Symptoms and Treatment Methods for Gill Curling, a Common Disease in Fish

The arowana is a very beautiful ornamental fish, but it is very prone to gill curling, which is the rolling up of the soft tissue at the end of the gill cover. Although this disease is not fatal, it affects the fish's appearance, so it must be treated. The main cause of gill curling in arowanas is water quality problems, often caused by insufficient dissolved oxygen in the water and improper water changes leading to difficulty breathing in the arowana. The first solution is to improve the aquarium's filtration system to increase the dissolved oxygen in the water; the second is to install a wave-making pump in the aquarium to strengthen the water flow speed inside the tank. Arowanas like to swim against the current, and the strong water flow can restore the curled gill covers. If the arowana has had gill curling for too long and the above methods cannot restore it, then surgery is the only option: cut off the curled gills, and after about 2 months, the newly grown gills will be just like the original ones. In fact, as long as you pay attention to observation in daily care, change the water evenly, and maintain good water quality, gill curling in arowanas can generally be prevented. Even if it occurs, as long as it is treated promptly, the gill curling in arowanas can be cured within 3 to 5 days.