urgent help on oscar

[suheil]

hi, i have a lutino oscar who is around four inches. i got him when he was around 2 inches. from the past couple of months he has a bulge infront of the pelvic fin and below the gills. is this normal growing up or is it something to be watched out for? could someone help me here . his behaviour is normal. he's always been a highly active and inquisitive fish.i give him home made food made from prawns , chicken liver and beef. is this dropsy?please do help. the bulge is just infront of hi pointer fins below. please do help

 

[freddyk]

The body where you are talking about is going to bulge out compared to the stomach area, this is normal, but it shouldn't be too excessive.

You really should not be feeding the Oscar Mammal meat. Breeders sometimes do this to encourage fast growth for quick sale, but it isn't healthy. Stick to natural foods - shrimp, krill, prawns, insects, insect larvae, worms, small fish, crayfish... as you can see there is no lack of healthy foods to choose from. Also try to resist overfeeding to encourage him to grow fast - he'll thank you when he's big and beautiful and healthy down the road.

 

[suheil]

hi thanks for the reply. it has put my mind to rest somewhat. he is a growing oscar and u say the bulge is normal, but should not be excessive. the bulge is prominent, i mean u can make out the bulge from his profile. is that excessive? and is it bad that it is excessive? any particular reasons for it?
sorry to pester like this.

 

[Synirr]

Overfeeding causes the bulge to be excessive... they bulge out when their tummies get really, really full

I agree with freddyk... stop feeding him mammal/poultry meats and give him a more natural diet. Hikari brand cichlid pellets are a good staple food in my opinion, but should of course be supplemented with the foods freddyk mentioned... my oscar also likes getting some vegetables every now and then
Try not feeding him for a day and see if the bulge lessens. If it does, you're just overfeeding and should probably cut him back a little, and if it doesn't he may be constipated. I'm not sure what to do for a constipated oscar so maybe someone else can give you better advice on that, but for constipated bettas you're supposed to feed them peas... feeding an oscar vegetables would probably help.

 

[suheil]

well i think my oscar is constipated then. i have not fed him for two days but the bulge is still there. i tried peas but he doesn't eat it. is there any way to get rid of oscar constipation?

 

[freddyk]

Don't feed him for a while, but keep offering the peas. He may eat them eventually - my Oscar took about two weeks of ignoring spirulina flake (fed for the tinfoil barbs) before starting to partake in this too - despite how little he can manage to eat of them. I'm convinced an Oscar will eat anything eventually.

 

[freddyk]

This is certainly never a problem I've had to deal with, but I've heard a little epsom salt in the water can help with constipation. Just add it slow if you decide this method, as epsom salts will raise the general hardness of the water.

BTW, he isn't pooping right?

 

[suheil]

thanks guys. the peas worked. he is happy and defecating now. the bulge is coming down.

 

[freddyk]

Good to hear!

 

[Synirr]

Great news!