[Scuba Kid]

Originally Posted by flamingo

I almost bought an aro... just once. If I get a bigger tank, i'm definitely getting some type or another. A few lfs's get them in- about 20 dollars, but sadly most have egg sacs or part left.

If I ever get my aro... there's no way i'm letting it get drop-eye lol.

Drop eye in silvers is virtually impossible to avoid. Over-inbreeding of the species has caused this deformity to arise in most. Bad diet contributes, but mine has only eaten two feeders (the fatty food suspected of causing it) in its life (he has always eaten a variety of good, healthy carnivore foods) and has developed drop-eye in its right eye. Drop-eye doesnt occur much in blacks because they are so much harder to find and not inbred as much....jardinis as well, but they are becoming more frequently bred and the same problem is starting to pop up.

Another theory also says that as aros swim through the tank, they look down with one eye, and outside the tank with the other as they swim in the opposite direction. It is said that this could be why they tend to develop it in one eye and that adding a floating distraction such as a ping-pong or wiffle ball can reverse or prevent it, but it doesnt explain why silvers are so prone to it. My bet is that the inbreeding theory is the best explanation for it, so if you get a silver you can probably expect a case of drop eye; as sad as it is.