Aquariums: Need advice on rehabilitating a rescued arowana: feeding, nutrition and recovery

Hi everyone,

I recently rescued an arowana from one of my relatives. Unfortunately, it was very poorly cared for before I took it in. It used to be extremely weak, but thankfully, it seems more active now.

I'm still learning how to care for this fish properly, and I want to help it recover and become healthy again.

Current setup:

• Tank size: 6 ft × 2 ft × 2 ft (approximately 679 litres)
• Current food: Live mealworms and live crickets
• Feeding behaviour: Very picky eater

The main problem is its diet.

So far, it will eat live mealworms and live crickets, but it refuses:

• Pellets
• Dead crickets
• Live frogs

I'm concerned that feeding only mealworms and crickets might not provide balanced nutrition in the long run.

I'd really appreciate advice from experienced arowana keepers on the following:

1. Nutrition: What foods would you recommend to help an undernourished arowana recover? Are mealworms and crickets sufficient as a temporary diet, or should I introduce other foods?
2. Picky eating: How can I gradually get it to accept a more varied diet, including pellets or other nutritionally balanced alternatives?
3. Recovery: What signs should I look for to determine whether it's recovering well? Are there any common health problems associated with prolonged poor care?
4. Water quality: Which water parameters should I monitor most closely to support its recovery?
5. General care: Is there anything else I should prioritise to help it regain its health?

I read that feeding the mealworms the pellet food meant for arowana indirectly helps providing nutrients the fish needs. But im not sure how effective this would be.

I don’t want to make things worse by changing its diet incorrectly or stressing it unnecessarily. My priority is to give it a better life after its previous living conditions.

Any advice from people who have rehabilitated rescued arowanas would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!