Medicating Oscar?

[AquaNut]

Okay, here I am with more questions. Freshmike says Chester sounds like he needs meds. I bow down before his cichlid knowledge and assume he's correct, but I thought a few more opinions about what might be wrong with Chester and the correct meds to treat with would be good.

Gah. I hate not knowing. I can tell a million things just by looking at my other fish, but I'm just so unsure of what's normal or not normal for Chester. To me, he seems like he has trouble staying totally upright. He's often leaning to one side or the other, and sometimes he's basically right on his side, either near the top of the tank or right by the bottom. When he's sitting at the bottom, the CAE can come along and swim under him, and in order to get under him, he basically bumps him out of the way and Chester sort of just floats whichever way the CAE nudges him.

I REALLY don't want Chester Bertuzzi to die. Freshmike says it sounds internal... I've got a variety of meds here, including some broad spectrum antibiotics (tetracycline). Is that the right thing to treat him with, or does somebody have a better idea? So far, all I've been able to do for him is increase the temp in his tank (it was unheated before I got him), do daily small water changes, and add daily doses of melafix for his wounds. I'm afraid it's not enough.

Any advice most welcome; I'll be out this afternoon and could pick up some different meds if they're needed.

 

[Alien Anna]

I don't know a lot about cichlids, but just from knowing fish in general, it sounds like a serious internal infection or maybe swimbladder disease. It wouldn't be surprising if he gets sick, given the appalling situation you rescued him from.

I'd try the antibiotics and see if they help. If he doesn't want to eat, don't push him - sick animals conserve their energy for healing, rather than digesting food.

If he doesn't make it, at least he would have had some good care and good water.

 

[AquaNut]

I'm not going to push him to eat anything else. I resorted to putting his feeders back in with him so that if he does get hungry, he can have what he's used to. I'll worry about switching him to a healthier diet after I cross this bridge.

Hope this isn't too rude of me, but I'm bumping this to the top in the hopes it will get a few more responses before I head out today.

 

[smb]

I'd go along with the others and treat with meds because like AA said, he didn't come from the best of conditions and if given the choice, I would rather treat a non-existent disease than not treat a disease that is there.

It is normal for a lot of Oscars to display this "lazy" behaviour tho. I've seen perfectly healthy O's almost lay sideways right on the gravel before. This definately makes it harder to diagnose an illness also when they act like that.

 

[AquaNut]

*sigh* This is exactly what I mean! With any of my other fish, I know what is 'normal' breathing vs gasping, but with his gigantic mouth opening and closing and those big gills flapping, I don't know what's normal! I don't think he's gasping, though. Same goes for this sideways floating. He doesn't look like he's struggling to stay upright... more like he's just lazy and floating whichever way the current carries him. I imagine some tetracycline couldn't do too much harm... I'm not worried about the killing of nitrifying bacteria etc... I can just re-fill his entire filter chamber with aged floss from my other tanks after I treat him.

Going once... going twice... going to put tetracycline in with Chester.

Thanks smb. I literally breathed a sigh of relief when I saw you reading this thread. When it comes to new world cichlids, you're the man.

 

[missyintx_99]

It may be a little late, but I would say go ahead with the antibiotics. Theres no telling what all could be going on with this poor baby. Better safe than sorry.
Let us know how he's doing.

 

[missyintx_99]

Hey Aquanut! Any updates? How is Chester Bertuzzi doing?

Has he eaten anything yet? We're all wanting to hear how its going!

 

[AquaNut]

Hi missy! Thanks for asking.

I *think* Chester ate a big live earthworm yesterday!!! I put a worm in his tank before leaving for work and it was gone when I got home, but I wasn't sure if it was him or the CAE who ate it. This morning, Chester was having a big oscar sized poop!! Yayyy for poop!!

He's been looking not well, over all... spending most of his time on the gravel with occasionally clamped fins. I'm sticking with the program of water changes and he'll get one more dose of tetracycline tomorrow. I'm hoping the worm + poop is a very good sign that he's going to come around.

 

[missyintx_99]

IF he's poopin he must be eatin something. I would take that as a good sign.
He may still be laying around because there really isn't room for him to move around much in that 20g. I'll bet that as soon as you can move him to his bigger home, he'll get more active.
Sounds to me like you're doing a great job!




Hey! Lookie there! I'm officially a fishaholic! (And notice I finally added an avatar? Thats my Green Terror, Cuervo!) I'm moving up! Hahahahahahaha!)

 

[smb]

IF he's poopin he must be eatin something. I would take that as a good sign.

Oh ya, she's all excited about that. lol

Only us fish lovers would understand the excitement to see a fish that doesn't eat, poop.

I shudder at the thought of what the outside World would think of all of us.

 

[AquaNut]

hehehehe )

More good news!!! Chester was wayyyyy more responsive to me today when I got home from work. I brought him in a slightly smaller worm from my flower bed and offered it to him from my hand. He didn't take the worm, so I just dropped it and took my hand out of his tank, but he swam right over to me when I covered his tank back up!! I talked to him for ages and he kept going back to his corner, then coming back over to see me!!

I agree that he'll be more active in a bigger tank, but it's not just a lack of free swimming, it's a lack of movement at all. OMG!!! I just turned around to look and he's swimming all around his tank!!! YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!

 

[smb]

OMG!!! I just turned around to look and he's swimming all around his tank!!! YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!

Rookies...

 

[AquaNut]

Hey now! HEY now!!!! I'm just a big cichlid rookie. lol A very happy cichlid rookie with a swimming oscar!!!!!!!!

 

[missyintx_99]

QUOTE Missyintx_99 said
IF he's poopin he must be eatin something. I would take that as a good sign.

And smb said:

Oh ya, she's all excited about that. lol

Only us fish lovers would understand the excitement to see a fish that doesn't eat, poop.

I shudder at the thought of what the outside World would think of all of us.

No kidding! It *is* kinda silly isn't it!

QUOTE Aquanut shared:
OMG!!! I just turned around to look and he's swimming all around his tank!!! YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!

To which SMB responded!

Rookies...

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 8)

Its all good. You *should* be excited about it! It means he's definately feeling better.
I told ya you were doing a good job! And now Chester has proven me right!

 

[smb]

Hey now! HEY now!!!! I'm just a big cichlid rookie. lol A very happy cichlid rookie with a swimming oscar!!!!!!!!