pets near the tank and not changing backgrounds or lights.
(3) Separate fish that fight.
(4) Pad the top braces and water inlets with hose to cushion impacts and reduce crashes and scale loss.
2. Keep good water quality
Change water on a fixed schedule; don’t let it age or change it too often—reasonable changes lower disease risk.
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