Is my aquarium ok?

[bunnypoc]

I aready have a 200L aquarium to put my oscar, but due to quarantine i can't yet buy the rest of the things i need for it, untill i do and cicle it, this is his aquarium
I have a problem with flutuating pH, i aways check it and fix it, but in the morning it is aways acidic, i don't know why, i am searching for a shell to put in the filter and changing water frequently, what more can i do? i aready taken everything out besides what is on the picture, is there anything wrong with the aquarium?
And one more thing, he never eats the propper food, i aready tried 4 brands we have here, i tried giving him shrimp, i tried giving him peas, i tried breaking the pellets really small, i tried flakes, but all he do is spit it, i was begining to get desperate on fear he would starve and i tried to give him chicken, and he ate it, i can't make him eat anything but chicken, is it ok? what more can i do?

 

[utahfish]

Try going in your backyard if you cant go to fish store and finding some earthworms, just rinse them off in a cup or bowl of the tank water, he should like worms.
Not sure why your PH is dropping so much maybe some one can help, sorry

 

[bunnypoc]

Don't these worms have bacteria that is harmful to them?

 

[Essjay]

It is often recommeded to collect worms from soil that is not treated with anything - weed killer, fertiliser, whatever. Then keep them in a container on a piece of wet kitchen roll for at least 24 hours to allow them to pass whatever is inside their intestine before feeding them to the fish.

 

[Colin_T]

Don't feed fish on animal or bird meat because they can't digest it properly.

Your fish was probably fed on meat foods and hasn't learnt to take dry foods.

Try feeding the fish on prawn, fish, squid or octopus. Keep offering dry foods too but vary it, dry one day and meat the next. If the fish eats a variety of foods it will have less problems if you ever run out of one type of food.​

A fluctuating pH will stress the fish and that could stop it eating.

Add some limestone, shells or dead coral rubble to the tank. Monitor the pH over a week and see if it stabilises. If the pH keeps dropping, add a bit more limestone or shell and monitor for another week. Keep adding a bit of limestone or shell until the pH stops dropping and settles around 7.0.

 

[bunnypoc]

Try feeding the fish on prawn, fish

i tried it, he won't eat it at all, he puts it in his mouth and then spits it out, when he came i only fed him dry food, but he never took it, i tried many different brands, tetra, alcon, and two others i can't remember the name, i only gave him chicken because i was scared of him starving, i try to vary, one day peas two days chicken and once in a while carrots, peas and carrots he can eat right? i will try the octopus and the squid and the worm to see if he eats it

 

[Colin_T]

Oscars are predators and don't eat plant matter so don't bother feeding peas or carrots.

The fish won't starve if he goes without food for a couple of weeks and when they get hungry after a few days, they are more willing to eat other foods.

 

[Byron]

I have a problem with flutuating pH, i aways check it and fix it, but in the morning it is aways acidic, i don't know why, i am searching for a shell to put in the filter and changing water frequently, what more can i do? i aready taken everything out besides what is on the picture, is there anything wrong with the aquarium?

There is background to this question that we must understand to make sense of the answer. The pH is part of the GH (general hardness) and KH (carbonate hardness also called Alkalinity). It is also impacted by factors like calcareous substances and CO2. The initial pH in your source water is largely determined by the GH and KH though there are other factors too. You should know the GH, KH and pH of your source water as this is the starting point. If you don't have tests, see if you can find this data on the website of your municipal water authority. You should always have a pH test, and I assume from your posts that you do; but a GH/KH test is not likely going to be needed once you know the source water numbers, so try the water people.

Every aquarium produces organics (primarily the fish excrement) and as these are broken down by the various bacteria primarily in the substrate, they produce CO2, and CO2 in turn produces carbonic acid. The latter will tend to lower the pH, but here the buffering aspect of the GH and KH enter the picture again. You have not given us the pH and we need this, both for the source water and the tank water. When testing tap water for pH, you must first out-gas any dissolved CO2, and this is easily done by letting a glass of tap water sit for 24 hours, then test pH. This out-gassing is not needed for aquarium water, just tap water.

If the pH is lowering, it would tend to suggest the GH and KH asre low, i.e., softer rather than harder water. But we need the numbers to sort this out.

Never, never use pH adjusting products. These are very dangerous to fish, not only the chemicals themselves which get inside the fish, but the natural biological process may keep lowering the pH anyway, like I explained above. It is always better to let the pH do what it wants, but you also need to know the data so we can predict this and decide if something should or should not be done.

The more stuff (additives, substances) you add to any aquarium, the more it impacts the natural laws which govern everything inside the tank. We want to work with these, not against them.

 

[Metalhead88]

As Byron mentioned, do not use chemicals to alter pH. This will create a fluctuation as you have already experienced and is more detrimental than anything else.

Whatever pH and hardness you have, roll with it and stock accordingly. It will be stable with weekly water changes. GH is really the number that you want to look into. Some fish are very sensitive to certain hardness, but I have found Oscars really are not one of them. They will thrive in a wide range of water conditions.

What is your pH at now? Why are you so worried about this? Has this tank been cycled?

This tank looks very small. I would not recommend keeping a fast growing fish like an oscar in this tank for any amount of time. He will literally outgrow it in a month or 2.

As far as feeding, Oscars are absolute gluttons and will eat anything! If he's not eating any of your standard cichlid food like floating pellets, there is likely something else going on here. If he's just not used to eating the food you are giving him, wait it out. He will eat it when he is hungry.

I have never fed my cichlids chicken. I haven't ever thought of that or researched into it. I'd advise against it since Oscars certainly are not eating chicken in the wild.

 

[seangee]

In addition to what the previous posters said about pH Oscars are naturally found in acidic water. Why would you want to change it?

 

[bunnypoc]

What is your pH at now? Why are you so worried about this? Has this tank been cycled?

It has, now the pH is 6.6, it was really low, like REALLY low, the test didn't even had that color, he was laid down horizontaly, he didn't move, he didn't came to eat.

This tank looks very small. I would not recommend keeping a fast growing fish like an oscar in this tank for any amount of time. He will literally outgrow it in a month or 2.

I aready have a 200L tank, but due to Covid-19's quarantine i can't leave home to buy the rest of the stuff

If the pH is lowering, it would tend to suggest the GH and KH asre low, i.e., softer rather than harder water. But we need the numbers to sort this out.

i will get them

If he's just not used to eating the food you are giving him, wait it out.

how much should i wait? i waited for two days, he was desperate for food at the top of the aquarium but wouldn't eat any of the four brands

 

[Metalhead88]

Fish can live a long time without food....a week or two without any issues. I'd feel uncomfortable going over 2 weeks.

If he is healthy and hungry, he will eat whatever is there.