Oscar Help Needed

[shelaghfishface]

just turned on Bo`s lights to see him "stuck" at the top of the tank,, hes trying to get down but can`t seem to... like hes bouyant,he`s also loosing his slime coat ( he does that when he gets really stressed) just falls away in flake like matter, hes been eating, he has recently spent a week at the local fish store being baby sat, as he needed a new tank ( long story) while he was there he shared a tank with another O, smaller than him, but the lil git managed to beat Bo up, so hes been having daily water changes to heal him ( just a nick on his side, think his pride was more hurt) also seems to have one cloudy eye-- but his chequerd past means he is pretty messed up anyway so that could be normal or just the angle im looking at him.

im in the process of draining off the tank to do a WC
did have a busy day planned but ive cancelled everything,so that i can keep an eye on him, this isnt something ive seen before so im really worried, and hes getting on now so that won`t help

any help would be much appreciated

shelagh xxx
if ive missed anything just ask, i`ll be back and forth to check for replies

 

[england]

Aww mate, i think water change's sound a good idea, as to being at top,is he stuggling to get down?this iam not sure of, have you tried some deshelled pea's, maybe and hopefully he's just constipated, as for the eye leads me to think it was from taking a wipping, can you take any pictures?

 

[shelaghfishface]

yeah nelly really struggling, the top of him is out of the water, just tried peas but hes not able to get to them, and turned when i tried to shove one in his mouth

 

[england]

Hmm odd, well for me, could you get any picture's, i remember when my pair took a real pasting they would sink to the bottom and moap, had same thing where skin looked awful for two-three weeks, could it be bloat?

 

[shelaghfishface]

dunno nelly, its probably stress related....... ill take a pic as soon as the tank is full again, everything is off...

 

[england]

I hope are resident doc appears soon shela

all i can offer in mean time is a read,dont want to panic as im not sure but

http/www.oscarfishlover.com/swollen-abdomen-articles-121

http/www.oscarfishlover.com/oscar-fish-health

 

[shelaghfishface]

cheers for those nelly ill read them now while tank is filling those are his war wounds, i cant see any fresh marks on his face

 

[Spishkey]

shelagh would it help if you put him somewhere with less water (a plastic box or something similar?) just enough water so he can move around, but not so much that he keeps struggling to get to the bottom? constantly trying to sink himself is going to be exhausting and will do far more bad than good. maybe you have a smaller shallower tank you can put him in for now?
keep trying with the deshelled peas. have you checked water stats..checked for sticky out scales etc (all the usual but i know how easy it is to 'forget' when in a panic) anything 'new' (apart from the new tank of course) is one end of him floating more than the other? does he float to one side or straight in the water?


edit ; just seen pics..might be an idea just to half fill the tank for now so he doesnt struggle so much to get down chick?

 

[shelaghfishface]

ive dropped the level to less that half in the tank and just topping up to cover the heater........ nothing at all else that i can see, dosent even look swollen

 

[england]

Iam just wondering, how long has he been back in the tank?

as one thing ive noticed with oscars and alot of cichlids is if there living in fear in a tank with a major aggressor is they will literally do what yours is doing, like it cant get any more out the tank if it tried, just a thought...

when i put my salvini in with the male jag this happen, it was over 40% out the water in a corner,

 

[Spishkey]

i dont think its a swim bladder problem, i'd guess if it was he'd have trouble staying straight in the water. id put my bet on constipation or something he's eaten (apparently old food stuck in the system can cause a fish to float..never knew that till last week!) any idea what he was given to eat in the pet store?
i think its going to be a sit it out and wait jobby

 

[shelaghfishface]

hes been in since last sat, he seemed happy enough when i colected him back, even tho he had been beaten, he has just been his usuall laid back self, only making an effort when theres food involved.. but hes never been one that like the top of the tank, will eat there of course but wont hang about, hed rather be laying on the gravel

i left his food for him there spish tetra doromin.. he was fed once a day for a week.. im going to try the peas again, i dont want to stress him anymore but if i have to ram it down his neck i will, im not losing him

 

[england]

check again the heater,make sure just to rule out its not cracked or broken, elimnation procsess, im in agreement, he looks normal,just up at top of tank,

 

[Spishkey]

they're tough buggers hun, did you here what happened to waldorf two weeks back? silly cow escaped the tank and spent over three hours on a stone floor in -1 temps. managed to flap over 3 metres into the shed where my fella found her. how she escaped we'll never know, but she's no worse for wear (apart from seriously scratched eyes which i think are damaged now )
out of curiosity, is Bo hanging out in one certain area (next to the heater or filter inlet/outlet perhaps?)

 

[shelaghfishface]

you are jokin!! jambo did that tho( thoi i caught him before he made off down the street lol).. and i lauched him back into the tank jumped and slid right across the laminate
no he seems to move across but staying in the corner out of the way of me
checked the heater already nelly, its fine, and has a thick plastic cover on it..after that thing with jambo its always the first thing i check
i hope her eyes will recover. what are they like eh!
right off to try to feed him.. lets hope i get to keep my arm