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Oscars With Hole-In-The-Head 12/30/2005 Greetings Bob,
< Chuck this time.> We have 2 Red Tiger Oscars that both
developed the HLLE. We keep a good tank ( check to make sure that all
the levels are good) for them. However, is there something you can
recommend that we do to help out our fish? We would like to have them
around for a while. Thanks, Robert and JoAnna < This is usually
caused by stress. Check the water chemistry. If that is OK then try a
more nutritious food or change the diet to a better grade of food.
Maybe add some live food too. Metronidazole will work to treat it but
the causes of the stress must be addressed and corrected for a long
term solution.-Chuck> Oscars Gone Wild 12/28/05 I have two Tiger Oscars. Both are about 3 inches long and in a 30 gal aquarium. I have two other fish and some snails in the tank with them. They have been swimming frantically across the tank slamming into the sides and everything else in the tank. When they are not doing that they float almost as if they are dead. They have been doing this for two - three days. I called the local fish store and they said change 50% of my water, add salt and double the dechlorinated drops which I did. The Oscars started swimming some but are still floating on their sides on the top and also swimming into the sides of the tank. They also don't seem to be eating. This all started after I was having problems with my filter, I changed the filter to a new one and done two water changes a couple of days apart. The local fish store told me I was over feeding my Oscars so I cut down on how much I was feeding them. That is when they started the hitting the tank and swimming as if dead. Any help would be appreciated. < Check the ammonia, nitrites and nitrates. When replacing a filter with a new one you may have remove all the good bacteria needed to break down the toxic fish waste. So you may be experiencing higher waste levels like in a new tank. Add carbon to the filter to remove any unwanted organics in the water. Remove any uneaten food after 2 minutes.-Chuck> Oscar with Fin Rot 12/24/05 I noticed another thing on my Oscar. At the end of its tail its white and the edges look like they're torn. Is it Bacterial Fin Rot? What should I do? < Could be fin rot. Do a 30% water change, vacuum the gravel and change the filter. If it looks like it is getting worse then treat with Nitrofuranace.-Chuck> Oscar with Hole-In-The-Head 12/16/05 Hi Chuck, I have still been trying to cure my Oscar, but to no avail. I put him in a bare 30 gallon and treated just as you described for quite some time but he did not seem to be recovering at all...getting worse in fact. He didn't like the medication at all, but I did it 3 days on one day off for two weeks. After that I just kept the water pristine and kept the lights out for the whole day. I did turn the lights on, wait 30 minutes, and try to feed him. He seemed hungry.....he gets all excited and swims back and forth waiting for the food, but when the he gets the food in his mouth he just opens it back up and the food comes out. I have tried med. pellets, small pellets (Hikari Gold), flakes, brine shrimp, frozen brine.....pretty much everything, same result. He just spits the food back out over and over. The one visible change in him after the treatment was the dimples in his head, which cover a decent area from behind his left eye all the way back near his fin, turned black. Well, I should say rather that they are now outlined in black, but very prominently. At first I thought it was a good thing, like it was healing, but the dimples seemed to be worsening still and he still can't eat. It's been several months now. I am to the point where I am considering euthanasia, but would like to get your feedback first. I have really done so much and tried very hard to cure him. I don't like to think about him being so uncomfortable, and if he is just going to keep getting worse the I will have to do it sometime anyway. He isn't eating....what do you think? Do you know anything about the blackening around the dimples/holes? Thanks, Tim < The black is a good sign that things may be healing up, at least around the edges. Try to get him to eat live black worms. He should. Give him a couple of feedings over a couple of days. One the third day place some worms in a small plastic cup with some water. Add a tablet of Metronidazole. It should kill the worms instantly. The worms now have the medication in them. Now quickly feed them to your Oscar. Getting the medication inside the fish should really help. Continue to do this until the spots turn black.-Chuck> Oscar Can't Swim - 12/11/2005 I have a 55 gallon tank and last night I noticed one of my Oscars was having trouble submerging himself and tonight I noticed that he is trying to dive but he floats right back up I think he is dying can you help. < Your Oscar has an internal bacterial infection or a blockage. The bacteria in the gut are multiplying and creating a gas that is building up inside and affecting you Oscar's buoyancy. Do a 50% water change, clean the filter and vacuum the gravel. Treat with Metronidazole and Nitrofuranace. Follow the directions on the packages. When he starts to eat again he is getting better. The key to a complete cure is early treatment.-Chuck> Oscar's Dying 12/9/05 Hello, <Hi, Catherine
here.> My husband and I recently inherited an Oscar about 12 inches
from his mother. My husband in order to transport the fish from her
house had to empty the large fish tank (not sure how big but a really
good size) and he put the fish in a smaller tank with the water it was
residing in the big tank. <Sounds like a good start. I hope you took
the big tank with you and put him back at home with the water which you
brought in plastic jugs.> Here is where the problem came, when we
got the tank home he cleaned it spotless along with the gravel which I
questioned but I'm no fish expert. <Why?> Then he filled it
with tap water and let it sit for a day with the pump hooked up without
adding the fish (he did not de-chlorinate the water:-<). <Depends
on where you live. Well water has no chlorine. Some cities add chlorine
which will evaporate over a few days (dechlorinator works). Other
cities add chloramine (you MUST add dechlorinator).> We added the
fish last night and I believe the fish is in shock right now. He was
hanging near the bottom of the tank sometimes swimming to the top where
he was when I left the house this morning. He was swimming around but
favoring is side which I think was caused by him trying to get oxygen
from the surface. <All sounds like shock/stress...> He
developed a cloudy film on his eyes. <Bacterial infection due to
stress. I wouldn't treat it because treatment is likely to destroy
whatever good bacteria you have left and delay cycling. You just have
to make his environment better.> I also noticed that his color
(normally dark) has some orange areas in it now. <Stress....>
This is a beautiful fish and I would really like to save it but I'm
not fish savvy so is there anyway I can help him out of this shock?
Please help:-< <Okay, step one, remove husband from tank.
Possibly from house. When your husband cleaned the tank, did he use
soap? If he did, the stuff sticks to glass and is really deadly on
fish. If it has soap, you need to do lots of water changes and possibly
get a new tank. Regardless, buy some dechlorinator and add it (package
directions work well). Speaking of tanks, this fish needs a tank that
is 70-100 gallons. He may have been fine in a smaller one before,
but now he's in shock and getting over it is not going to be
terribly easy. He may have also been pH shocked. If he was, there
isn't a lot you can do about it now, except to try to keep his pH
as constant as possible (by doing many smaller water changes). You can
also buy a test kit for pH. Anything between 6.0 and 8.0 is great. If
your pH is outside those ranges, let me know and we'll discuss how
to slowly change it. Constant and "wrong" is better than
"right" but varying. His water should be heated to about 80F
and he should have a filter that turns over all the water in the tank
about 5x per hour. Your husband has also killed all the beneficial
bacteria in the tank. This means the tank is going to have to cycle.
Basically fish poop. Poop contains toxic ammonia. Bacteria can convert
ammonia into nitrite. Nitrite is toxic. Other bacteria convert nitrite
into relatively safe nitrate. Good news is the bacteria are in the air
and will colonize the tank. Bad news is this takes about 6 weeks. You
need to get a test kit for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. Their values
should be at 0, 0, and less than 20. For the next few months, you will
need to do checks daily and anytime ANY of the readings are over 0.5,
1, and 20, do a 30% water change. This is going to be a lot of work.
You can try to add BioSpira from Marineland (refrigerated) or Cycle
(variable results). These products have bacteria in them and will help
kick start your cycle. That may mean a LOT less water changes and a
less stressed fish more quickly.> Natalie <Good luck with
him and let us know how it goes. www.liveaquaria.com has good
information. I suggest not feeding "feeder goldfish" because
they can carry disease Read WetWebMedia and the chat forum for more
ideas and information. Catherine> Oscar Still Has Hole In The Head 11/3/05 Hi all, I have read
through the forums and have done what is recommended (mostly
Chuck's recommendations). <<Chuck knows his cichlid
stuff!>> I have a large (12-14 inch) red Oscar in a 75 gallon
tank by himself. I had him with a Tiger Oscar until they outgrew the
tank and he became aggressive with the Tiger. I plan on getting him in
a 125+ but I have to move to a new place first. He developed pitting on
the left side of his head, fairly high up. At first I thought he just
lost a scale from bumping into the top of the tank (he gets very
excited when I feed him), but it has progressed. I use RO water and
treat it lightly with Cichlid Essentials. I feed him Hikari pellets. I
do have frozen brine cubes which I am going to start supplementing in
to his diet. I normally feed him a small amount in the morning and at
night. I bought a bottle of the Hole-In-The-Head Guard with
Metronidazole and have followed the directions on the bottle. They say
to use it every other day for three treatments with 25% water changes
between treatments. I have followed the directions exactly. It has been
a week since the last treatment and I see no improvement. How
long should I wait before I treat him again? Is there anything else I
can do? My nitrates are low, ammonia and nitrites 0. My water
temp is 80ish. This is a large beautiful fish and I really don't
want to lose him. Thanks for any help you can provide. Tim <
Go to Cichlid-Forum.com and
check out the 22 page article on the causes and treatment of hole in
the head disease. Metronidazole reacts to everything, light, heat,
organics etc... In a best case scenario you treat the fish in a bare
tank. Treat with Metronidazole and Nitrofuranace every 8 hours with a
33% water change in between treatments for three days. Lots of work and
lots of money too. After reading this article you will best be able to
determine the cause and be able to treat appropriately.-Chuck>
Hospital Tank For A Large Oscar 11/4/05 Thanks again Chuck, I appreciate it. Would a 20 gallon be reasonable as a hospital tank or is that still too small? < It would work but I would put it in an out of the way place to keep him calm and relaxed during treatment. Good luck.-Chuck> Fasting Oscar, Unstable Temp. 10/30/05 I've had my tiger Oscar for about 6 months now. Since they only allow a maximum of a 10 gallon tank in my college dorm, I left him with my parents and gave them instructions on feeding him while I am away. <Okay.> Every time I have gone home (I go home every 2 weeks or so) He has been doing well, but I got an email from my father today saying that he hasn't eaten in 3 days and has been laying on his side at the bottom of the tank behind the tank ornament (which resembles the roots of a tree, and he used to hide in there when I first got him). They told me that they have been doing partial water changes, but it hasn't affected his behavior. <Do they know the water parameters, his behavior sounds environmentally induced...as in something is wrong, i.e. not enough aeration or to many nutrients.> I don't know what the water temp is, but I think that it may have gone down since it is getting colder out, and my mother mentioned it being cold in the house even though they turned on the heat. Could the change in temperature be affecting his appetite or make him sick? <Improper temperatures can cause lethargic reactions and are fatal long-term.> I know it will be hard to give advice based on the limited information I have, but I'd appreciate any suggestions. <If you do no have a heater I suggest getting one to stabilize the temp, as for the eating offer many varieties of food to entice him. Perhaps even some frozen squid or blood worms.> Thanks. <Welcome, Adam J.> Albino Oscar Getting Dark Patches - 10/24/05 I have an albino tiger Oscar that is 13 inches long and recently started getting dark gray splotches on her. She eats normally and is very active , do I have a problem cropping up or is it just pigmentation changes? She is in her own 55 gallon tan with two AquaClear 70 filters on the system and things look good but a fish that looks dirty. < Could be caused by food or old scars. Change the diet and see if they go away. Does not sound like a disease.-Chuck> Re: Hole in the Head on Oscar 10/20/05 Hi Chuck: My Oscar had or still has hole in the head. It just seems to stay on his gill covers and one cheek. I got the med you said to get and things started to look good. But after the Metronidazole and Furanace the pits are getting worse. And on one side the wound looks red. in some spots. he still eats. I give him freshwater Zoa« he eats every thing but feeders. What can I do to help him get better? His diet is good I think worms ,crickets, beef heart, moths, pellets, some algae wafers, krill, fish from the super market. <The disease can be controlled with the medications and Nitrofuranace I recommended, but the cause needs to be addressed to get a complete cure. Start by not feeding beef heart and checking the nitrates. They should be under 25 ppm. The lower the better. Increase the water changes to 50% per week with aged treated water. This condition may take awhile to turn around so stay at it.-Chuck>
Oscar gill 10/16/05 Hey crew, <Stone> I have a Tiger Oscar- 7"- that I believe may have gotten into a fight. This is because one of his/her gills looks out of place. I don't know how to help my Oscar... What should I do? <Mmm, keep water quality optimized, stable, provide good nutrition... in short, just good upkeep... not much can be done with such injuries... they either heal on their own or leave the fish with a deformity. Bob Fenner> Oscars and a Lack of Input - 10/14/2005 My Oscars started getting a whitish build up on their bodies and then developed eye cloud. I've never dealt with this before. <Clouded eyes are usually related to poor environmental conditions.... Be testing your water quality, changing water....> 4 of my favorites have died. I've been treating them by increasing the aquatic salt level to 150%, <150% of....?> using MelaFix for 6 days, <Unlikely to be of help - and certainly not of help if the root cause is environmental.> and gave them their 2nd dose of Binox. <Learn what you are treating before you treat.... Throwing medications at systems without knowing what they are or what you are medicating for is quite dangerous. Binox is sodium chloride (salt) and Nitrofurazone (an antibiotic). Do you have reason to believe there is a bacterial infection that can be treated by this? If not, why are you medicating? Have you tested your water?> My two large Oscars' eyes don't seem to be getting any better, but they're swimming around more and color has gotten better. However, no appetite. Do you have any suggestions? <Yes, test your water for pH, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate.... Maintain ammonia and nitrite at ZERO, nitrate less than 20ppm, with water changes.... Look for the root cause of the problem (likely water quality) and begin rectifying it.> I don't want to lose them or have them go blind. Thank-you <All the best, -Sabrina> Oscars Don't Like Hair 9/28/05 Hi guys I hope you are all well and thank you for all the great information you post. I have a problem with hair, human hair getting into my tanks. I have a 800 gallon and a 200 gallon both freshwater. I had 4 now I have 3 Oscars in the 800 and 1 Oscar in the 200. On the 800 I have 2 Magnum 350's and 2 glass corner skimmers with filtering around the intake tube these run down to a 60 gallon sump filter and then the clean water is pumped back to the tank. The Oscar that had died was because he swallowed a human hair. I had noticed it coming out his mouth and the other end coming out of his rear end. I called my vet and she came to the house and tried to pull the hair out but could not "Big Red" the Oscar died that night. I have since then shaved my head. I have since put filters on the fans in the hood and I still get hair in the tank. It really worries me, can you suggest anything that I can do other than making the room like a hospital room. <Cover the tanks and the sump with saran wrap type plastic so that there are no openings for hair to get into the tank. Get a good sized air pump with an airstone. Place the airstone in the tank with the pump underneath the tank. The airstone will provide a "positive " air pressure and force air out of the tank. Hair cannot get into the pump and so cannot get to your Oscars.-Chuck> Oscar Needs Medication 9/22/05 My Oscar has hole-in-the-head. I went to my local fish store to try and get Nitrofuranace and they said that company is no longer in business. I can't get that med. for him. Now what? <Go to DrsFosterSmith.com. You can order 100 tablets of Furanace (#PC-210282) for $12.99 plus shipping. They carry the Metronidazole too, (#PC-18879). You get 100 tablets for $19.99 plus shipping.-Chuck> Oscar Headstander 9/21/05 I have a single Oscar (about 8-10 inches) in a 55 gallon tank. He also has an infestation (in the tank, not him) of Ostracods. They are harmless, but they keep coming, and I can't seem to get rid of them. At any rate, normally, a water change keeps them under control. Lately, though, my Oscar has been lethargic. He doesn't seem interested in food, he keeps running himself along the gravel and the other tank mixtures, but has no external spots, or anything that would suggest he is unhealthy. I typically get him a few feeder fish monthly, and he has a lot of fun catching them, but this time around he's all but ignored them. This morning, I found him tail-up, and he seemed asleep - it took a lot to see that he was actually alive. I'm just not at all sure why my normal Oscar who begs for food and patrols the tank regularly is acting like he is dying. Do you have any suggestions? < Do a 50% water change, vacuum the gravel and clean the filter. Water tamp should be around 82 F and increase the aeration. Add a tablespoon of rock salt per 5 gallons of water. See if he responds or at least wakes up. It could be anything from nitrate poisoning to knocking himself out on the tank lid. Watch him closely for signs of stress that can help pin point an exact cause.-Chuck> Oscar Eye Problems 9/19.5/05 I would appreciate it if
you could help me. My parents have an adult Oscar that is
about 8 inches long. So far, he has been healthy but has just recently
developed a white film over both eyes. Is this ick? If so how do we
treat it, if not then what is it and how do we treat it? Please help!
<It's not Ich, which we see as tiny salt-like spots on the fins
and body. Most, if not all, eye problems are directly linked to water
quality. Start with several large water changes using a gravel vac to
remove as much organic matter as possible. If the eyes start to swell
add one tablespoon of Epsom salt for each 5 gallons of water. If you do
not see improvement in a week or two you may need to treat with
Furan-2. Please do not treat until you get his conditions pristine and
give him a little time to heal. Don> Oscars and Exophthalmus - 09/16/2005 Hello, <Hi.> I have a question I hope someone can help me with. <Okay.> I have a Tiger Oscar about 5-6 inches long, and it's left eye is pretty messed up. It started last week with a white mass of some sort collecting right behind the left eye and ever since then it has gotten worse. The white mass got larger and began pushing the left eye out. Now, there is still a large collection of sort behind the eye and it is also red, like I can see flesh or muscle coming out. <Exophthalmus.... "pop-eye". Can find more here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/popeyefaqs.htm > I have been doing water changes, testing the parameter and treating with Melafix, I thought it may have been Popeye. <Melafix will not help/affect this ailment.> I used this medicine before when my fish were acting very sickly and breathing very rapidly and it worked and brought it back around. He is still pretty active although he is swimming a little on it's right side. Does this sound like Popeye or could something else be wrong? What else can be done? Please help me! I cringe every time I look at him. <Check your water quality. Maintain ammonia and nitrite at ZERO, nitrate less than 20ppm, and add Epsom salt (magnesium sulfate) to the water at a rate of 1 tablespoon per 5 gallons. This should help with the swelling. You can re-dose this in a few days after a large water change.> Desperate in Texas <Please do take a look at those FAQs. Wishing you well, -Sabrina> Oscar with Hole-In-The-Head 9/13/05 My Oscar has hole-in-the-head. I treated him before and he looked ok. I put him into my 125 gallon tank about two weeks later the holes are back, mucus is back. The holes are in his cheeks and he has a puffy eye. On my second 9.5oz bottle of hole-n-head guard by Jungle. Won't eat the medicated food after 2 days but will eat other food. I change the water every other day with RO water. What can I do to help him. He is six inches long if that makes any difference. <First of all, if you want your questions answered you need to include some punctuation with your sentences. I know this takes a little time but it helps us understand exactly what the situation is so we can give you the best advice possible. Secondly, we only have so much time per day to answer questions and we much rather be answering questions and helping people than correcting grammar or trying to figure out what is being said. Put you Oscar in a hospital tank with clean water. Treat with Metronidazole and Nitrofuranace for three to four days as per the directions on the packages. Change the diet to include some live or frozen food. Keep up on your water change and clean the filter often.-Chuck> Oscar with Cloudy Eyes 9/5/05 Hello! I have had my Oscar for almost 2 years now. He lives in a 25 gallon tank and over the last 5 days he has developed a white color over his eyes. It doesn't look like a film. It looks like somebody painted his eyes white and now he's not eating either? Know what it is? ~Amie < Your Oscar has a bacterial infection that has covered his eyes and probably the rest of his body. You just cannot see it as well on the body. Do a 30% water change, vacuum the gravel and clean the filter. Check the water temperature and make sure it is around 80 F. Erythromycin works really well on this disease. If you cannot find any try Nitrofurazone. These medications may harm the good bacteria that breaks down fish waste so check for ammonia spikes after the fish has been cured.-Chuck> Oscar Floating 9/5/05 Hello, I have emailed you as I am not too good at the computer and I am very worried about my Tiger Oscar. He has been with us a good few years now and shares a tank with two extremely large goldfish. I know this is unusual but they seem to live a harmonious life. The goldfish have grown to the same length as the Oscar, about 7" , The problem is that Oscar has been lying on his side at the top of the tank for about four days now and has struggled very hard to get himself upright. He is not eating at all ,whereas before he was very friendly and always came forward for his food. He doesn't appear to be able to stay on the bottom of the tank at all and only rarely manages to swim to the other end of the tank. We have roughly 40 gallons of water and we keep doing partial water changes but still no improvement. He is prone to having massive sulks if we change his routine at all so we know it's not that. I would appreciate any help at all. Many thanks, Patricia. < My guess is an internal bacterial infection. Do a 30% water change while vacuuming the gravel and clean the filter. Treat with Metronidazole. If you can't find it then try Clout or a double dose of Nitrofurazone. Watch for ammonia spikes because these medications may affect the good bacteria that break down the fish waste.-Chuck> Oscar With Hole-In-The-Head 8/30/05 Hey WWC! I have an Oscar that I'm afraid that has HITH. What are the symptoms of this disease and how can I treat it if it is HITH? < Look for pitting around the head, behind the eyes. Change 30% of the water, vacuum the gravel, clean the filter. Treat with Metronidazole as per the directions on the package. Feed a high quality food.-Chuck> Oscar eyes... 8/28/05 Hey, I just got 2 Oscars about a week ago, and all seemed to be going well until one of them seemed really sluggish and didn't really fight for his food when I put it in the tank. Then today he was just laying in the corner and his spots went very dark black, and his eyes, well actually more like his eye lids (the circle around his eyes) went all black as well. <Not good> I couldn't figure out what was going on and he didn't come out of it so I put him into a quarantine tank just in case. <Whoa... what about your main tank? What size, how set-up, its history? Other livestock? How are they behaving? Water quality tests?> He has been there for a few hours and he will come out of his slump, his eyes will go back to yellow and he will be fine. Then every 5-10 minutes he'll go "back to black" and lay there on his side like he is afraid. I can't figure out what is going on, please help!!!!! Thanks so much! Your website is awesome, and so far very helpful, sorry if someone already posted about this. I'm a little frantic over my new babies. Thanks again! <Please (re)read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/oscars.htm and the linked files above... and respond to the questions above. Thank you, Bob Fenner> Poor Oscar Needs Help 8/27/05 Hello, Jonathan here =- A customer brought me her Oscar today, she was very teary eyed and emotional. Not surprising the animal is sick, Oscars are usually kept in substandard conditions and from what I heard from her, it's no surprise hers is ill. Probably housed in a 55 gallon with another Oscar and large Pleco. 55's are too small in my opinion to allow the animal to turn around and having another Oscar of such a large size and Pleco means it was overloaded. Her water change routine was probably poor too. Some exposure to feeder fish as a food source. It is a 12 inch fish. Some signs of stunting, both eyes stick out more than I would like, so not extreme Popeye, but some buildup of internal fluid in cavity is more likely. Some hole in the head likely, pits are too big, not craters, but too noticeable. What's interesting is what she told me before she brought it in, that it had something bulging out of its anus... which I was immediately thinking of Camallanus, but upon arrival and further talking to her it appears to be something else. Looking at the animal it appears to have a distended intestine. She said that when she transferred it that it was incased in a sac, which by handling was ruptured. She also thought it was a female because [here is the interesting part] on the distended 'organ' there are white spheres, which she thought were fish eggs. They look more like the spheres associated with fish Tb. On a post in WetWebMedia, someone advised that a Severum with a similar anus problem was an internal bacterial problem that expelled some of the intestine. keyword: Oscar anus. I've seen 'ropey' intestine uncoiled from other fish, usually from external damage. This isn't that, it's more like a fat pudge sticking out 2 inches, red tissue, looks like some large cysts near the base, and having white sphere like objects on it.... not round spheres, more like warped, bent ones. On a positive note there's no fin rot, external parasites, or real damage to the outside of the fish. Sorry to be so long winded. I'll try and take a digital photo to provide to an internet site dealing with aquarium fish disease. [or to you] Oscar is now housed singly in 80 gallon establish dealer tank. May have to move to 20 gallon partition tank. Daily water changes will be needed to support that size animal in a smaller tank. I don't want to move, but it may be out of my hands. Daily water changes, some MelaFix in water to discourage any external bacteria (probably won't do much), I have some Medi-gold triple antibiotic food pellets I purchased from a goldfish connection, which I plan to start administering shortly. I may soak them in some vita-Chem freshwater to help. > my eyes its looks like a distended part of the intestine caused by an internal bacterial infection, covered in white cysts possibly fish tb. Possibly of recovery.. unknown 40 % Please share your opinion and / experience with me p.s. working in a retail fish store, such a good way to see these horrible things, I have the manual of fish health & handbook of fish disease, and endless hours on the net, but still experience rules regards, Jonathan < The prolapsed anus may be distended due to disease or poor diet. Smaller regular feedings will be less stressful on the system. Treat with Metronidazole for internal bacterial infections. Fish will definitely benefit from the treatment.-Chuck> Red Oscar HITH 8/25/05 I lost one 3 years ago to
HITH disease although "Rocco" is still hanging on. I just
treated him with Metronidazole. Forget about it that stuff made all my
fish ill and killed 3 silver dollars immediately. <Is toxic... and
many folks don't treat it, realize how much so> please let
people know that liquid Baytril is what helped "Rocco" in his
earlier days! <You have done so here> That was 5 years ago. Now
he's worse than ever and I am unclear if he's just ready to go.
Is this Old age or just the disease. <Perhaps a bit of both... how
about nutritional inputs?> He is 6 years old. Is he still young?
<Mmm, no... more like "middle-aged"> His hole is
increasing in size, he didn't want to eat, his eyes are starting to
get cloudier by the day, he lays at the bottom of his 55 gallon tank
and vibrates his tail, what is that? <Bummed> Should I go get the
Baytril again? An will it harm my other 2 cichlids, Pleco, and silver
dollars?-Thanks! <I would try improving nutrition, water quality...
Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/hllefaqs.htm and the linked files
above... Oh, and yes, the marine references also apply. Bob Fenner>
Oscar 8/22/05 My Oscar has not been eating for a week. I have changed water & treated him with Metro. for 4 days. He seems to be improving & seems active, but not 100%. I noticed that his left eye is swollen and cloudy. I think my Oscar is blind. Any comments is greatly appreciated. <Hi Alycia. First off, where is this Oscar living, and with whom? How large of a tank, what are his tankmates, what are the water parameters (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH, temp. at a minimum)? How old is the fish / how long have you had it? Here's a great introduction to all-things-Oscar: http://www.aquariacentral.com/articles/oscar1.shtml With regards to the eye, sounds as if the fish could have a bacterial infection - look here: http://www.fishyfarmacy.com/fish_diseases/eyes.html He should be in a quarantine / isolation tank...hopefully you haven't been medicating your main tank, as that is never a good idea. Take a look at the attached link to make a diagnosis and treat accordingly. Be sure, however, to do enough water changes to completely remove the current medication if you plan on changing to a different one - you don't ever want to mix meds. Hope I've given you a good start. Do as much research as you can to properly identify your fish's symptoms, and definitely check out the water conditions, as the cause could be purely environmental, as many fish "diseases" are. Good luck, Jorie> Alycia Oscars and "Feeders" - 08/17/2005 I have 2 large Oscars (one red and one tiger) in a 55 gallon tank with no other fish except a Plecostomus. <Too small for these animals....> I recently did a full water change/tank cleaning and gave them some feeders (I only do this every couple of months). <The full water change is rarely a good approach - on your tank, I would recommend weekly water changes of about 30%, or more/more frequently, depending upon your nitrate levels and how quickly they build up. Err, and NEVER feed your fish unquarantined live "feeder" fish!! This is almost a 100% guarantee that you will introduce parasites, bacteria, or other disease to your animals.> Now my red has developed a bulge on his left side (there is a slight protrusion on the right but not as prominent) and he is mouthing like he is having a hard time breathing. <A number of possibilities.... if he is not defecating, I would suspect he may be constipated. I would add Epsom salts (magnesium sulfate) to the water at a rate of 1 tablespoon per 5 gallons.> He is also not eating his usual pellets which he is usually very excited to get. The tiger is showing none of these symptoms. I have had these two for almost six years, since they were babies, and have never seen anything like this. I did a lot of reading and searching for fish with these symptoms and from everything that you have said (in answer to others questions) this could be an internal infection?? The people at the fish store don't seem to informed about Oscars and their behavior and told me that he is possibly is having a hard time digesting the feeders?? That just doesn't seem right? <Mm, possibly right, to an extent.... Feeder goldfish are a horrible nutrition for an Oscar (or most other fish, for that fact). I would not be surprised if the Oscar has a gut blockage from this sort of a meal. Be pleased if that's the only problem from it.... and be on the lookout for parasitic infestation, bacterial illness....> Please help. Any information would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, -Trouble in Jersey <Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/goldfshfd.htm and the links, in blue, at the top of that page, for more information. Wishing you well, -Sabrina> Small white worms in my tank 8/18/05 Hi, <Hello> I have an Oscar. He is in a very small tank right now and has been for about 9 months. He is really growing fast. I never feed him feeder fish. Just fish food from the fish store. One day we saw these whitish balls floating around in the tank. Very small. Now there are these white, worms on my Oscar and on the sides of the tank and when you look into the tank you can see them floating around and wiggling on the sides of the tank. They are about 1/8 - 1/4 inch long. They seem to be making sores on Oscars head. It looks like he has indentions on his head in several small places. What is going on? Please help me! I am afraid to get the worm things on me or put them into the sink or dump the water on the ground for fear of what these are. The tank is full of them...but they are so very tiny that until now I had only noticed a few of them....now the tank if full of them. <The small white worms and the indentations on the Oscar's head are actually two different symptoms of the same problem. The worms are called Planaria --do a search on WWM with the keyword 'Planaria' -- and thrive in tanks with excess food sitting in the gravel. Very common in tanks with large predators, especially when the tank is on the small side. They are harmless for the most part and can be eradicated by a really good gravel washing and a dose of aquarium salt at about 1 tsp/10 gallons. The indentation in the head could be the start of HLLE, or "hole in the head" disease -- search WWM for this as well for more info --. In any case, both of these are symptoms of declining water quality, most likely due to excess feeding so your options really are three: 1) reduce feedings to the amount that the fish will eat in a couple of minutes (watch for how much is coming out through the gills and just sitting on the gravel) one or two times per day 2) more frequent/larger water changes or 3) move the Oscar to a larger tank with heavy filtration (probably the best option if financially feasible). An Oscar really needs a 50-60 gallon tank or larger with serious biological and mechanical filtration if one wants to avoid some of these water quality issues that are so often associated with these messy feeders.> Thanks <Thank you> <Glenn> Oscar With Growth on His Lip 8/16/05 Dear Crew, I have a 7" Oscar in a 55 gallon tank along with some buddies (6" mute Striped Raphael, 6" Pleco, 3" Red Devil, 5" Jack Dempsey, and a 6" Jaguar). I have a power filter with an underground filter. I know it was a bad choice to put it in, but when I only had the Oscar and Jack they did not dig, and still don't, but the Jaguar does... Well, on with the question. My Oscar has some sort of thing on his lower lip, almost like a zit... I looked around your site and could not find anything very close to what it looks like. Otherwise my Oscar is in perfect health and so are all of his buddies. (Could you believe that the little Red Devil tries his best to annoy my Oscar?) Thanks very much! Christine < Probably a scar from a fight. Oscar could be fighting an infection but I am not sure if fish have white blood cells like we do. <Yes, they do. RMF> Probably have something similar. If the zit pops then watch for secondary infection and may have to treat with Nitrofuranace if the infection spreads.-Chuck> Oscars Didn't Like the Move 08/08/2005 Hello guys. I am very concern about my two common Oscars. They were in a 30 gallon tank, but a week ago I put them in a 55 gallon tank. At first they were ok, but all of a sudden they are not eating and the biggest one is with his head down in the corner of the tank. The other one also do the same thing but lately is just laying in the bottom of the tank. I did a 25 percent water change and raised the temperature to 82 degrees, please help! Carmelo Soto < Big Central and South American cichlids don't like to be moved around too much. After a move they are likely to sulk around the tank for awhile until they get use to their new home. Place some hiding places in the tank, leave it dark for a week or so until they start to act more normal. Feed them once a day. Remove all the uneaten food after two minutes. If it looks like they are starting to bloat or don't resume eating after a while the I would assume that they may have come down with an internal bacterial infection and treat them with Metronidazole.-Chuck> Sick Oscar Not Eating 8/4/05 Hi Chuck Thank you for the advise given recently about my dying baby Oscars. I have not fed the new ones any ox heart and they seem to be doing fine. Great all is well with the babies . Just when one problem is sorted out another arises. In my 4 foot tank with my big Oscars (4 large and one small one) my biggest and favourite Oscar who is the biggest (He is about 6 inches) because he has always been so aggressive when it comes to feeding has just stopped eating. The water seems okay and all the other Oscars behaviour and eating habits have remained unchanged. I really am concerned because it is almost a week now since he has eaten and I am really worried he is going to die. There are no external signs of sickness what so ever and he is a bit off colour and swims slowly around the tank completely ignoring all forms of food. I got some earthworms which he has always gone crazy for and he just ignores them even when I give the to him with tongs and wave them in front of his mouth. I am really worried about him. I have treated the water for internal parasites only and out of desperation have moved him into the 3 foot baby tank hoping for a change in the condition , but so far no change. The strange thing is that the rest of the fish in the 4 foot are 100% and in the 3 foot but he has just stopped eating completely. Any advise would be most appreciated , I really don't want to loose him Thank you for all your help Regards Trevor < To me, when a cichlid quits eating it is the first sign of an internal bacterial infection. Make sure that the tank is clean with no ammonia, nitrites and very low nitrates. You can treat with clout, Nitrofuranace or Metronidazole. I find that the latter is the best. The quicker you treat the better the chances of recovery.-Chuck> Oscar with Hole in the Head Disease 8/4/05 My husband and I
have a 11 1/2 inch Oscar in a 55 gallon tank by his self. About 2
months ago, he developed hole in the head. We started treating him with
Melafix. We treated him with that medicine for about 2 weeks. No
improvement. We went to the local pet store and they recommended
Pimafix for fungal infections as well as start including aquarium salt
with every water change and to remove activated carbon filters. They
told us to use a teaspoon of Pimafix for every 10 gallons.
We treated for about 4 weeks, problem got worse. Our fish is now not
eating and hasn't eaten for about 3 weeks at the time of the
Pimafix. We went to another petstore and they recommended Maroxy-2 for
fungal infections. The problem has still gotten worse. He does not eat
and has slow labored breathing and lies at the bottom of the tank on
his side. We are VERY worried about our dear fish. Can you please help
us. We are desperate! George and Lisa < Check the water quality.
Ammonia and nitrites should be zero. Nitrates should be under 25 ppm
with the lower the better. Clean the filters and do a 30% water change
while vacuuming the gravel. Now that the tank is clean you should treat
with Metronidazole as per the directions on the package.-Chuck>
One Oscar with a Potential Problem 8/3/05 I have a 55 gallon with two 4" Oscars in it which I've enjoyed for a month now. Don't worry...I'm getting a 125 gallon for them this Christmas. These Oscars (Black Gold and Lava) have acted like best friends from the start swimming all over together and rubbing against each other. Last night I noticed that Lava was hiding in the big castle. I've seen it swim through the castle, but it never stays inside of it. This morning was the same thing. When I feed them I tap on the tank and they come rushing to me eager to eat. Black Gold still did that. Lava ignored me. I lifted the castle a bit to get Lava out. I noticed spots on Lava's gills that look like it may be shedding scales. They're clear and one is loose. Lava also swims vertical with its head to the top. When Lava does decide to come out of hiding, Black Gold seems to chase it and sometimes kind of head butt Lava in the side. I sure don't know what to think of this...unless Black Gold is excited to see its best friend. LOL Lava only stays out for a minute and hides again. Could there be a problem? Thanks, Karen < Looks like one of your Oscars is dominating the other for territory, food, etc.... This could be serious. BG (Big Gold), probably bit the side of Lava and loosened some scales. If might be a scrape from hitting an ornament or a rock from trying to get away from BG. If the water is kept clean then they should heal up. If it looks like the area is starting to fungus then it needs to be treated with Nitrofuranace. The strange swimming position is a sign of internal damage to the swim bladder from the ramming or an internal bacterial infection from the stress of being dominated by the other fish. Place Lava in a hospital tank and treat for bloat with Metronidazole. When lava is cured you need to re-arrange all of the ornaments and rocks when you put lava back in so they can establish new territories. While Oscars are very intelligent for fish they are not "friends". They simply acknowledge each other and will always be in competition with each other. BG is taking advantage of the fact that lava may be sick.-Chuck> Sick Tiger Oscar 8/2/05 Thank you Chuck. I am also anxious to see if he pulls through. I will let you know. I changed about 30% of the water last night and added the second treatment of Melafix. I will do another water change and treatment tomorrow. So far s/he is still breathing funny, but still hanging in there. How much longer should I wait to try and feed him? < When he starts acting normal and chases you all over the front of the tank.> What should I feed and how? <Start with a few flakes. If they are not eaten then remove them after two minutes .> Should I just put it in the water, or try and take him out with the net? < If the flakes are not eaten then just net them out.-Chuck> I have never done this before. Thanks for being patient. You have been a great help. Sharon Upside Down Oscar 8/2/05 Hello, I have three Oscars, one female, and two males....the males are sometimes aggressive with each other. one is a tiger , the other, albino. I have never had any problems until now with the chemical imbalances before, but was curious, as to what would cause my male to turn upside down, like his equilibrium is off. Use to, when I would clean the tank, they would all be fine...the last time, as soon as I started the vacuum process, which has now been four days ago, one of the male Oscars, turned upside down...Could it have been the change in the water, or just getting old. He is now two years old.. and about twelve inches long. They live in a 75 gallon tank. I read through some of the other questions on your forum, and saw that you said to add Epsom salt. Is this correct, and will it help him, and how much should I try....His belly is also bloated. Help!! I don't want to lose any of them.. < These internal bacterial infections are almost always caused by stress. Clean the tank and filter and treat with Metronidazole as per the directions on the package.-Chuck> Sick Oscar Getting Better 8/2/05 Chuck, From what I can see, the Melafix has worked. < To be honest I am somewhat surprised.> Tiger's breathing has slowed considerably...looks about normal now, and to my surprise, I dropped in one pellet of Cichlid food and he ate it. I did see him spit some of it out, but he gobbled it up as soon as I put it in. He is swimming around more, but not as excited as he used to be. His color doesn't seem as bold as it used to be, is there something I can feed him to help that? < IF he is eating then food from Spectrum and Marineland will help bring back his color.> Also, if and when I decided to give him a treat of worms, should I just break off a small piece...about the size of the pellets, and wash off all the gunk, and then just feed it to him? < Wash the worm and cut off a small piece no longer than one quarter the length of his body.> Should I do anything special to it? < Just make sure it is clean.> What should I have done differently with the shrimp. Don't worry, I am going to steer clear of them for quite a while, at least until it gets bigger. I actually think there is hope now. Thanks for all of your help and patience. < A very few small pieces over a long time.-Chuck> Sick Oscars 7/26/05 Hello, After doing some more reading.. (smile) about feeding frozen food, I have another question for you. I purchased a bag of frozen salad shrimp from the grocery store and began feeding them to my Tiger Oscars. When they were eating they would practically jump out of the tank and bite my finger to get it. I would normally just thaw one piece in some tap water and cut it up into small pieces and feed them...after reading an article, I saw a suggestion made on how to thaw frozen foods with water from the tank. Has my method gotten my fish sick? Or been a contributing factor? < Shrimp is a very rich food. Feeding it alone could cause a bacterial blockage. The bacteria in the gut may not be able to handle this rich food. Decomposing bacteria then get hold of it and the food rots in their gut causing a blockage. This could lead to bloat. If fact based on your description I think they already have it. I would treat them with Metronidazole as per the directions on the package.> Also, after looking more closely, the bubble I thought I saw while they were breathing is not a frothy bubble, but yet looks more like their teeth, or some thin sheet of something that come down from their mouth when they breath. One of them has a couple of white spots on its fin, about the size of a pin head, doesn't really look like Ich, but cannot be sure. They are both still breathing very heavily and have now moved to the center of the tank and keeping their mouths at the very surface of the water. I have read about feeding them earthworms....the kind I can just purchase at Wal-Mart. Should I get some of these and try catching one of the Oscars in a net to feed him? They have not eaten in at least a week. < Don't feed your fish until they act normal. Check the water quality. Ammonia and nitrites should be zero. Nitrates should be under 25 ppm. the lower the better. Check these often because medication will probably affect the good bacteria that breaks down the fish waste.> Now about my filter. I have a Whisper PF-60 HOB filter that hangs on the back of my tank. When I do water changes, I normally change out the filter bags and clean the tubing that hangs in the water. I have been reading and have not come across how or if I should clean the hanging unit itself. I see some growth collecting on the portion where the water flows back into the tank, but I do not want to take anything apart and end up breaking things. Please advise. Thank you. < You should be able to disassemble the filter for cleaning as per the directions that came with it. I would clean the filter every two weeks and vacuum the gravel while doing the water changes on the weeks that you don't clean the filter. The reason for this is so you don't remove all the good bacteria. A total thorough cleaning usually results in losing all the good bacteria and a tank coming down with the New Tank Syndrome and very high ammonia levels.-Chuck> New Fish Decisions 7/27/05 Chuck, I do not have another tank to use as quarantine. I do not have the space or money to purchase one. The only thing I have is a Betta vase that is not being used, nothing else with a heater, pump or filtration. What should I do if I want to purchase more fish? <Every time you place a new fish into your main aquarium, you run a risk of introducing a disease. Over time, the money you will spend on replacing fish and on medication will really seem expensive compared to the cost of a plain 10 gallon tank.> How long should I wait? < If you water quality is OK then you really don't have to.> Also, will the Metronidazole harm my 2 Plecos? < No> I am little leery of purchasing this medicine. It is a little expensive. I would hate to buy it and then have my fish die. For the price I pay for this med, I could get 2 more Oscars. I will try. Thanks. < At this point and time the replacement Oscars seem cheap compared to the price of the medication. At some point and time if you are going to stay in the cichlid hobby you will encounter this problem again but the fish may be a discus or and expensive Frontosa. Find a store that carries the medication for next time.-Chuck> How much Medicine oh yeah, sorry. I have a 55 gallon tank, how much of this Metronidazole do you think I would need? < As I recall you will need one 250mg capsule for every 10 gallons of water. You will need to treat three times so you will need at least 16 capsules.-Chuck> My Tiger Oscar is sick 7/22/05 Hello, my name is Sharon and
this is the first time I have had Oscars. I purchased 3 of
them from my local pet store and within 12 days one of them had died. I
noticed it (not sure how to tell female from male) was not acting
normal, just laying around on the bottom of the tank, breathing heavily
and not eating. I have a 55 gallon tank that also houses 2
Plecos about 4 inches long. I noticed the sick Oscar had a
white frothy bubble of some sort in it's mouth when it breathed,
and it was taking very deep breaths. I took it out of the tank and
placed it in my beta fish vase.. I figured it was going to die, so I
did not want it with the others for fear they would eat on it and get
sick too. Now, one of the others is sick with the same
thing, frothy bubble, deep breathing, and a thick clear bubble
surrounding it's eyes. <Mmm, they do have a clear area...>
This one is staying at the top of the tank, pretty much in
one area...behind one of the tall plastic plants. I have
treated them for ICH first... which they did have. That
cleared up. After that, that is when I noticed the other
fish get sick. It was fine before then. I have assumed it
was some sort of fungus and am treating with ANTI-FUNGUS BY AQUARIUM
PRODUCTS once I finished treating for the ICH. It has made my water
green. <These "medicines" are toxic...> I
did a water change a couple of weeks ago, and have not been up to doing
it lately as I am recovering from surgery. Could you please
give me an idea as to what is wrong with it, <Is this tank cycled?
How is it filtered? There is something amiss with the environment
here... do you have test kits for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate?> will
the other Oscar catch it, can it be cured, should I just cut my loses
and flush the sick one??????? Also, How often should I
change my water, and how much? <... this is posted... on WWM>
Should I purchase separate kits that test for each nitrate,
chlorine, etc? What kinds of medicines should I have on
hand? I have also been feeding them Cichlid pellets, flakes
and frozen shrimp. Am I doing something wrong? I
want to be able to keep these Oscars for many years and allow my
daughter to watch them grow, but so far, I am not having that much
luck. Please help me!!! Also, I am not sure where to look
for your response, whether here or your website, so would you please
send an answer to this email address just to make sure I get your help.
Thank you. Desperate for help! <Then read... here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwsubwebindex.htm re
Set-up, Oscars... Bob Fenner> Sick Oscars 7/17/05 I have two tiger Oscars in a tank
together along with a few giant Danios. After I added the Danios, I
noticed some little white spots on the black tiger Oscar, which I am
99.9% sure were Ich. So, I got some medicine for Ich and began
treatment, removing my charcoal filters. I have been treating for 4
days now. The white spots from the one tiger Oscar have almost all gone
away, but his front fins are really ragged looking and all he does is
lay on the bottom of the tank, and occasionally swim around. The other
Oscar is an albino tiger. I never noticed any white spots, but that is
likely because he's white himself, because he has the same ragged
fins and just lays around. I've been checking the water, and I just
did a 25% water change. The ammonia is low, the nitrites are low and
the nitrates are low. Also, both of the Oscars have a cloudy gray film
that is starting to cover their eyes. Is that related or have they
contracted yet another disease? The Danios are swimming around doing
fine, acting like nothing is going on. One more thing, I have a
Marineland 350 gph BioWheel filter, as well as a Marineland Magnum 350
Deluxe running in the tank (which is 75 gallons), neither filter uses
charcoal. The Magnum has got its micron filter in, should I turn it
off, is it filtering out the medicine? <Your Oscars are responding
to the disease. They are trying to fight it off by using a thick body
slime. But they could have picked up another disease with the Danios.
The Ich could have weakened their immune system and they now have a
bacterial infection too. Remove all the carbon and place the BioWheel
in a cool damp location. Make sure that it does not dry out. Treat the
body slime with Nitrofurazone along with the Ich medication. When you
do a water change you should vacuum out the gravel to remove the mulm
that has accumulated. Do not feed while medicating. When the Ich is
gone then discontinue the ic medication. Continue with the antibiotic
until the fish are cured. Remove the medication with a high quality
carbon. Then replace the bio-wheel and add Bio-Spira from Marineland to
replace the good bacteria.-Chuck> Oscar Problem 7/7/05 Hello, my Oscar has hole in the head disease. When I first started noticing problems I thought he just had some kind of fungus or something and treated him with Maracyn for 5 days. Now I started yesterday to treat him with the medicine for the hole in the head. Since this morning he is laying on his back. He is still breathing but I don't know what to do for him. He is not moving or eating, just laying there. His one eye is clouded. He is about 8 inches and lives in a 20 gallon tank by himself with one bottom cleaner. The color on the belly is still strong but kind of grey on top. The holes in his head are starting to break open. The medicine says to give it to him every other day for 3 times with a 25 % water change every time. My next treatment would be tomorrow. What should I do ? I don't know a lot about fish. It is my husbands fish and he is currently deployed to Iraq ? Please give me some help. Thank you. Alexandra Sutton. < Do a 30% water change, vacuum the gravel and clean the filters. Do not feed the fish. Treat the tank with Metronidazole. The cloudy eye may be an external bacterial infection. Treat with Furanace (will turn the water a yellowish green color). After treatment is completed you can add some carbon to the filter to remove any left over medication. Add Bio-Spira from Marineland to re-establish new bacteria to break down the fish waste. This fish is too big for this small tank. The fish waste accumulates very quickly and this leads to the hole in the head problems. Good luck and hope you husband comes back safe and sound.-Chuck> Hole In the Head Disease on Oscars I have a red tiger and albino Oscar that are around 8 months old, about 7-8 inches, residing in a 75 gallon tank with a couple Plecos as well. In the past couple weeks they've each developed a case of hole in the head disease. I'm pretty good about water changes and maintenance, but I will admit right before the HITH set in I had waited about a week longer than usual to change the water. Right after that late water change is when I noticed the first spot appear. A few days later when it still had not gone away and one appeared on the other Oscar, I started medicating with MelaFix. I followed the MelaFix directions and medicated for 7 days followed by a 25% water change yesterday. While medicating I chose not to remove the carbon from my filter (Fluval 304), because the directions said it was recommended, but not absolutely necessary. The spots seem to be looking slightly better and I've chosen to remove the carbon and try the MelaFix for another seven days. My pH is around 7.5 and my nitrates are still reading quite high at around 80-90 ppm. Sorry for the long-winded description, but is there anything else you can recommend? I've found searching for information on HITH very frustrating because there seems to be debate about the causes as well as treatment. Oh yeah, in terms of diet, I've been feeding them a couple dry foods (Hikari pellets and sticks), frozen blood worms, brine shrimp, and feeder fish from a local pet store. I know the feeder fish are a potential cause, so I've ceased feeding them those since the HITH set in. Once again sorry for the long description, but any advice would be greatly appreciated. < Your high nitrates may be the cause of the problem. Clean the filter, vacuum the gravel while doing a 30% water change and treat with Metronidazole. The treatment requires lots of water change so that will get the nitrates down. They should be under 25 ppm.-Chuck> Bloated Oscars 7/26/05 Chuck, thank you for being so detailed
with me. I do believe Bob and I got off on the wrong foot
and that was not my intention. I was and am feeling very
desperate and at a horrible loss. I have spent a lot of
money on fish since we have had this tank and I feel like just when I
think I know what I am doing they die. Can you tell me if
PetSmart sells Metronidazole? < Probably not. Try
Drsfostersmith.com, they can ship overnight at a price.> And about
how much does it cost. < Depends on the size tank you have . Larger
tanks require more medication thus more cost.> I have also purchase
some Nightcrawlers from Wal-Mart. When the fish are feeling
better, can this be part of their diet? < Sure , just don't give
them the entire container all at once.> What should I have done
differently with the shrimp...so that I will not make the same mistake.
< Shrimp itself is not a bad food once they are use to it. I would
have fed them their normal pellet or flake food. Give them no more than
they will eat in two minutes once each day. I know these little beggars
can be persistent, especially once they get their owners trained for
food. I would have made up their regular diet and supplemented it with
5% shrimp. This would be a very small amount but it would get the
bacteria in their gut introduced to this new food source. I would
increase the amount of shrimp by 5% every day up to maybe
50% once a week. There is very little fiber in this meal so many people
use a shrimp/peas mixture. Look in "Enjoying Cichlids" by Ad
Konings for the recipe for this food mixture.> They are getting more
and more discolored by the day. They skin is very pale and
white looking now. I will try and find this medicine and get
back to you with what happens. Thank you. < In the
meantime you might try clout or a double dose of
Nitrofuranace.-Chuck> Open mouthed Oscars Hi, I have been
looking for information on what could be wrong with my Oscars. I have
searched all your postings and while I did find one that related to
open mouthed Oscars, it did not give me much information. I have a
black Oscar and a white one. The black one's mouth has been opened
continuously for about 6 weeks now. The white one for about a month.
They are hungry and try to eat but cannot close their mouths to keep
the food in. I have done a couple of 25% water changes in the past 2
weeks but no change in the fish. I have never tested the water as I do
not know how but am looking to learn. I must admit that I have not
changed filters and water at optimum rates in the past. Any ideas? <
If they are gasping for air then you probably have some waste build up
that needs to be addressed. Change the filter and do a 30% water change
every other day for a week. Next week vacuum the gravel to get rid of
all the junk accumulating in the sand. Your water should be in pretty
good shape by now. If no improvement is seen then there may be an
obstruction in their throats. Catch one of the fish and look down the
throat with a flashlight and see if there is any visual signs of
problems. If not then their mouths may have been damaged from trying to
eat materials that are too hard to chew, then try and premoisten the
food to soften it up and see if that helps.-Chuck>
Thanks,
Brad Oscar Problems Hi to all at WWM! I'd like to say thanks for the help you've given me in the past and now I'm sorry to say I need to bother you once again with another concern of mine. I wrote to you about a month ago give or take in relation to an albino Oscar I've had for about 5-6 months now. Anyway my problem then was that the Oscar was breathing quite deeply (not rapidly) and would scratch itself a couple of times in the morning - no other symptoms, one of the crew suggested that my large canister filter (Eheim 2028) may have been choking up the supply of oxygen to the tank and told me the flow return should be above the water level (which it wasn't and funnily enough the filter was a new addition). Having made this adjustment the problem with the breathing seemed to ease up a bit but never went away completely (although I no longer see any scratching first thing in the morning just occasional sideways swaying in the water). Ok well a few weeks ago I made a water change and absentmindedly forgot to turn the heater back on (for about 5 days) and the little Oscar was freezing - he just hid behind his plant and lay on the gravel all day until early evening when he would come out to eat. I was really worried when I realized what the problem was and dosed the aquarium with some salt (after turning the heater on again of course - I tried to return the temperature to the norm of 26 from about 17 over a number of days) and fed him a little antibiotic food thinking that he may have gotten something as a result of the stress. This is where I had my second problem - I used marine salt which buffered the pH from around 7.5 (normal for my aquarium) to 7.9. I changed the water to get it down again but he would have been subjected to the high pH for a couple of days and most probably residual salt quantities until where I am at the moment. The Oscar seems to be developing faint grey silverish tinges on his body (in patches - I'll see if I can get a photo) and is still breathing with difficulty (just deeply). When I did my most recent water change he seemed to shed his entire mucous layer (there was a lot sucked up the filter intake and stuck on plants and just generally floating about). This only occurred on the day immediately following the water change and doesn't seem to have repeated (I haven't as yet done another water change though). I know I should be thankful that the little guy is still even alive after what he went through but I think he's pretty strong and will be able to pull through if I can just work out what he is suffering from. Also he has two little black dots inside the circle on his tail, only on one side and they are really small, I have no idea what they are but they've been there for weeks and I've seen no change since they appeared. I was thinking he may have Costia what do you think? < You may have gill flukes or a protozoan infection. I would treat with clout first and then if things don't get better I would use Furanace.> Also do you think it would be worth my while to purchase a dissolved oxygen test - I was thinking that it would be handy to be able to eliminate this as a cause (at least of the breathing) straight away. < Add an air stone or a box filter. If the heavy breathing stops than you solved the problem and no further purchases are needed.> And I also just bought a microscope (I'm a little scared to use it however - don't want to stress him out any more than I have to) but if it would be helpful, I suppose I could do a skin scrape. < You need a book to identify pathogens or you can try looking online to try and match things up.> Parameters: - The tank is about 140 litres - The temp is now stable at 26 C - Oscar is about 4 inches and is by himself - Two filters (the 2028 and liberty 200) - Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0, Nitrate 8 (these quantities have remained stable) - pH 7.6 - I'm currently dosing the tank with Melafix and feeding him antibiotic food - Behavior wise he's pretty much normal (well as normal as an Oscar can be :-)) I am really worried about him so any advice you could give me would be very much appreciated. Oh and one other thing, may or may not be important, he has gill curl - I realize the condition is permanent but what generally causes it? I have been led to believe it is from mineral/nutritional deficiency but I feed my fish a really varied diet and he has never got feeders so would that mean that I should be adding mineral salts or liquid trace elements to the water? < No it is genetic and there is no cure.-Chuck> Thanks again, Erica Re: electric yellow gets dark/new Oscar problem Hi Jim -
Thanks for getting back to me. I seem to have a much more urgent
problem now, but before I go into it, I will answer your questions as
far as I can. Water - no ammonia or nitrate; I do not know the precise
pH. After I started my aquariums two years ago, I was assiduously
attending to ph, but the local fish store lady told me that with my
well water, the same water that she uses in the store, I had no need to
do so and so I haven't since. Diet - tetra cichlid sticks and jumbo
min food sticks. I also throw in some Wardley's Large Tropical
flakes for some of his tank mates. As to F1 and F20, I have never
before encountered these terms. Nobody picks on this fish, nor does he
pick on anybody, unless they seem about to intrude into his hollow log,
which he dearly loves. He still seems good and healthy. Now, the more
urgent problem: I have three Oscars in my 90 gallon tank, all nearing
two years of age, and all rambunctious, vigorous eaters. I feed them
three times a day - 9 JumboMin food sticks per feeding, at about 10:00
AM, 6:00 to 7:00 PM and about 1:00 AM. They leap for those sticks even
before they hit the water, and all nine disappear in a matter of
seconds. Tonight, at evening feed time, they were all in their usual
place by the lid, but when I threw the food in, nothing happened. All
three simply ignored it. The only time any of them have ever ignored
food has been after a battle that it got the worst of, and
that hasn't lasted. Last night, I vacuumed the tank and did a 25
percent water change. I did my other four tanks at the same time, and
all the other fish are eating as normal. I checked for ammonia, found
none, though I did find a low level of nitrite, barely registering. I
always change my filters 24 hours after I vacuum, so that whatever crud
gets stirred up and not removed from the water will get caught in the
old filters, and that 24 hours came after the feeding. I usually add
about three tablespoons of salt after a water change, but I forgot to
do so last night, although I do not believe that to be the cause of the
problem. They are milling about right now and they look normal as
regards color and fin, so I am perplexed. There is a Pleco with them
and it is scurrying about doing its thing. Most of the pellets have now
disappeared, and I think that was the work of the Pleco. The tank is
well aerated. I hope I still have Oscars in the morning. If I do, and
if they have not returned to their diet, what are your thoughts? <
Give them a few days to settle down. I think they may have been overfed
and have bloated up. If they don't eat after a couple days and
their fecal matter looks long white and stringy then they have come
down with an internal bacterial infection. I would recommend treating
the water with Metronidazole and follow the directions on the package
very carefully.-Chuck> Bill
My Tiger Oscar is Turning Black I was hoping you could help me out. My boyfriend has 2 Oscars, one is a Tiger the other a red and they live happily in a 100 gallon tank (at least, I think it might even be bigger) with the big Pleco. They have all been doing well except the large Tiger Oscar. He recently has been turning black from the back to the middle of his body. I noticed yesterday that the front part of his body is very grey looking and his coloring is dull all over. He looks like he is breathing very hard, he's very lethargic, not moving around much at all and has not eaten in about 4 days or so. I know my b/f has had these Oscars for quite a few years, at least 5 or so, and we were just wondering if the Oscar was just getting old and dying or if this might be some form of disease or something. The other 2 fish are absolutely fine, they're very active still and the color is fine. The tank is cleaned regularly and there has been no changes in the water or they way b/f has kept the tank. I have been looking everywhere for some kind of answer, but have not found anything like this. Any suggestions? Nanette < A bacteria attack has created this 1/2 black condition on your Oscars. Place in an isolation tank and treat with Furanace. If an isolation tank is not available then do a 30% water change and remove the carbon from the filters. Treat with Furanace and follow the directions on the package.-Chuck>
Oscar question Hello, I was just wondering if you
could help me out with a question about my Oscar. He has
always been a very aggressive fish but has never lost any scales from
bumping things before so I do not believe this to be the cause
now. He is losing scales all around his gills on one
side. Along with this he seems to have a fleshy growth
coming out of his mouth. It now pokes out when his mouth is
completely closed. I'm getting rather concerned because
we live about an hour and a half from the nearest pet store and if I
need some medication I will have to make plans to go get it.. My fish
is about two years old and a good 8-10 inches long. I would greatly
appreciate any help you could give me. Could you please send
any response to my email address of XXXX@gawab.com. < Sounds like he
has been in a fight or has run into something rough and hard. Either
way you need to get a water conditioner with some wound control in it
to prevent infection. If the areas look like they are getting white and
fuzzy then there is a fungal infection starting. Make sure the water is
clean and the filter is serviced. Keep the wastes down by doing water
changes. He may come down with a bacterial infection with red streaks
or blotches that need to be treated with Furanace or Maracyn. A
tablespoon of rock salt will help him produce a slime that will help
prevent infection.-Chuck> Thanks very much, Brad Oscars, shedding
scales hello wet web media!!!! my new Oscar tank(355 gallon tank is
doing wonderfully thanks to you guys help but my 2 16 inch Oscars (red)
are being awfully lazy I mean very lazy they just sit around I feed
them some pellets and they might eat just 1 pellet then go back down to
the ground I'm keeping the water temp at 78
f. well I want to know if this
is normal there about 8 months old now and they have never acted this
way before.....Pls let me what you guys think. < If they are Ok and
just being fat and lazy that is one thing. If they are truly ill then
that is another. Try not feeding them for a few days and then see if
they perk up. If not and there are no external symptoms then I might
think about treating with Metronidazole for internal anaerobic
infection.-Chuck>
thank
you
Sean
(ps-you website is so awesome gg guys) Oscar Cichlid sick? 7/28/04 Hello, I have an
albino Oscar. Last week I noticed the edges of his bottom
fins were black and also a little on the edge of his tail. I
called the local pet store where I normally go to get his feeders and
asked them what could be wrong and they stated that he probably had a
fungus. I went to askjeeves.com and
asked a question about what could be wrong and found your
site. I have to say I am very pleased as there is lots of
information but nothing that exactly pertained to my
problem. I did a 30% water change and for the last 5 days I
have been adding Tetracycline tablets to the tank as the pet store
advised to try to clear up the fungus they thought he probably
had. Now this evening when I came home, my Oscar is kind of
floating on his side at the top of the water in the aquarium and really
acting lifeless. Could you please tell me what could be wrong with my
Oscar and how I can try to help him and cure whatever is wrong with
him. I don't want to lose him, as he was a birthday
present to me. I have had him for 4 months and truly have
gotten attached to him. I have watched him grow and hate the
thought that he might die although I do realize that this may be an
option. Do you think you know what the problem is? < You
actually had fin rot which is a bacterial infection. The tetracycline
will work if the water is acidic. Unfortunately the medication has
probably killed off the good bacteria that converts the deadly ammonia
to nitrite and eventually nitrate. So what you have now is new tank
syndrome with high ammonia levels. The red coloration of the medication
has masked the cloudy appearance of the water from the ammonia. You
need to do a 30% water change right now!. Service the filter and
replace the carbon. When the water is clear add some Amquel plus to
absorb the ammonia. Change 30% of the water every day and check the
ammonia levels. They should be zero and the nitrite should also be
zero. The nitrate should be under 0.25ppm.-Chuck> |
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