red scar in bad shape. help!!!

[suheil]

hi i got a pair of new red oscars a week back. they are presently in a 60 gallon tank. one of them started eating yesterday-very little. the other one [rose] has not eaten in a week. from day one she has a habit of staying in a oblique position with her head down. when i look at her in the morning she lies flat on her side at the surface. when i switch on the aquarium lights she gets active [but doesnt eat, but just swims around]. when the lights are off she goes oblique again.she some times she even goes completely vertical with her down and stays that ways for 15 seconds or so and then slowly turns around and goes oblique again. her mate is also lethargic. on top of this they have white spots on their body and fins. i have been treating them with methylene blue and formalin for the past three days. the spots have decreased but far from gone. heta do i do? am i doing it right. has my oscar got a swim bladder problem along with ich? what do i do? any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Warrior]

If it had a swim bladder problem, it wouldnt be able to move, so dont stress to much. The best way to ger rid of ick is to turn up the heat to about 80f or 28c, add the med every 12 hours then do a 30% water change with a vacume as ick lives in the gravel as well, add more of the med, then 12 hours later change there water. I do this and it goes away within 2 days.

 

[freddyk]

Ich medication can be a nightmare to go through, Ich is easier cured by heating the water up as high as you dare (86ish), increasing aeration to make up for this, and adding some salt (about a tsp per 2 gallons), and do water changes every other day or so. A week of this will usually do the job. If you decide to try this method make sure all medication is out of the tank first.

I doubt there is anything wrong with the swim bladder, the lying on the side or head down is typical 'Oscar under duress' behavior. On top of being sick, they do take time to get used to new homes. When buying larger fish the chances are they came from a poor home, since most Oscars end up mistreated thanks to fish stores that don't really care. How big are they?

 

[suheil]

well i hope it is duress and nothing more. thanks guys. i will keep posting any new developments and hope for your cooperation

 

[suheil]

and freddyk the fishes are 8 inches [male] and 7 inches[female]

 

[pnyklr3]

I've tried the "more heat, no meds" method on my 55 gallon. I started it about 8 days ago, and the only thing that happend was the 3 fish who had 3-5 spots of ich are now covered, and about 6 other fish in the tank are really starting to get it too. I know of some people who it has worked for, but not for me. I'd say, try the heat, if you don't start seeing improvement in a week, then start a med treatment (RID-ICH is suppossed to be a safe one..anything with malachite green).


Sorry if I sounded like a downer!

 

[Opcn]

Do you know how to keep a tank and test for nitrate and nitrite?

 

[yvez9]

Raising the temp will only accelerate the bacteria's metabolism, causing to grow faster, lay eggs faster and die sooner.

The meds kill off the living bacteria

Raising the temp only helps the eggs (the white spots) hatch sooner so they die faster.

A medicine with Malachite green for 4-5 days works perfectly, just raise the temp to 80-82 to spare the fish. Half the recommended dose is usually enough to get rid of the bacteria. Just keep treating 3-4 days after the last white spots to make sure all the bacteria are dead!