Oscars Keep Laying Down Side Ways

[Lokemer]

Tank size:55 us gallons
pH:7.0
ammonia:1.5ppm
nitrite:0.5ppm
nitrate:20ppm
kH:80ppm
gH:60ppm
tank temp:

Fish Symptoms (include full description including lesion, color, location, fish behavior):2 oscars both lying on their sides unless stirred up or touched

Volume and Frequency of water changes:50% water change every 5 days

Chemical Additives or Media in your tank:no chems

Tank inhabitants:2 Red tiger oscars

Recent additions to your tank (living or decoration)lants

Exposure to chemicals:none


here one is in a quaratine net




PLEASE help

 

[Spishkey]

your ammonia and nitrite are too high, it is killing your fish, do an immediate large water change, and carry on doing water changes until your ammonia is 0.

what filter do you have in the tank?
Oscars are very very VERY messy fish and need very strong filtration. also 55 gallons is the bare minimum for one oscar not two. i know yours may only be small but they grow fast.


so immediate water change NOW, dont wait

also how long has your tank been set up for?

im gonna push myself out here and *guess* its a brand new uncycled set up? been running less than a week or so?

 

[minxfishy]

As Spishkey says, immediate water change of 50%, temp match the water going back into the tank of that already in the tank, test again an hour later, if the ammonia or nitrIte are above 0, do another 50% change, you will need to do this maybe several times a day until the tank is fully cycled and both ammonia and nitrIte stay at 0.

Try to keep the tank water temperature at 25c so as not to shock the fish.

I also agreed that you need to rehome one of the Oscars, a 55g isnt really large enough for one full grown Oscar, minimum should really be 75g on its own.

 

[Miss Wiggle]

agree with the above, can you tell us how long the tank has been set up for and how you prepared it before adding fish?

you need to keep ammonia and nitrite as close to 0 as possible, 0.25ppm is the absolute max. Immediately do an 80% water change to dilute it, test the water an hour later and if ammonia or nitrite is above 0.25ppm then do another large water change.

You'll need to do this every day until they can hold themselves at 0,0.

If you read the link in my sig 'whats cycling' it willl explain it all to you.

 

[Lokemer]

Ok guys i know what cycling is im not stupid i cycled the tank for 2 weeks and everything was great and i know 2 is too big for a 55g tank the company sent me two don't ask me why. i have two 60 gallon filters in so shut up about that and don't treat me like a child. I asked for help not to be yelled at.


and they have been just fine today they have been swimming non stop around the tank

 

[Miss Wiggle]

OK Calm down, nobody's yelled at you, we're just giving advice.

If the tank had been cycled then you wouldn't have any ammonia or nitrite in the tank now unless something had gone very wrong. It's the natural conclusion to draw.

A normal cycle usually takes 4-6 weeks, can you please explain to us exactly how you cycled the tank so that we know what's gone on, it's unusual to be cycled correctly and completely in 2 weeks and the presense of ammonia normally indicates an uncycled tank.

 

[nosoup4you]

Wow, you cycled really quickly. How did you do it?

 

[MrWhite]

Ok guys i know what cycling is im not stupid i cycled the tank for 2 weeks and everything was great and i know 2 is too big for a 55g tank the company sent me two don't ask me why. i have two 60 gallon filters in so shut up about that and don't treat me like a child. I asked for help not to be yelled at.


and they have been just fine today they have been swimming non stop around the tank

Very helpful and experienced ppl are giving you advice take it on board there not insulting you do as they say and you can save your fish

 

[minxfishy]

Ok guys i know what cycling is im not stupid i cycled the tank for 2 weeks and everything was great and i know 2 is too big for a 55g tank the company sent me two don't ask me why. i have two 60 gallon filters in so shut up about that and don't treat me like a child. I asked for help not to be yelled at.


and they have been just fine today they have been swimming non stop around the tank

At no point did anybody here yell at you, or treated you like a child. With ammonia and nitrIte readings then the tank is not cycled. Regardless of them now swimming or not, you still should have 0 ammonia and nitrIte in the tank for the health of the fish, as both are very damaging to the fish.

You asked for advice and were giving the correct advice as to help the fish, if you dont wish to take it, then so be it, maybe in future you shouldnt ask as you seem to know better.

 

[Lokemer]

The tank cycled fast because the second filter is older so the bacteria was already established. I'm sorry for freaking out earlier I'm just worried about my fish

 

[england]

preform a 50% waterchange now........then every other day preform 25% waterchanges until readings are back to normal

 

[Lokemer]

Ok. Thanks

 

[Lokemer]

ok so ive done two water changes one last night one this morn last nite 50 today 25 the water levels are



nitrate 10

nitrite at a lovely 0.2 (not great but better than b4)

ph 6.4

KH 40
GH 45

doing another 50% rite now all my fish are in quaratine tank at a friends house 125 gal and will be until water stats are perfect

 

[Davo86]

all my fish are in quaratine tank at a friends house 125 gal and will be until water stats are perfect

Why? as you have no ammonia source your bacteria will simply start to die off

 

[Lokemer]

Ugh ok now they are back but the tank still isn't great