 |
|
| Home | Marine Aquariums |
Freshwater Aquariums |
Planted Aquariums |
Brackish Systems |
Ponds,
lakes & fountains |
Turtles & Amphibians |
Aquatic Business |
Aquatic Science |
Ask the WWM Crew a Question |
| Please visit our Sponsors | ||||
|
Oscar Illness? - 10/18/2005 I recently purchased two tiger Oscars, both of them are about 2 to 3 inches. Currently they share an 80 gallon tank with community fish (I figured they eat them when they got big enough, and they'd have the tank to themselves) <Uhh, can't say as I agree with or endorse this....> In the last two days, my Oscars have both been laying at the bottom of the tank. They both come up to eat (bloodworms, beef heart) <Do not feed them land mammal meats.... even beef heart.... this can really lead to serious nutritional disease with time. An occasional bit is probably not a big deal, but why take the risk, eh?> They do not have any visible parasites. <Do they have any other symptoms?> I talked to a person at the pet store where I purchased the Oscars, she suggested putting Parasite Clear in the tank, which I did. Today I did a 25% water change. I have had the Oscars for about two weeks and this is the second water change since I've had them. I changed my filter, and my water levels are good. <"Good" is subjective.... What levels specifically? If ammonia and nitrite are not ZERO, or nitrate is above 20ppm, rectify with water changes.> This behavior is new for these Oscars, any suggestions? <Too little information to go off, here, I'm afraid. Test your water, maintain optimal water quality.... and be on the lookout for any other symptoms whatsoever.> Thanks, -Sean <Wishing you well, -Sabrina> Sideways Oscar My Oscar developed hole in the head, I am still treating for it, but now he cant close his mouth, and his eyes are cloudy and he lays bent in half on the bottom of the tank...always on his right side he lays, last night he floated to the top, and folded in the middle, and looked dead except for his breathing WHAT CAN I DO? I only have Metronidazole in the house....if that wont treat it, is he dying? Is there a way to euthanize him? <It is possible that the meds you used killed your bio filter causing an ammonia spike. Do you test your water? Send us the numbers if you do. If not, start! What kind of filter and what size tank do you have? Must warn you, by the time a fish is in this condition it is rare for them to pull through. Don> My big fishy Hi Bob, My girlfriend and I have an Oscar that has had pop eye for at least three weeks. It started with the one eye and now the other eye is beginning to bulge. He is eating very little, if at all. We have him isolated in a separate tank (none of the other fish have any symptoms). We have been treating him with Maracyn Two and have completed the second treatment, but it seems he is getting worse. White spots have appeared on his body. Should we continue with treatment? Switch the treatment? What could this possibly be? HELP! Please let us know if it is time to say good-bye. < Pop-eye is caused by bacteria growing behind the eye socket. Metronidazole will treat the pop-eye and rid-Ich by Kordon will treat the white spots if he has Ich. Do a 30% water change and keep the water at 80 degrees F and clean the filter. Follow the directions on the packages. These medications may affect the good bacteria that break down the fish waste so check the water quality often during treatment. Ammonia and nitrites should be zero and the nitrates should be under 25 ppm.-Chuck> Thanks much!! Craig Oscar Hello, My name is Bill Holland. I have an Oscar that
has been laying on his side at the bottom of the tank. I read some of
the FAQ and advice, and notice you advice Epsom salt and medicated
food. Could you please give me a dosage for both, and a brand food you
would advice. Thank you. < Do a 30% water change and service the
filter. Make sure the water temp is up around 80 degrees F. Try and get
him some washed earthworms. Once he eats a couple of these he should be
up and about. Try and get him to eat some pellets by Spectrum,
Marineland or Hikari. -Chuck> Bill 5 yr. old Oscar & Plecostomus Hello, I have a 55 gallon tank with a red Oscar and a Plecostomus which are both at least five years old. The Oscar is about 10 inches long and the Plecostomus is about a foot long. The Oscar looks as if it's pregnant. It is blotted and has clear looking eggs coming out right under his stomach. I know that this is not possible but I have seen fish eggs and that's what it looks like. It's not acting any different, but I'm worried about the clear eggs coming out. Please help me. We have had them so long I would hate for anything to happen to them. Thanks, Joni < I think your Oscar has an internal bacterial infection and the infection has caused the gut to swell and prolapse part of the intestine and rectum. Treat with Metronidazole and follow the directions on the package. The fact that he is still eating is a good sign.-Chuck> Sick Oscar sick I have a 6yr old Oscar who has had hole in the head since he was 2yrs. Recently he has developed cloudy pectoral fins with red streaks in the vein of one side. The tank is a 55gl he is about 12" filtration is a 350 magnum,400 Emperor 280 Emp he is the only fish in it. water changes are done weekly. filters changed about evert 2 weeks alternating .Change water consist of, ro/di add SeaChem cichlid salt and Alk buffer and cycle to tank each water change test for GH 7 KH 3 ammonia 0 nitrite 0 nitrate 60ppm I have been dosing Metronidazole last three water changes it seems to help some but at each new water change he seems to do worse again. He acts like he is having a hard time seeing his food which all he will eat is tetra food sticks Half the tank has about a 1/4" of small gravel the other side he stays at the most is ,bare .PH is 6.9 to 7.1 Not sure why he seems to do worse after water change it does look like he has some Ich also temp is 79 would be very thankful for any help Thanks Jeff. He has had a good appetite until having trouble seeing < The nitrates are too high making him susceptible to diseases. Nitrate levels should be under 25 ppm. This is partially the reason for the hole in the head. So here is what is going on and here is how to fix it. You have lots of filtration which is good , but you are not changing them often enough. I know the canister filter is a pain to deal with but you need to change all the filters at the same time and at least once a week. The filters take the waste out of the tank but do not remove it from the system. So the bacteria continues to break down the ammonia and nitrites into nitrates. That is good and that is what is supposed to happen . The problem then is removing the nitrates. Nitrates are removed by changing the water to dilute them to under 25 ppm. You can change all the filters at once because the bacteria are living on the BioWheels. Do a 30% water change and clean all the filters. Vacuum the gravel to get rid of all the crude that has accumulated there. Once the tank is clean we can begin treatment. Organics in the water will absorb fish medication making them unavailable for treating the diseases. Remove the BioWheels and any carbon in the filters. Place the BioWheels in a container with water from the tank and let them sit in a cool dark place for a time. You Oscar has developed a bacteria infection and needs to be treated with a Nitrofuranace type drug. If he has Ich too then treat it at the same time with rid-Ich. Change 30% of the water before repeating the medication. Try and get the water temp. up to 80 to 82 degrees F. Once the fish is cured try to get him to eat with washed earthworms. The additional live food should bring him around quickly. Once he is eating then change some water and put the carbon back into the filters. When the medication has been removed and the green colored water is gone, you could then put the BioWheels back on the filters. Watch for ammonia spike because the medication may affect the good bacteria needed to break down the fish waste. So more water changes may be needed under the tank stabilizes again. If you Oscar is strong enough then he can handle the changes. Hopefully you have caught it in time.-Chuck> Mysterious Malady Dear Crew, Good evening. I am hoping you can help me. I have a year old, 8", male tiger Oscar. His name is Morbo, and I look forward to having him until he is old and huge. Unfortunately, I made the classic Oscar blunder. I bought him at the pet store when he was but an inch long and did not realize that he would soon outgrow the six gallon tank. When he was about four inches and had been by himself in the tank for about three months, I got a twenty gallon. Initially it had a 20 gallon TopFin power 20, which I buy bio filtration cartridges for. Last weekend I installed an under gravel filter. (15-20 gal Top Fin) I use Marineland Labs Bio-Safe and Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Inc. Stress Coat with Aloe (in measured doses) for every water change. I change 25% of the water every week, and vacuumed the gravel until I got the new undergravel filtration. Only about 1/3 of an inch of large gravel. I know the tank is a little small, and am planning on upgrading to a 55 gallon when I move out of my cramped one bedroom apartment. I do not know my water parameters yet, but will be taking a water sample to the pet store in the morning. (Thanks for the suggestion.) Assuming that all the water parameters are normal, please give me all the info you can on the following situation. Last Friday I installed a new under gravel filter. I removed Morbo from the tank during the process. It was a huge WET ordeal, and he did not come out from behind his log for hours after it was over. The day after, he had ICK! (I assume it was stress.) Immediately gave Jungle Ick Clear. Dosed three times, 25% water change with each treatment, carbon out of filter but all running. Spots are mostly gone, still a few light spots on one fin, but I would say, 99% healed. One wound, from the net, aprox. 1/4 inch long, shallow, left side, it got ick in it but has healed over almost completely. Only a small scar, ick 99% gone. Really just a light mark. Just today he has started two alarming habits. He rubs against the gravel. Have noticed one very small black spot on left side, but could just be new coloration. (I observe VERY closely.) Yesterday and today he has been really lethargic, staying at bottom of tank. Has not been excited about food, but still eats it all. ;o) I feed Wardley cichlid pellets, and the occasional feeder. ( I buy from a local cichlid specialty shop, VERY clean, and keep them for two weeks before feeding.) The feeders are only for after water changes, to give him some initiative to come out from behind the log. Have not given feeders since ick set in. His left fin (clear of ick) has been twitching tonight. It is off and on. Tail fin is shaking too. Breathing is normal, gills look fine. No outward signs. Checked all equipment for shorts, frayed wires, all fine, heater too. No cracks. Water has become slightly cloudy. Was crystal clear before starting treatment. Haven't done anything else, don't want to stress him out any more than I have to. What can I do? < The Ich is not yet gone or it may be another ecto parasite attacking the skin of your Oscar. Any way here is what is going down in your tank. The undergravel filter is a waste of time. As soon as your Oscar digs any type of hole then the undergravel filter plate will be exposed and the water will go through the path of least resistance and go directly through the filter plate and not through the gravel. The gravel should be like beach sand or slightly larger. The beneficial bacteria that break down the fish waste from ammonia to nitrite and then to nitrate live on the outside of the gravel. Smaller sand has more surface area then gravel per weight so for the same amount of gravel you might get as much as ten times the surface area with the same amount of sand. Your fish are not completely cured. Raise the water temp. to 80 to 82 degrees and treat with a formalin malachite green mixture like Kordon's rid-Ich for three days and you should see the twitching stop. Keep in mind that every time you use a feed you may be introducing a diseases into your tank.-Chuck> Thanks, -;- Nicole -;- Parasites on Oscar-help needed I recently- as in a week ago- purchased a huge Oscar. say, the size of a good panfish. anyways, he had some spots on him in the pet store; they looked like scars, since he/she was kept in a ten gallon aquarium, I assumed it was from hitting the glass. I was SO wrong!!! today (the 18th) a friend was looking at her and said "are these parasites?" sure enough, she has little parasites. they look like water fleas of some sort. clear, many legged, tails. almost microscopic. They stay next to their particular 'hole' in her skin, and don't scrape off. Its scary, but I did try to scrape one off of her with my fingers (and a big glove... she's a little testy). I have a saltwater tank, and did try a very short saltwater dip. I don't know if that will hurt her long term, so it was either too short to do anything, or I didn't have high enough salinity. So, can you think of anything? the other fish in the tank is a violet goby (I know, supposed to be brackish) couple goldfish (feeders and one big one) and guppies. THEY WERE ON HER when I got her, I just didn't see them. I'm looking for name and treatment of these suckers. < You probably have fish lice. Clean the filters and do a 30% water change. Treat with fluke tabs or parasite clear. Follow the directions on the package regardless of which one you choose.-Chuck> TIA!!!
Baby Oscar with swelling Hi, I have a baby Oscar, about 2" long, that's suddenly developed a swelling on its anus. It looks like it has a hernia. <More likely a "prolapsed colon"> The fish is acting normally, but a day after I got him I noticed this...its like a P (rotated 90 degrees clockwise) on his underside. I think it went down one day, only to come back the next day. and stay that severe for the past few days. I have another Oscar, from the same batch at LFS I got a few weeks prior. it and the rest of this "batch" still at LFS are not showing this problem. Amanda <Do try to feed this fish smaller amounts of foods more frequently, particularly meaty items like frozen/defrosted brine shrimp... in all likelihood the protruded part of your fish's digestive system will "go back in" in time. Bob Fenner> Lethargic Oscar I have an 80 gal tank with 2 Oscars
and a bunch of other fish (13 fish total 3" - 8") A
magnum 250 and a penguin 330, 2 power heads w/ undergravel filter and
lots of structures. The problem is one of the Oscars is
acting dormant. lying on his side with somewhat labored
breathing. He is still eating when fed and pretty much
defending himself, but this is not normal
behavior. We've had him and another one for over a year
( not much bigger than a goldfish) and the other one did this and died
a couple of days later. Now I'm worried this one will do
the same. His gills seem to functioning correctly, we never
feed him live food, all levels (nitrites, ammonia, pH, and temp) are
excellent. A 30 percent or so water change has been being
done every 4-6 weeks. There are no visible signs of disease
or wounds. He has lightened colors. When the
other Oscar died we got an albino Oscar (same size as the one we had)
they fought, we separated them, let them out, now they are fighting a
little but not much and now he is acting this way. <This
sounds like a water quality issue, what were the results of the water
tests? Test for nitrate as well. What types of
food are you feeding? I would increase the water change
routine to 30% every week. Best Regards, Gage> Oscar Swim Bladder Hello, My Oscar is about 2 years old and 8" long. He has recently developed what I believe is something wrong with his swim bladder-he floats upright at the top of the tank with about 1/4' of his back bobbing out of the water. In all respects he appears very healthy and vigorous, but he can't seem to swim down to the bottom of the tank-when he tries he just floats back up to the surface. Can you give me any advice on what may be the cause of this and how I might be able to cure him? Thank you very much in advance. <Hello David, sounds like it could be a problem with the swim bladder, or maybe a gut impaction of sorts. Could have been brought on by diet, what has he been eating? You could try adding a small concentration of Epsom salts (magnesium sulfate) to its water (about a teaspoon per ten gallons of system water) to facilitate muscle relaxation, possibly passing of material in its gut. Best Regards, Gage http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fw3setsdisfaqs.htm > Oscar Eye Injury. Just wondering if you could help me with my Oscar's eye problem. <I will try> I purchased a baby Oscar and once I got it home I noticed one eye was larger than the other. The eye looked perfectly normal colorwise, it was just bigger. I figured it was a mechanical injury since only the one eye was effected. I read up on mechanical eye injuries and salt was recommended. <Yes... most folks use just "regular salt" (ice-cream, table, water-softener...), but Epsom (Magnesium Sulfate) is recommended> So I started treatment with salt and MelaFix for good measure on Nov.28th. I upped the water changes, and fed a varied diet. The Oscar was showing no signs of any illness. Active and eating well. Other than vision loss in the affected eye. I stopped the salt treatment on Christmas eve. Since I was seeing no improvement at all. Although the eye was no worse it was no better. Upon closer examination, I noticed a 'lump' covering the lower part of the pupil. It's looks similar to a bruise, For lack of a better description. And it's odd shaped. I don't think it's an air bubble since it's dark coloured. But I guess it's possible since I don't really know what that would look like. Due to whatever this is, the Oscar is blind in that eye. But the eye is clear, still puffy. Like there is fluid behind the eye and also in the clear layer. Which the salt didn't help draw out. But the 'lump' was not there at first. I checked the eye on a daily basis. Possibly a growth? <I think you are right here. Not parasitic or infectious in origin... but genetic, developmental. Likely not operable, treatable. But also not too detrimental.> I'm not sure how to treat, or if a treatment is necessary. I'm also curious if you know what this might be? I'll leave you my water parameters just in case you need them.. Ammonia= 0 Nitrite= 0 Nitrate= 10ppm PH= Between 7.0 The Oscar is currently about 3 inches in size. Any help or ideas would be great! Thanks, Linda <There are many cases of hobbyists keeping fish species with such abnormalities of the eyes. Perhaps this growth will spontaneously remit. Bob Fenner> Oscar emergency (HLLE) 3-4 years ago I treated my Oscar for
what I thought was HITH. He developed some pretty bad holes and he
never completely looked the same after that but he was doing fine
otherwise so I assumed it was all over. About 2 weeks ago it looked to
me like it was coming back. There was one other Oscar in the tank who
looked okay. I took my water to the pet store and they tested it and
said everything was fine. I then started treating with Metronidazole
for the recommended course. <Yes. This anti-Protozoal is the
recommended material here> My fish did not improve. I have been
working very religiously on keeping the water clean and testing it
daily. About 2 days ago the other Oscar who did not have any holes
developed one hole on the center of his head. It was somewhat deep
looking and looked like a perfect hole had been punched with a hole
puncher. At this point both Oscars started getting a little white fuzz
on the holes. Last night the Oscar with the just one hole had a bit of
blood coming out of the hole. He was not attacked. This morning he was
dead. <...! Sorry to read of the loss... and this is a very short
period of time for this course of events to have occurred> I now
have one Oscar who is 6-7 years old. He has not eaten in two weeks. He
has a little bit of white fuzz on some of his holes. One side of his
face nearly looks like a crater and if it gets much worse I will be
able to see through it into his mouth. He is breathing somewhat heavy
but not super bad. I don't know what to do at this point. The water
is testing okay. Do I just have to watch this one die too?
<Hopefully not> The tank is 80 gallons with a canister filter and
an HOB filter. The water is 82 degrees. I don't know what else to
do. Is this even HITH? <Cannot tell from a description... and the
term Hole in the Head is a descriptive one... that is, it does not
define a/the root cause of the symptoms, just the symptoms themselves.
How much Metronidazole are you using, and how have you been applying
it? Are you adding vitamins, iodide to the animal's foods, the
water? Bob Fenner> Thank you for any help. Tami Help, something is wrong My tank has been set up for 5 days,
we tested for nitrates - 0, ph 7.0 and I used a product called Cycle
(which is supposed to add friendly bacteria) I also used a water
conditioner with aloe. The 4 Oscars I first wrote to you about were
sucking air pretty heavily earlier today, and have not eaten all day.
<You placed these fish a bit soon... are you testing for ammonia,
nitrite? Do not feed them anything...> Tonight they are mostly down
the bottom and their mouths and gills are moving constantly. I
introduced some tinfoil barbs and they immediately went to the top --
it looks like they are trying to suck air. I ended up getting a
Armoured catfish (our aquarium store has not any much luck with the
vampires they have gotten recently so they are reluctant to order any.
We also added an additional "quick filter" tonight. Any
suggestions on what the problem may be? <Likely a oh-too typical
"run-in" period bottle-neck... New systems need/take time to
"settle in", particularly with essential bacteria populations
for "cycling"... conversion of the principal waste product of
fishes, invertebrates (ammonia) to less noxious nitrate (through an
intermediate series of toxic nitrite)... Hence the suggestion to not
feed at this point... Stop adding livestock, increase aeration and if
possible add some used filter media, substrate... Please read here:
http://www.WetWebMedia.com/estbiofiltmar.htm
This piece on marine systems... principles apply to all aquatic
systems. Bob Fenner> Thanks so much for your help. Linda Oscars, Disease Hi, I have a big problem with my Oscars, I
have seven Oscars in my tank and I think haves Hexamita or
Ichtyyosporidium (Phycomocetae family) aka HLLE. I feed my fish with
Tetra Cichlid Tablet, Chironomis worms, and Heart Beef (rarely).
I'm from Romania and here it's difficult to find medications
for my Oscars, I find on the chemist's shop for human,
Metronidazole tablet <Am very familiar (unfortunately) with the
disease/condition HLLE and the anti-Protozoal Metronidazole (aka Flagyl
generically here in the West> 250mg (for Trichomonas virginals,
Labia intestinal is, Entamoeba hystolitica....) , and I used 250mg at 5
gallons water . <Mmm, this is about twice the dosage I typically
advise.> two Oscars are young (5inch) and look fine, fish colours
are normal, colours of excrements are normal brown-black, eating and
are fine. Five are very young , (2inch) and just one of them it's
fine. Four are very bad... not eating, not swimming and stay down on
the ground with difficulty to breathe (mouth open all time) and the
colours of excrements are white or transparent sometimes rubbing on
sand or stones or shake the head on sand). I have not idea if the
Hexamita is the malady or other, or I made a mistake with this
Metronidazole. <Perhaps an intestinal worm, other gut-fauna
cause> Fish are from 2 days in this conditions and one of them (very
young) it's dead right now. Please give me a piece of advice in
this problem, because it's very hard for me to see my Oscars in
this situation. Thank you a lot. (Forgive me , if my write it's not
correct grammatical) Andrei. <Thank you for writing. You are
perfectly understood here. Do you have a college/university or a
veterinarian nearby who will take a look at the fecal/waste material of
your Oscars? This should show/reveal the nature of the cause of their
illness. I do not suspect Hexamita here. Upon examination, you may find
that an Anthelminthic needs to be applied. Possibly Piperazine or
di-n-butyl tin oxide. At the very least, do enquire of the veterinarian
of the usefulness of Epsom salts (magnesium sulfate) applied as a
dip/bath. Please write back if this message is incomplete, or not able
to be understood. Bob Fenner> Sick Oscars Mr. Fenner, <Anthony Calfo here in your service> I have two Oscars that have some kind of parasite or disease that I and my fish store can not seem to identify and cure. Both of the Oscars are scratching their entire bodies against the rocks and gravel in my aquarium. They almost seem to "freak out" before doing this by starting to wiggle a little and then go spastic and swim blindly into things or scratch themselves on purpose. They have large patches of scales missing. I can not see anything wrong with them. Their eyes are clear, no visible parasites, and they breath at a normal rate. <could just be (common with big messy fish) a water chemistry problem that irritates the gills like high nitrates or extreme pH...test and report. May not be a disease at all> First I tried an antibiotic than helps with loss of scales and fungal, internal, and bacterial infections. <safe move, but if pathogenic, scratching is more indicative of a parasite> It had no effect. Next I tried copper. Their appetite returned, but they are still getting worse because they do not stop scratching. <sounding more like a water quality problem> Their tankmates (a jack Dempsey, a Pleco, and a red devil) are unaffected by this. <different species have different tolerances> I have been doing large water changes ritualistically in this tank since these fish produce a lot of waste, so I doubt it has anything to do with water quality. <never assume that ...especially with messy fish> <good> I also added aquarium salt at one tablespoon per gallon and a product that helps coat the fish's scales and reduce stress to try and help relieve some of their discomfort. Thank you for your help. I am afraid if I do not cure this soon, they will die. <have no fear...they are very hardy fish. Do a full chemistry test and report back. Anthony> Oscars, Velvet Cichlids I have two Oscars about six inches, I've had them for several months now but it seem one is sick. The larger of the two has gotten sluggish and tends to lie on the bottom or top of the tank. He has a few dimples or slight holes around the front of his head so I've started treatment for hole in the head but know I've noticed a slight film over one of his eyes. Is there something else I should be treating him for? John Wissler <It sounds like you may have some water quality issues. These big, messy eaters require frequent large water changes and a large tank to remain happy and healthy. Twenty five percent per week and housing two in at least 75 gallons of water would be good. Also, try adding 1 tablespoon of Epson salt per 5 gallons until the eye clears up. -Steven Pro> Oscar health >C.J. Moody >CASA >Kitsap County
Juvenile Court Services ><Is this the same town with the Kitsap
County Aquarium Society? I used to "scan" your
periodical back in the seventies for the local SDTFS... >Bob
Fenner> Yes, it is. I didn't realize that it was such an older
club:) <Yikes... I took over after Guy Jordan's passing back in
the early seventies...> But... I need help. I mean I really need
help. My Golds [Oscars] are looking really horrible. One of them now
looks like his fins are rotting off. They have that cottony cloudy
fungal look to them, but they seem to be rotting away. He is missing a
huge chunk of his side fin, and his tail has *holes* in it that are
getting bigger. <...!> I am giving them vitamins, Vitahex, with
their food. I am putting about four drops of the baby vitamins a week
into the water. I found some potassium iodide and followed the
directions to the letter. I removed the heater and bought a new one
[the only piece of electrical equipment in the tank]. I did a 50
percent water change, and then a week later, a quarter tank water
change. I am continuing that schedule of water changes [my magnum is
not working as well as it should]. <What? How long has this been
going on? What other livestock affected? What water tests have you been
doing?> What else can I do??? I am really getting stressed over
this. I know my fish is going to die, one at a time, if this continues
to degenerate like this, and at this rate. As it is one will be
*horribly* scarred. I can live with that, but am unsure I can live with
all my fish dead. Is there any thing else I can do? I read about
something called Hexamita "Synonym Octomitus" as being one of
the causes of this type of disease. Is this true, and if so, what can I
do for that? cj. <Hexamita (formerly of the genus Octamita) necatrix
is almost for sure not the causative mechanism here... Water quality is
very likely the prima facie cause. Arresting the necrosis is
all-important at this point, as is "solving" by correcting
the poor water quality. Again, please answer the above questions... I
would be changing massive amounts of water and likely applying furan
compounds. Please place any/all terms above in your search engines and
study NOW and act NOW to save your livestock. Bob Fenner> Pop Eye I have a 14 inch Oscar that suddenly has a bulging eye. I'm told it's "Pop Eye" by a respected aquarium store. After starting treatment of 1/3 water change every two days, erythromycin on the change, using a different conditioner, I found some of your FAQ answers. It's on the right side only. Still eats well, food limited to pellets and angle worms. He does move rocks around and bangs around in the tank once and a while. Had a few whitish spots (maybe from hits?) <Maybe> that quickly cleared up. Still sees well with one eye (will quickly open his mouth if I do). Water tests OK and is kept at 78 degrees. Looks like a wait and see for a couple of weeks? <Yes... this is what I would do... keep up on maintenance, water quality... should show improvement by then. Service, life to you my friend. Bob Fenner> Thanks, John Oscar with Popeye I Have an Oscar which appears to have
Popeye. By the advise of the first Pet Store I treated the tank with a
partial water change, aquarium salt and tetracycline tabs for six
days....The fish still had Popeye. So by the advise of a second pet
store I again treated the tank with a partial water change 50%,
aquarium salt and penicillin every other day for three treatments.
Still the fish has Popeye. what else can or should I do. I have had
aquariums for 15 years or better and never had a fish with Popeye. I
would be appreciative of any advice. You can e-mail me at <Thank you
for writing. Popeye (fancy name exophthalmia) is a hard condition to
cure... when "one sided" (unilateral) the cause is typically
"mechanical injury" (a bump in the night)... Treatments per
se are not necessary... but does take a good long time for the bulging
to subside (weeks to months). Keep the system clean, maintenance up and
you should see improvement in a few weeks. Please read here:
http://www.WetWebMedia.com/popeyefaqs.htm and possibly the
"Neotropical Cichlid FAQs" posted on WetWebMedia.com Bob
Fenner> THANK YOU, K. JACKSON Red tiger Oscar (health) I have a sick red tiger Oscar,
I've had him for about ten to twelve years. Three days
ago he's been laying on his side at the top of the
tank and his body is in a curved position, also his body color is
turning darker. Is he dying or is it some other type of sickness.
<Doesn't sound good. What are your water quality measurements
telling you? Has their been a sudden drop in pH? Any appreciable
ammonia, nitrite? Have you done anything to the system recently? How
are the other fishes (if any present) acting? Is your aeration,
filtration going? I would immediately do a 25% water change, vacuum the
bottom, clean your filter media and see if this improves its behavior.
If not, please write back with answers to the above and notes re your
set-up and its history. Bob
Fenner> Tiger Oscar Question How's it goin?? <Fine> I have an almost full sized tiger Oscar that has developed some strange marks on its head. At first I though he had just hit something in the tank because it looks almost as if a shallow chunk of skin is missing. Well this continued to spread, he now has these patches in several spots on his head. Any ideas??? <Unfortunately yes. This does sound like a case of HLLE (Head and Lateral Line Erosion), a nutritional disease for the most part. Please read carefully about others problems, responses here: http://WetWebMedia.Com/cichlidfaqs.htm and follow the links, FAQs suggested to them on our site. You want to develop a plan now to halt this ugly erosive condition. Bob Fenner> thanks Kyle HLLE, Oscars, Etiology, Cures Hi Robert... <Hello> I am sure with the volume of mail that you receive, you don't recall who I am. I had the two gold Oscars that had HLLE. <I recall> Though I followed everything that was explained to do, tonight I lost one of them. For some reason, this one just did not respond to anything I did. The other seems to be at least remaining the same, if not slowly healing, it is difficult to tell. I have some generic questions that I have found no answer to. Is HLLE an actual disease, a skin condition, a bacteria, or most importantly, contagious? <There are a few theories as to root causes of HLLE... most favor nutritional deficiency syndromes (mainly vitamins, iodide/ine)... some suggest protozoan involvement (esp. Hexamita spp.), others stray electrical potential (sellers of grounding probes), general "poor water quality"... Myself? I believe the first is a principal cause with all others being contributory. Please read through "the three sets of factors that determine health" piece here: http://WetWebMedia.Com/mardisease.htm For a "more rounded" view/glance of what goes on in the real universe> Everything I've read says that it cropped up about 15 years or so ago, and the likely hood of the causative action being Hexamita is slim. <Was about way before this time... know because I was there...> As this is what killed one of my Oscars, I would like to know more about what it actually is. <I understand your provocation... treatments more often kill off livestock...> You spent a great deal of time working with me on fixing this problem, and I truly do appreciate it. <An honor to help> One just didn't have it in him to make it though. I still have hope for the second one. Thank you again cj. <Please do read over the HLLE FAQs and environmental disease sections on the Marine Index part of our site (WetWebMedia.com) as well. The same etiology/ies for marine fishes pre-dispose them to this "disease". Bob Fenner> C.J. Moody Open Mouth Albino Oscar Hi, <Hello> One of my Albino
Oscar's has been having an open mouth for almost a month now. At
first, I thought it was a fighting injury and thought it would go away.
However, it does not seem to be going away and is starting to concern
me. <What size tank and how many fish?> My water parameters seem
to be OK (pH ~ 6.7, NH4+ < 1 mg/l, NH3 0.01 mg/l, NO2- < 0.8
mg/l). However I don't test for NO3- though (LFS was out of stock
when I got the other kits). <Actually, your water parameters are not
OK at all. NH3 (ammonia), NH4 (ammonium), and NO2 (nitrites) should all
be at 0ppm, anything above this is harmful to your fish. Ammonium is
less harmful than ammonia but it's still not desirable in your
tank. You need to do water changes to get these levels down to 0 and to
keep them there. Once you get them down I think you'll see an
improvement in your fish.> Would appreciate any experience/advice
you may have on this. Thanks in advance & Best Regards, KC
Somaratne <You're welcome! Ronni> Tiger Oscar problems Good Afternoon, <And the same to you!
Ryan here> I have just finished reading several of the letters on
your website and learned a lot! <Great! Don't stop
there!> I learned that first off my 55 gallon tank is to
small for my community (1 tiger Oscar, 1 Pleco, 2 Dempsey.) All have
been living together however for over 6 years. <Sounds good.> The
problem I am currently having I have never encountered before. My Oscar
which is the oldest at 6 years old has suddenly developed an unusually
large extended abdomen on both sides of his body. <Sounds like bloat
without seeing it. Do you have the resources available to quarantine
the fish. What is he eating daily? Is it varied?> If I
had to guess I would say that he is constipated. He is eating everyday
like normal and the other fish appear normal. I am planning on moving
in the next week so I was avoiding doing a 25% water change just to
have to break the whole tank down in less than two weeks anyway.
<OK...I'd probably do for safe measure.> I have
not had a chance to check the water yet, I will do that today. <Let
us know the results...bloat can be correlated to water quality.> I
have read some sites that suggest a diet change. <Not a bad
idea-> The symptoms appeared about a week ago. Any suggestions as to
what could be wrong with my baby. <Not without more info...change
his diet/lessen his food intake. Quarantine him if
possible. Test that water, and get back to us. If
you can get a digital photo, I'd be happy to take a look and give
you my best guess! Take care!> Michele Cooper Oscar and Myxosoma? <Hello!> I have searched the
archives and have found very little information about this. From what I
have read, I suspect that my Oscar may have this "whirling
disease". He has stopped eating for the last week or so. I
normally do weekly water changes of about 15%. Because of his symptoms,
I have done three water changes during the last week totaling probably
about 60% I have been using Melafix for the last few days , but have
seen no changes. He is breathing heavy, mouth opening and closing. The
other fish in the tank (2 large tinfoil barbs and a Synodontis cat)
remain normal. During the day when I'm not home, I don't
suspect that he is doing the whirling thing because there is no water
on the floor. At night when the lights are on, he will do the quick,
one full turn around action, often splashing water out of the tank.
This goes on every few minutes while I'm watching. I have done some
research on the web and found that infected fish will often do the
whirl when they are startled or fed (connection with the lights?).
Almost no info exists on this disease in Oscars, some in reference to
Discus, but most are about Salmon and Trout. There are no references to
a cure. One site even said to "immediately euthanize the infected
fish and all other inhabitants and sanitize the tank...there is no
cure!" ...and that was a discus site! Heck, I don't think
I'd get too attached to a salmon or a trout, but Oscar is family!
Do you think that this is what I'm up against? Do you have any
information on this and a possible cure? I hate seeing this graceful
creature suffer like this. <I am sorry it took me a while to get
back with you! I also had problems finding treatments for this
disease. This seems to be fairly rare infection in a warm
water climate. Myxobolus cerebralis is the parasite
you're dealing with, and it seems to find it's host initially
in Tubifex worms. I think the following course of action is
in order: Quarantine the Oscar in a sanitized tank. By
medicating your other fish, you're putting additional stress on
their environment. Keep his water in the QT changed as much
as you can, and feed him lighter than normal. You may want
to contact the nice folks at http://www.whirling-disease.org/
for more suggestions. I have a friend who is a toxicologist
for the Department of Fish and Game- I'll forward your email and
see if he has treatment ideas as well. Sorry I can't be
of more help! Ryan> Thanks in advance for any assistance you can
provide. VERY Sick Oscar >First, I would like to thank you for taking the time to read this...but I will get right into it. >>Greetings, you're welcome (it's what we're here for), and we do appreciate brevity. ;) >I have 2 Oscars (one white tiger and one classic tiger). I have had them for maybe 4 months and I have been very active in their environment. They have been growing very quickly and were very healthy until recently. Let me give you some background. The classic tiger has always been the bigger of the two and now is maybe 6 inches head to tail. This one is very strong and healthy. The white tiger is maybe 4.5 - 5 inches in length and was always more active but is now very sick. >>To be expected with the kind of breeding necessary to achieve amelanistic animals. >I regularly do partial (15%) water changes and test my water very often. All of my levels are perfect. They are in a 55 gallon tank for right now, but I'll be getting a larger tank very soon. At first they were only getting fed feeder fish and frozen bloodworms. >>Nix the feeders, ASAP. They're a fantastic way to introduce disease, and NOT at all nutritious, even if you gut-load. Bloodworms are fine, but not as a staple. >They were doing fine and growing very rapidly. Now here is the problem. The white tiger almost looks like it's falling apart. It shows signs of fin rot but also has a loss of appetite and stays laying in the gravel until it wants to eat. This has been going on for maybe 3 days. Today it is swimming but only using one pectoral fin and looks very labored. The other symptom....its skin almost looks like it's peeling like its loosing its scales. Aside from this, the Oscar is not exhibiting any other symptoms (as far as erratic behavior, or physical marks). Like I said, the environment is perfect the water is very stable and the other tiger is very healthy. My local aquatics expert told me that it may be a nutritional problem and recommended cycle and mixing up their diet as far as greenery, brine, cichlid pellets etc... and try to stay away from feeder fish. I love these Oscars like part of the family and would hate to see the white tiger become fatal. So if you can help me, it would be greatly appreciated. >>Your local expert is correct. In nature they would be eating a variety of foods that would rival our own (which is why, in the wild, they're *very* good eating). This would include bugs, fruit, whatever other wild fish they can find, so on and so forth. This is what I recommend; get a container, 30 gallons should be sufficient, and remove the white Oscar to it. This is going to be your hospital tank. You will need nothing more than a sponge filter and a heater. If the fish still eats, feed him mealworms, bits of overripe fruit, the cichlid pellets (soak them in a good supplement, we use Selcon for salties), while keeping up with many large water changes. (Large is on the order of 50% or better.) He sounds as though he's succumbing to bacterial infection, so I want you to add sea/aquarium salt at the ratio of 1T/gallon. This will do two things--it will relieve the difference in osmotic pressure, making certain life processes easier, and it will boost the effects of antibiotics. I want you to start him on a regimen of Melafix (you can also use Maracyn--I or II, but you're going for a broad spectrum antibiotic here). This is the reason for the large water changes, because any nitrifying bacteria in the sponge filter won't survive antibiotic treatments well. Keep the container dimly lit, but not dark. I do hope this gets to you in time, let me know what happens. Marina Bloated Oscar cichlid - Epsom salt 7/13/03 Hello crew, <Howdy Lisa> This is a distress letter like so many that I read. However, I didn't see anything quite like my albino Oscar's problem. I raised a pair from fry to 12". They are 6 years old. Suddenly in May, one of them just started fading away. Stopped eating, lethargic, and I treated for everything. No response. The other Oscar was fine. I lost him (I think male). I never really knew. They were always moving gravel, shimmying at each other, and butting heads. What I once thought was two males, may have been F/M. Anyways, I was heart-broken, but I still had one left. Now, over that past three weeks, my remaining Oscar's abdomen started swelling. Seemed fine just started getting round. The roundness is huge and has dropped even lower and now there is a clear bubble looking (about 1 1/2") protruding around the anal area. <hmmm... prolapsed rectum?> It appears to be from outer tissue, not internal. I am clueless!!! <I cannot explain it if external... although I wonder if it isn't internal after all> I have never seen anything like this in my 20 years of keeping fish. I have read about constipation, but nothing has changed in the diet. <nothing has to change... large greedy fish on a mostly dry diet, or even a single feeding of dry pellets in which they are overfed or glut quickly can cause blockage. Rather common with large fishes like Oscars and goldfish. Its the reason in part for adding Epsom salt to their foods (the mfg does this). Have you tried adding Epsom salt to the water? Use 1 tablespoon per five gallons and then a half dose again 3 days later. Often reduces bloated bellies and eyes> Could it be that I have a female and she is egg-bound. <highly unlikely> Tumor perhaps, but it developed too fast I think and there is no blood or redness, no puss. <cysts too... many possibilities. Still... I suspect an internal parasite from live foods (perforated internal organs and causes fluid buildup), or simple blockage> Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. <definitely add the Epsom salt... and do some large water changes (stimulating and improves water quality> Should I pull my fish out and gently depress to see what is actually in there? <under no circumstance should you do this> SHE/HE IS NOT EATING AND HER COLOR IS FADING A BIT. I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH LONGER SHE CAN SURVIVE. HELP!!!! History: Pellet food w/occasional live feeders. <unless you QT the live feeders... do resist this bad/risky habit. Too often they simply bring in disease> Weekly water changes religiously. 78F Temp. 55 gal tank. Had one bout of Ich a couple of years ago. Otherwise, no troubles. Thank you, Lisa <excellent elsewise... best of luck! Anthony> Upside Down Oscar - 8/22/03 Hi. This is a last
ditch effort to save our 5 year old Oscar fish. Approximately 6-8
weeks ago, the Oscar developed a distended belly on one side and was
floating on the surface. Taking advice from fishyfarmacy.com, we
treated him with Metronidazole for 10 days for Hexamita
<Ugghh... this is an all too common mis-applied remedy. I have no
idea why folks still recommend this. Hexamita has been shown to be
almost non-existent in captive stocks for well over a decade>
and then assuming that swim bladder was a secondary condition, started
a course of erythromycin, <unbelievable... erythromycin is a
gram-positive antibiotic, and less than 20% of all pathogenic fish
bacteria are gram positive. Furthermore, this drug is so outdated
(numerous resistant strains) that it boggles the mind why it would be
recommended as a first course of treatment> which we are now
on the second consecutive course. We do a 1/3 water change
every other day at least and the conditions are good with the exception
of very slight level of ammonia, which I am having trouble getting rid
of. <I am so sorry my friend... IMO, you have been given
staggeringly poor advice> The Oscar resides in a 30-gallon tank with
one feeder fish from the last batch (yes, I know no more feeder fish)
<correcto> who is quite large and healthy now. In the last two to
three weeks, we were encourage because the distention of his side
subsided, but he is now has smaller still distended area around
it's rectum, approximately the size of a golf ball, which is
causing him to remain upside down. We were also told by a
couple of sources to try giving him frozen peas and/ or earth
worms. He seemed to like the peas and was still active while
we were feeding those. However, three days ago we gave him
an earthworm and now he has sunk to the bottom of the tank, is still
upside down (his face is resting on the stones) and is not very
responsive. Should we give up hope and euthanize?
<not at all... these fish are incredibly hardy and salvageable. The
extended duration of the symptoms and the remission of the
size of the lump (likely ruling out cysts/growth) suggests to me that
is may not be pathogenic at all. Dose the tank with one rounded
tablespoon of Epsom Salt (from your pharmacy) per five gallons of tank
water. Dissolve this in a bit of aquarium water first then add. Repeat
three days later. If this improves your fish (and it may cure it), then
the problem way not likely pathogenic> If so, what is the best
way? <freezing in a bucket of water if you must... very
gentle for this cold-blooded creature> I've read a lot about the
Epsom salt, should we set up a hospital tank and treat him in that or
simple do in the 30 gallon tank? Can you
help? <Ahhh... :) Yes, you can dose the main tank.
Do let us know if it works. Else we may try a broad-spectrum antibiotic
cocktail (perhaps Jungle brand "Fungus Eliminator" [ignore
the cheesy name]). Anthony> Infected Oscar <Hello, Ryan helping you today> Hey, I've had my Oscar for about a year now. And today for the first time I noticed he has a bug or some kind of parasite living on it's tale. He also, seems more agitated than usual. Maybe you would know anything about this, and will this harm the Oscar. Is there any products available or should I try to remove the bug myself. I wouldn't want to lose him, I've invested enough $. <Stef, it's going to be difficult to give you advice without more detail. There are many parasitic and infectious diseases that can affect your freshwater fish. You can read up on them here: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwfshparasites.htm After reading, if you haven't come up with any ideas as to what it may be, take a digital photo and send it our way! Best of luck! Ryan> Thanks, Stef Epsom salt treatment 9/2/03 Good morning. Another follow-up on our Oscar. Since my first email below, we gratefully took your awesome advice (as it turns out) and treated Oscar with the Epsom salt twice along with a water change. The good news is that he's had a couple successful (and quite healthy) bowel movements and the swelling on his belly is more or less gone. <excellent and as hoped/expected> Naturally, we are thrilled. The only problem now is that he is now laying on the bottom of tank. <very common with even healthy Oscars at times... in time will improve> That is, he's not upside down, but flat on his side (his poor eyeball!). <Heehee... truly not uncommon at all> However, with what seems like a ton of effort he will swim to the top of the tank to get food (no more hand feeding with wooden skewers), but as soon as he gives up trying he sinks. <stress or damage to swim bladder... may heal in time.> Any thoughts on this? Can they lose their ability to swim if either the swim bladder was affected for too long or haven't been swimming? If so, will he ever swim again or will he be doomed to the bottom of the tank for the rest of his life? Thanks in advance for your help. I look forward to hearing from you. <we cannot say for certain... but Oscars are amazingly resilient. I think it is more likely he will recover in time. Wishing you the best, Anthony> Oscar problems I was reading the articles listed. I am having
a problem with one of my tigers. First I have them in a 55
gallon tank they are both only about 6 inches each, they were bought at
the same time and have been together. <Okay> Recently
we had gotten some bad spring water which caused an algae
growth. I have been doing tank changes of at least
50% every other day and it is pretty much under control. But
now one of my guys is laying around and his sides look as though the
other has been pecking at it. I do not know if I have males
or females or one of each. I did go to my local pet store to
see if they new anything that I could do. They had the usual
round of questions did I test the water if they are eating
etc. Water is at normal levels <Normal being
what? What are your readings for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate,
and pH? You mentioned spring water - what are you using for
these large water changes?> and no they are not eating for at least
3 days now. <*Neither* of them are eating? I
would have suspected aggression above all things, but this does throw
in a twist. Most likely this is an environmental issue -
with the massive water changes especially; what is your current pH, and
has it changed at all since before the water
changes? Bottled spring water may very well not always have
the same pH, other parameters. Is there any reason you
don't use (dechlorinated) tapwater?> Any information you can
offer greatly appreciated. Karen <I do hope we can be of
service, and help you figure out what's going
on.... -Sabrina> Swollen Oscar Hello all, I was here a few days ago asking for
help getting an ID on "Thing". Well, my friend did her best
to scrub the life out of thing, so we will have to wait and see if he
pops back up so I can get a photo. Until then, I have another friend
(no computer) with an ill Oscar who is over 12 inches long. The Oscar
is believed to be female and has been swelling since Labor
day. My friend assumed she was gravid and prepared for eggs.
But nothing has been laid. The Oscar prolapses her cloaca (sometimes
she extends it a lot, sometimes just a bit) and then nothing. No eggs.
Her body is swollen. It looks like she is carrying half of a
small orange on each side of her body. One side is a bit bigger than
the other. Her scales are stretched and you can see the skin between
them---- but they are not sticking out like a fish with dropsy. I
managed to touch her side and it is firm to the touch. The
swelling rides low on her sides and is does not look like a case of
sudden obesity. She also has no other abnormalities or
injuries. She eats well, swims normally, and lives peaceably
with her "mate" of similar size and a huge Pleco.
All three of these fish were moved into a 75
gallon from a 30 gallon a few months ago. My friend inherited them from
her brother who had kept them in the 30 for years. The 75 is
filtered by two Emperor 280's and the fish are fed Hikari cichlid
pellets and have never really been fed gold fish. I
don't know what her water parameters are at the moment (no test kit
handy), but she does monthly water changes. Any
suggestions as to what would be causing the prolapse and swelling?
Thanks, <Sounds to me like too much dry food for a glutinous fish
over too long of a time period, chances are she is blocked
up. I would start by adding Epsom salt to the water, 1
tablespoon per five gallons and then a half dose again 3 days
later. You will also want to perform some large water
changes to ensure good water quality. Start varying the
fishes diet with some thawed frozen foods as well. Best of
Luck, Gage. See here for more info http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/oscarfaqs.htm
> - Oscar Problems - Sorry, I may have sent this e-mail already, but I wasn't sure if my mailbox was set up correctly... I have an Oscar that has been sick for about 2 weeks now. I think that I have the same problem as Lisa's e-mail that was posted, "Bloated Oscar cichlid - Epsom salt 7/13/03" The conversation goes... "The roundness is huge and has dropped even lower and now there is a clear bubble looking (about 1 1/2") protruding around the anal area. <hmmm... prolapsed rectum?> It appears to be from outer tissue, not internal. I am clueless!!! <I cannot explain it if external... although I wonder if it isn't internal after all>" By looking at the attached photos, do you think that my fish has the same disease? (All other symptoms are similar to what she had posted) I cannot find anything else on the internet. <Well, it's not really a disease but a condition brought on by the foods you have been feeding, and yes it does appear to be the same thing. Do try the Epsom salts and if possible isolate the fish so no one else can pick at it.> <Cheers, J -- >
Tiger Oscars We have 2 tiger Oscars that have grown very large. They are in a 20 gallon tank that is way too small. We are going to get a 100 gallon tank within the next week. One of our fish has what I believe to be "hole in head disease or HLLE". < Your Oscars are in too small a tank and the fitter cannot keep up with the excess waste. The hole in the head is caused from poor water quality and poor diet. The new tank will definitely help.> I came to this conclusion from your website, which is wonderful. <Thanks> The other fish had it, but it seems to be healing. Our biggest one has 2 of the wounds. I sent 2 pictures for you to see. I want to know what I should do when I get the bigger aquarium in the next few days. <Make sure you get a filter that will move at least 300 gallons of water an hour, has a wet dry component to it and is easy to maintain. It will be expensive but worth it in the long run. Take some of the gravel out of the 20 gallon and add it to the 100 gallon after it is set up. There are beneficial bacteria in the gravel that will be needed in the big tank. Use a good water conditioner when adding water. Get some test kits that check for ammonia , nitrite and nitrate. After your tank is established then the nitrate kit will be needed to help determine when you will have to do water changes.> What should I get to treat them. < Do not treat at this time. As conditions improve you should see an improvement in the fish but you may have to be patient.> I feed them only the dried pellets. This is all they have ever had. I feed them twice a day. They are eating fine. <Buying in bulk makes sense but can have its drawbacks. Fish food tends to lose its vitamin and mineral content quickly after it is opened and exposed to the air. After a container is opened it should be kept in the freezer. A smaller amount can be kept out in an airtight container and replenished after a week or so.> Can you please just give me a rundown on medication and what I should have for my aquarium. < More fish are probably killed from improper use of medications then by the diseases they are trying to cure. Keep the 20 gallon as a quarantine tank or a sick tank. Do all you medicating in there if possible. Don't buy any medications until they are needed. Some of them have a short shelf life and degrade quickly and become ineffective over time. Keep up on your water changes and check the filter often. Never feed you Oscars live feeder goldfish. The goldfish are treated poorly and carry numerous diseases that can be added to the tank when feeding them. Try washed earthworms instead as a treat. Not too often or they may become imprinted on them and refuse to eat anything else. Try not too over feed either. I know it is tempting because these fish end up being pro beggars. -Chuck> I know this is asking a lot. When we first got the fish we did not realize how big they would get. However, they are family and we don't want to get rid of them, we want to do what is necessary for their health and happiness. Thank you for any information you can assist me with. Kim Gullett Oscar Dear WWM Crew, I have written in the past regarding an "upside down" Oscar, who is still alive, but seemingly not well. I strongly believe that he has permanent swim bladder damage b/c he does not float and has been on his side at the bottom of the tank for some time now. < The swim bladder in cichlids is an open system in which the fish can change the size depending on depth and conditions. Deep water rift lake cichlids take a few days do decompress like divers from deeper waters. The valve that controls this can become infected and close permanently. It appears your Oscar is in this category.> In addition, there is a permanent small distended area around his rectal area, which can vary slightly in size. < It appears there is or was a definite internal infection with your Oscar> I clean the tank one a week (30 gal.) and use Epsom salt each time because it seems to help keep the distention at bay. I have not tried any other treatments. < The damage is already done and he will probably not get any better> He still eats very well and can swim, although only with major effort and tires so quickly that I often end up pushing the food toward him to help. It is very upsetting to see him in this state and I worry that he his suffering. I've considered Euthanizing and you have suggested that freezing is the most humane, but I don't see how since he will be removed from the tank he has resided in for several years and placed in a dark place that get progressively colder. Perhaps, I'm thinking too much (my husband complaint). Any suggestions? < Your fish will probably not get any better. If you want to try to save him you can get some medicated food with Metronidazole in it. Feed it to him for a couple of days, clean the filter and vacuum the gravel to get rid of the built up waste. Raise the water temperature to 82 degrees. Repeat the medicated food in a week. It probably will not work since your Oscar is a few years old and only live a couple of years in the wild. An Oscar that is "several years old" probably has his best years behind him. To euthanize you fish I would take some water out of the aquarium and place it in a small bucket with just enough water to cover the top of him. Place a few Alka-Seltzer's?) tablets in the bucket. The kind you get at the drug store for headaches. The tablets will foam when they hit the water and put out Co2 gas. This will put him to sleep. He will still be breathing but will be unconscious. Then put him in a plastic fish bag with some of the water from the bucket and place him in the freezer. The cold will slowly kill him and you can then dispose of him. -Chuck> Re: Oscar Chuck, Thanks so much for your reply. I do want to clarify that I have in the past tried to medicate. This condition has been an issue for almost a year now and the last time I was in contact with your awesome crew, he seemed to show promise after the initial Epsom salt treatment, he was even floating on his own. However, not too long after he took a sudden turn for the worse and has never recovered! He is over five years old at this point. Anyway, thanks for your advice. Would you agree that he would be better off in the Seltzer-seltzer bath at this point? < That is probably best for both you and the fish. A new fish active in your tank would also be much more entertaining and make things much easier to take care of. Hopefully another cichlid since they are a personal favorite of mine. Good luck -Chuck> Thanks much. Best, Kim |
|
|||||||||||||
|
Features: |
|
| Featured Sponsors: |
