What Causes Arowana Drop-Eye?

1 Understanding Arowana Drop-Eye

I. What causes arowana drop-eye?

Arowana drop-eye is divided into congenital and acquired types. Congenital drop-eye cannot be prevented or fully cured. Acquired drop-eye is mainly caused by lighting, the in-tank and out-of-tank environment, and food factors, and can be avoided and improved. The specific causes are as follows:

1. Lighting. When the arowana’s eyes are suddenly exposed to light or subjected to long-term strong light, the eyes involuntarily look down to avoid irritation and discomfort. If this occurs long-term, drop-eye easily develops. Uneven lighting inside and outside the tank or overly intense light is the root cause of arowana drop-eye.

2. Influence of the in-tank and out-of-tank environment. Drop-eye caused by the environment mainly refers to a reflective bottom plate, a tank that is too tall, water that is too high, and a monotonous top scene. External influences mainly refer to children or small pets frequently coming and going outside the tank; the arowana’s gaze is attracted downward, eventually causing drop-eye.

3. Food factors. Improper feeding can also cause drop-eye. If the keeper often feeds sinking food in large amounts, the food sinks to the bottom and the arowana must swim down from the upper water to the bottom; during this its eyes stay in a downward-looking state. Repeating this long-term forms drop-eye. In addition, long-term feeding of high-protein food causes fat accumulation in the arowana, which also leads to drop-eye.

II. Symptoms of arowana drop-eye

Drop-eye is easy to identify: the eyes visibly droop. Depending on severity, symptoms may differ, including one-sided drop-eye, mild drop-eye, and severe drop-eye.

The veterinarian notes: although drop-eye does not affect the arowana’s health, it looks unsightly. Keepers should take the corresponding preventive measures based on the causes above to preserve the fish’s ornamental value.