Healing A "beat Up" Oscar.

[Jackiee]

Last night I just acquired a few new fish from a man that gave them all to me for free, as he needed room for his africans fry asap.
I drove 25 minutes to pick all of them up.
They include a 4 1/2 inch Jack Dempsey, 2 Albino Convicts (2 inches and 3&1/2 inches), 2 Regular Convicts (2 inches and 3&1/2 inches), and the Oscar.

Every single fish was in excellent shape, except for the baby Oscar. He's about 4 inches long and was previously kept in a 55 gallon tank.

The guy told me he had been beat up by another larger fish and didn't know if I wanted it, and that If i didn't want him, that's fine.
I went to go look at the oscar in his tank and boy was this guy beat up.

Nonetheless, I told him I'd take him anyways. I want to try to nurse this guy back to health (he's got a lot of fight in him)

Also, his color is extremely faded (hardly there) the only orange I see on him as of now, is right by his pectoral fins.
And his leopard looking spots only come out when another larger fish comes near, as if he's trying to warn them away.
I don't know if this is because of stress and being beat up or what.

Will his pattern/color come back if he heals?

He is no longer getting bullied in my tank, and has plenty of places to hide if he wants to rest.

Here are some pictures.

Is there anything I can do to help him heal and get stronger? (besides feed him high quality food regularly and allow him to be in good water conditions)
I don't have a hospital tank right now, my other tank developed a crack. But none of the other fish are bothering him, and he ate well today.

 

[england]

Ahh thats not too bad, ive had worse... good waterchanges about 30% every other day, maybe some melafix,should work...As to the colour changes this is quite normal, id hazzard a guess with the cons, there quite the bully...hehe

I can see from the pictures, the stand off's with the severum, how big is the tank, try to provide lots of hidding places, enough for all the cichlids to occupie a space each,

 

[Jackiee]

The tank is a 90 gallon, and him and the Sev get along fine lol, the Oscar always hovers around him it seems.
And yeah he's not extremely bad near death or anything, but his pectoral fins are pretty jagged and torn, efffects his swimming somewhat.

Will his orange coloration come after he's healed?

And they've all branched out into their own territories, the 2 white convicts stick together in an area, as do the grey convicts, my BP and Sev share a large cave, the oscar seems to just float around not claiming anything, and my jack hides in a large bush that I have.

Would Pimafix work? That's all I have left from a previous fungal infection that occured in a different tank about 6 months ago.

 

[england]

yeah it does a range of problems......As to the colouration, all my oscars held that colouration until around 6-7inches, its normal juvinille colours, some change very quick, others never brighten up much, you will never know until such time as he grows...hehe

Have a butchers at this thread

OSCAR LINK

 

[Jackiee]

yeah it does a range of problems......As to the colouration, all my oscars held that colouration until around 6-7inches, its normal juvinille colours, some change very quick, others never brighten up much, you will never know until such time as he grows...hehe

Have a butchers at this thread

OSCAR LINK

Thanks!
And actually, just over the course of today, I'm seeing a few more specs of orange starting to peek through in different places. and his pattern is a little more distinct.

Would the Pimafix bother the other fish in the tank though, since nothing is wrong with them?

Nice thread by the way!

 

[Jackiee]

Actually, I'd rather not add the Pimafix to my tank. I re-read the label, and I have 90 gallons of water, that's alot of medicine.

What about salt baths/dips for the little #29###? Would that help with his wounds/torn fins? And if so, how do you go about doing a salt bath.. how much salt into how much water?

 

[snowflake311]

All you need is clean water good food and very little stress. It would be best to keep him alone in a small hospital tank (10-20gal) and do daily or every other day water change. My uarus were is much worst shape they had hith bad and fin rot. All i did was daily water changes fed them good food. They are got better in no time.

Clean water is key no need for meds.

Good luck hope you have a bigger tank on the way.

 

[england]

yeah ive always swarn by clean water and good changes, hehe,,,,ive had oscars in such bad shape and they've recovered in weeks fully, oscars repair themselves sooo quick its unbeleivable,,

 

[Jackiee]

He's already starting to show major improvements, and he's constantly hanging out with my larger fish.
He's like a puppy dog, so cute

I'm getting a 10 gallon handed over to me from a friend that I thought about moving the Oscar into to heal fully, but I'm not sure now, he's doing darn well in the big tank.
But nonetheless, i'll feel alot better having a hospital tank.

And I'm not keeping all of these fish, 2 of them are being moved to my uncle's 150 gal and the others will be rehomed when they outgrow my tank.

 

[roadmaster]

All you need is clean water good food and very little stress. It would be best to keep him alone in a small hospital tank (10-20gal) and do daily or every other day water change. My uarus were is much worst shape they had hith bad and fin rot. All i did was daily water changes fed them good food. They are got better in no time.

Clean water is key no need for meds.

Good luck hope you have a bigger tank on the way.

+one for clean water/water changes. Good cichlid pellet food, along with chopped krill,earthworms,crickets,would be of benefit.

 

[Jackiee]

Looking better!