Distressed Oscar

[stucolls]

Hi guys, we added an Oscar to our tank yesterday, the LFS said he would be fine, we have a large albino convict, large sailfin plec, 2 large clown loaches, a large dollar and a small rtb in there. The oscar, who I thought would beat the hell out of everyonne is cowering in the corner and looking quite pale, I think the convict is bullying him.

Is there anything I can do to fix the situation short of rehoming??

thanks very much

Stu

 

[KittyKat]

Post full set up information?

 

[stucolls]

what do you need to know?

 

[angelfishguy]

tank size and water stats

 

[stucolls]

ok water stats im unsure of as the testing kit is at my parents, tank size is:

Depth 310mm
Height 430mm
Length 920mm

 

[angelfishguy]

What size is he? That tank wont do him when he is fully grown so you might have to rehome him or upgrade soon. They grow v. Fast.

I would do a 50% waterchange and hopefully thatll help him

 

[stucolls]

He isnt that big yet, probably 4/5 inches, the convict is literally just bigger than him, he looks stressed by the convict imo but that surprises me. Will do a change this evening.

 

[KittyKat]

That tank is too small for all the fish you have, even if they are in the 4-5 inch range right now. Of course the convict would be beating up the oscar, and I would not be surprised if the pleco and loaches are playing havoc at night.

You are also keeping schooling fish on their own, which is not doing them an good.

 

[Athena]

Have to agree with the others - a 3ft tank just isn't big enough to home all those potentially huge fish. I do keep convicts in a 3ft (soon to be rehomed into a 4ft) but they are the short-bodied variety that remain small (none are over 3" and some are less than 2").

You will have problems with the convict and oscar over territorial issues. The convict was there first so will have laid claim to most of the tank space as his own (even having to share the tank with those other large fish will be annoying the convict)...now you have added the oscar, the convict will see it as a threat and no doubt will be chasing and bullying the oscar away. I'm not surprised the oscar is stressed out. It won't get any better either. The larger they grow the worse it will be.

Some people do mix cichlid varieties together but only in large enough tanks to give them each their own territory (which the fish work out for themselves).

Hate to say it as I know you won't want to part with any of them... but I think your best bet for now would be to rehome one (or both!) of the cichlids and the clown loaches (they grow to a foot or more!) or you will very soon find your fish suffering from stress-related diseases. Maybe in the future if you ever get a larger tank you could re-think your options on fish choice.

For now, if you're into cichlids, why not go for the smaller varieties like the short-bodied convicts or the various beautiful Rams available?

Regards, Athena

 

[stucolls]

Hi guys tank clean done and Convict rehomed, the Oscar looks terrible though, he looks flaky and his fins are all threadbare, also one of his eyes looks a little cloudy......how can I help him (

 

[KittyKat]

Regular, large water changes. At first sign of trouble, treat with medication.

You could have helped him by researching first, but the only thing you can do now is to provide a good home (which includes a larger tank).

 

[stucolls]

Yeah point taken. My problem was I inherited the tank (minus the oscar) from a friend who passed away, I went into Pets at home to get a new fish for it and the guy said 'ooh the only one you can get away with in there is this oscar' so I grabbed him. I should have read up first though.

Im gutted to be honest