Sick Oscar!

[tonilee7]

Hi I have 4 oscars, I noticed this morning that one wasn't looking his best, He has what lokk to be bits of cottoning stuff on him and his poo is like a thick piece of white cotton, he has also lost his colour, gone of his food and he stays at the back of the tank. I havn't had oscars long so I guess you would say I am a novice. I don't want to lose any of my oscars so any help would be great!!!!

Tank is 120 litres: ph level is 7.0, ammonia level 2.0 (is that bad?)

Filter system is a 1600L/P submersable bio filter.

Tank contains: 4 oscars and 1 angel.

I will try and get a picture to post of him but I'm not sure if I will be able to get a good enough picture.

 

[mamafish68]

would someone with more patience then me please help this...person out

you have 4 oscars in a 30 gallon tank???

yea, i'd say your a newbie alright...
i cant say anymore, the moderators might get ticked @ me

 

[tonilee7]

Here is a picture. Not very clear but it is as good as I can get it. Tank is a bit merky because I just did a half water change to see if it would help!!!!

Notice how his whole body looks orange not just parts of him, he was black with a wash of orange not orange all over.

We originally only had 1 but the fella at our lps said it would be fine with 4 oscars in it!!!!
Last time I listen to my lps.

 

[Tolak]

One oscar needs 75 gallons, 55 if you are really up on maintainance & filtration. That tank is not suitable for one oscar, much less 4.

Oscars for all practical purposes will eat angels. I would either get a 220 gallon for the 4 oscars, & keep the smaller tank for angels, or get rid of the oscars.

There are ways to treat for those symptoms, but me posting that info would be useless until you get a larger tank.

Tolak

 

[tonilee7]

I did say I was a novice with oscars, I wasn't lying if I wasn't a novice I would't be here!!!!!!!!!

I'm an aussie I don't talk in gallons I talk in litres so could you please convert

 

[Torrean]

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=47035&hl=oscar

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=10675


I hope this helps. BTW I don't speak for everyone but I'm not mad at you. I'm mad at the person who sold these fish to you. I went through the same thing (sort of). After you sort through all this read my first posts it'll make you feel better. I hope from now on you will resist the urge to impulse buy and will research your fish thouroughly before buying them.

 

[tonilee7]

I might just take a pic of the whole tank that will give you a better idea of what I need to do!

 

[Torrean]

Don't waste the time. You should quarantine this oscar if you can. Then put an add in the paper saying that you are looking for homes for 4 oscars. Ask your friends if they know anyone with a large tank with no other fish in it. Even if you cure this disease another will pop up sooner than later. Cure the cause and you cure the disease.

Look through these they may help with the disease aspect of your problem.

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showforum=55

 

[Tolak]

280 liters per fish, you would need a 830 liter tank for 4 oscars.

I'm from the U.S. and rarely use liters. I do use this, it's a nice link to keep handy;

http/mike-edwardes.members.beeb.net/converter.html

Tolak

 

[tonilee7]

My LPS told me he had been breeding oscars for over 10 years and he said he has 18 oscars in a 6 foot tank which I presume would be about 500-600 litres so is he pulling my leg or does he just not care.

My mother inlaw just bought a 6 foot tank yesterday, but I don't think she would be real keen to give it up not that quick anyway!


We were not planning on keeping the oscars for long, we got them at about 1 1/2 inchs and we are only growing them to 3 inches and then selling them again, so if I'm not growing them right out why do I need such a big tank.

I would hate to be breeding them if you need a tank that big for one it would have to be impossible to breed them coz no one would have that much room.


Thanks to those people who gave me usefull infomation and not smart remarks, I will try to get another tank, or sell them!!!!!

And to those people who might be thinking I am a little nieve when it comes to tropical fish, it's only oscars!!!! I have been sucsessfully breeding tropical fish for years.....swords, mollys,platties,guppies, bristol noses, bull nose cichlids, and more!!!! just not oscars.....

 

[Tolak]

Have you seen the tank? He may be pulling you leg. It may be a breeding setup, with daily water changes & tons of filtration. The 55 gallon bare minimum is for a fully grown fish. I breed & grow out angels, and exceed the 10 gallons per fish minimum on a regular basis. I also have triple or better the filtration, and do more water changes than anyone other than me usually wants to do. It didn't start out that way, takes some time to figure out how far to push it & what equipment works out best.

A properly fed & housed oscar grows about an inch a month. You could probably keep them for 2 months maximum, starting at 1 1/2" & selling them at 3 inches. A tank that size, overfiltered with twice weekly water changes could house 2 oscars 3 inches body size. The reason you are having problems is that you have 4 in there.

Tolak

 

[mamafish68]

OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
PPfftttt
breeding tropicals for years MY BUTT!

give your mother in law the fish and stick to platys etc..

PLEASE

there, i've been nice w/ the "please" thing...

When I started out I had one oscar in a 55 and got reamed for it by hobbiests, it's your turn kiddo

 

[Torrean]

OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
PPfftttt
breeding tropicals for years MY BUTT!

give your mother in law the fish and stick to platys etc..

PLEASE

there, i've been nice w/ the "please" thing...

When I started out I had one oscar in a 55 and got reamed for it by hobbiests, it's your turn kiddo

Hope I don't get on your bad side

 

[Tolak]

Man oh man, slapped down by mamafish! There is a major difference between breeding & raising livebearers & large messy cichlids like oscars. Sort of the difference between driving the family sedan & driving an 18 wheeler.

Having bred fish before, I'm surprised you didn't do a little research before getting involved with a fish like oscars. I bought a 1" oscar at an auction 2 months ago, it's now a 3" fish. It's in a overfiltered 20 gallon (c'mon & slap me too mamafish! ) & spends his time watching me clean & reseal an old 63 gallon for it's next home. I realized how big they get before i bought it, & also knew I had a large empty tank & stand in the garage. If it gets too big for the 63, which may well happen, it's time to pick up a larger tank.

Tolak

 

[freddyk]

ammonia level 2.0 (is that bad?)

Yup, this is terrible and it's poisoning the fish. At this point I'd be doing many consecutive water changes and taking immediate action by establishing a bio-filter (using used filter media or liquid bacteria like bio-spira). Keep doing lots of waterchanges until you can unload the fish.

Look into cycling and check out other articals too. I'd Reconsider the substrate, those marbles are tough to clean and fish like cichlids and bottom dwellers tend to interact best with smaller gravel or sand.

There are smaller cichlids that will work in this tank and they have just as much character as the big ones, but as a first tank you're better off starting with peaceful community fish and holding off on the territorial types for a while.