Oscar fish... distressed in uncycled system 1/11/12
My fish is going crazy when i get close to the tank. He haven't eaten in 8 days. The levels or fine we put him in a 55 gal 8 days ago.
<... this system isn't cycled. The chemistry here is the likely cause of this fish's troubles, troubled behavior>
He cut himself going crazy on side of face. I don't know what to do please help me.
Thank you.
<Read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwbiofltfaqs.htm
and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>
Re: Oscar resurrection! 1/21/12
Hey thanks for the help my Oscar is back to healthy in fact i hadn't seen it so active in a while :-)
<Glad you had such success! Cheers, Neale.>

Astronotus; diet, health 1/8/12
Hey there I'm new to this but I have an Oscar almost 3 years old
<You're new to fishkeeping and only just got this 3-year-old Oscar? Or you've kept this Oscar for 3 years but feel like you're a new fishkeeper?>
he has been swimming upside down for two days I've read that a lot of goldfish is bad
<Yes. Why are you feeding your Oscar goldfish? That's the single best way to ensure your Oscar gets diseased. There are no books on Oscars that recommend goldfish, and no experienced fishkeepers writing in magazines or websites. So I have to ask, where did you get the idea to use goldfish from? Sometimes people keep predatory fish because they want to see one fish kill and eat another fish. You can find videos on YouTube of teenage boys (with social inadequacies, I have to assume) videoing this sort of thing, usually with rock music in the background. Depresses the heck out of me. Please don't follow their lead. Oscars need a mixed diet, largely based on good quality pellets such as Hikari Cichlid Gold, with some fresh or frozen foods such as tilapia fillet, cockles, prawns and mussels used now and again. If your fish can't balance itself, it may be constipated, in which case Epsom salt together with a diet of JUST cooked peas will help (no, he won't eat the peas at once, but when hungry, after a few days, he will).
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/fwsubwebindex/SaltUseFWArtNeale.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/fwsubwebindex/gldfshmalnut.htm
But if the problem is more serious, as it could easily be, then we'll need more information on this Oscar's world. How big is the tank? What is the water quality like? How often do you do water changes? Apart from goldfish, what food do you use and how often?>
so I think that might be the problem he also has a bump coming out his left
<His left'¦? Cheers, Neale.>
Re Astronotus; diet, health 1/8/12
The tank is 48g I change the water ones a week he shares it with 3 jack Dempsey I've had him for 3 years
<Too small, as I'm sure you realise. Oscars alone need at least 75 gallons (though often mentioned, 55 gallon tanks quickly become filthy and nitrate levels are very difficult to control in tanks that small). Add a bunch more cichlids like the ones you have, and you need a tank 100 gallons or larger.
How much water do you change? I hope at least 25%. How big is the filter? I hope at least offering a turnover rate not less than 8 times the volume of the tank, i.e., 48 x 8 = 384 gallons/hour. Nitrate levels must be 20 mg/l or less; ammonia and nitrite must be 0. This fish is almost certainly being stressed, harmed, killed by the environment you've provided. Without improving his world, medication won't be much/any use. Nitrate poisoning, constipation, Thiaminase, Hexamita, secondary bacterial infections -- all
these are possible explanations for the symptoms you're observing. Cheers, Neale.>
Re Astronotus; diet, health
Water temperature is 80 degrees I usually feed him Hikari pellets water change is 25% weekly
<Given how small your tank is, I expect you will need to do more water changes than this to keep nitrate levels low enough. In any event, the rest of my comments stand. This fish has been stressed by the environment you've provided. Read through my messages and act accordingly. Cheers, Neale.>
Re Astronotus; diet, health 1/8/12
Thank you very much
<Glad to help. Neale.>

Astronotus; health 12/22/11
Hi, I have two Oscars and my smaller 3 inch Oscar is turning pale. They are both black, but the smaller one is turning a pale olive green at the top of his/her body... Is this normal, what can I do, I'm extremely worried about my fishes life!
<Need some information here, Nicky. How big is the aquarium? Have you measured water quality recently? Let's recap. Oscars need big tanks and extremely heavy-duty filtration. For two specimens you'd need at least 75 gallons, even for babies, and the filter should provide a turnover rate of at least 8 and preferably 10 times the volume of the tank per hour. For two Oscars, I'd be using two Eheim 2217 canister filters or similar. Almost all problems with Oscar health come down to poor environmental conditions -- not enough aquarium space, not enough filtration. Cheers, Neale.>
<<Neale, WWM referral? B>>
Re: Astronotus; health 12/25/11
I noticed my temperature was off and that made him go back to normal color... but now the big one keeps swimming on his side. basically these to fish belonged to my friend who could no longer care for them. He housed them in a ten gallon tank and passed them to me. I can't afford a bigger tank at this moment, and the Oscars are very small.
<Hello again Nicky. There's really not much else I can say here. I appreciate you're doing your best to help these fish, and that you're stuck with the aquarium you have for the short term. But Oscars aren't "social" fish and won't get along without plenty of space. Males are aggressive towards one another *and* towards unreceptive females, and mouth-to-mouth and mouth-to-flank interactions are common examples of aggression. In terms of water quality, you need to keep nitrite and ammonia at zero, and nitrate below 20 mg/l, so heavy filtration and likely water changes more than once a week will both be part of the maintenance regime. Do read:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/fwsubwebindex/oscars.htm
Cheers, Neale.>
Re: Astronotus; health, and comp. f' 1/5/12
Okay one last question it's, my big Oscar has almost killed my smaller Oscar. My smaller Oscar's scales are ripped all the way off. Leaving white dermis. He can't eat anymore because he can't swim to catch food. His fins have been ripped between the connective areas. He is on his side and can only breath. So i put him in a fish carrier. There is a heater as well in there. He has been in there for the past week and a half. My main question is, is there a way to supplement his diet, since he can't eat. Vitamin drops???! I put Melafix for the fins.
<Melafix is not helping here; you need a proper antibiotic or antibacterial, e.g., eSHa 2000 or Maracyn. Vitamins are irrelevant. This fish needs a hospital tank (at least 30 gallons for an Oscar) with a heater
and filter where it can recover for a few weeks. Long term, each Oscar needs at least 55 gallons, preferably 75 gallons. As I've said before, Oscars are not social and yes, the bigger one will want to kill the smaller one. Putting the fish in a "fish carrier" (whatever that is) won't help. If you can't do any of what's required, euthanasia may be the only option.
Possibly, a pet store could take one or both fish from you, or you could make an appeal on a fish club forum or at a city aquarium club. Cheers, Neale.>

Red Oscar wont eat medicine 11/20/11
Dear WWM,
<Hello to you both.>
We have a 2 year old red Oscar and a 1.5 year old tiger Oscar with a Pleco in the same 55g tank.
<Your tank is much too small for all these fish together. It's barely adequate for even one of them kept alone. Consider 75 gallons the absolute minimum for two Oscars together, and 100 gallons the minimum if you want the catfish too.>
About 2-3 months ago the red male Oscar developed hole in the head,
<Almost certainly down to the size of the tank. The thing with cichlids is that they're acutely sensitive to non-zero nitrate levels, and in small tanks, it's difficult to keep nitrate below a safe value of 20 mg/l. The bigger the tank, the more water to dilute the nitrate, so the better the health of the fish. Other factors very likely come into play, including fresh greens in the diet (wild Oscars consume fresh greens as the gut contents of their prey as well as consuming some plant material directly, and in aquaria it's critical to respect that). Low oxygen concentration in an overstocked tank is a third factor likely behind HITH disease.>
and we tried the general cure from Pet-Smart... it did nothing.
<Indeed not.>
He was eating well up until about 7 days ago. We have been trying to feed him this medicated fish food from Jungle, that worked the last time he had hole in the head (which cured him last time), but this time he just won't eat it. He won't eat much, actually'¦ He seems severely lethargic and only has come out to swim (from his house) once in a great while, or when attacked by the other Oscar. We tried the Melafix with aloe,
<Useless.>
and that seemed to perk him up a little, but did nothing else. We tested the tank water, and the ammonia is fine; but the nitrates are not good.
<See above. Cichlids must have nitrate levels below 20 mg/l, and ideally as close to 0 as possible. Can't do that? Don't keep cichlids. I've seen cichlids develop HITH time and time again in overstocked tanks, and almost every time I see cichlids with HITH, it's the same problem: overstocking, lack of water changes, high nitrates, monotonous diet. Throw the use of feeder fish into the mix, and things become even worse.>
The water is soft, the ph, nitrites and everything else is fine on the test.... What do we do?
<Buy a bigger aquarium.>
Is there any chance we can save our Red Oscar?
<Yes; treatment requires Metronidazole, also known as Flagyl, as directed by the manufacturer or your vet. Success rate is pretty good if treated promptly:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/flagylfaqs.htm
Naturally, environmental conditions need to be fixed, too.>
Thanks...
Chrissy and Chris
<Glad to help. Cheers, Neale.>

Sick Oscar, same as almost all... no reading or data of use 10/20/11
Yesterday I added another pump to my 40 gallon tank everything was fine at first. Then today I noticed my Oscar was swimming up in the new pumps bubbles He seemed to be enjoying himself. The other fish in the tank a black catfish and a algae eater would swim around him. About dinner time my daughter noticed Oscar had started swimming upside down. It was very sudden. I transferred him to a 2 gallon hospital tank
<? Two gallons?>
gave him a pea and some medicine for parasites.
<What for?>
But I don't see any bloated area on him, but his belly has a yellow color to it and his eyes are cloudy. Can my Oscar be saved?
<This volume is too small for these fishes... very likely water quality IS the issue here. Change a good deal of water out, vacuum the gravel... READ here: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/oscarsysfaqs.htm
and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>

Mysterious Oscar Killer 9/19/11
Hi wwm crew,
This is my first time writing to you guys and surprisingly (to me), it is about some fish we have a good deal of experience with, our Oscars. My parents bought a 75 gal tank 3 weeks ago and in their rush they fully stocked it with 4 Oscars, 5 guoramis (spelling?), 2 upside down cats, 2 silver dollars, and 2 tin foils. The smallest Oscar (our albino tiger) suddenly began hiding about 4 or 5 days into our ownership and died a week after bringing them home. We assumed (knowing how territorial these fish are as well as their general bossy attitude) that one of the three much larger Oscars stressed the poor guy to death. Then, a few days later our red Oscar ( the second largest) began hiding under our big wooden root structure (large piece of wood bought at PetSmart). When I went to check on the tank (one of many trips to my parents house) I was taking inventory of all the fish and got a good view of Red. He had Ick. I gently guided him to the side of the tank with the net to get a better look and take pics. He was very calm and came out with no trouble. He allowed me to take the pictures and went back to hiding. I immediately informed my parents and insisted on treatments and a quarantine tank(which I told them to get a week before lol). The next day we bought a ten gal glass, a filter, air bubble bar, tree to give shelter, herbal meds for fungi and bacteria, and rocks. The meds were suggested to us by the fish department lady. We set up the quarantine tank, siphoned off about 7 gals of water from the main tank and added two gals of treated tap, let it run and discovered a major leak in the ten gal and had to dump the water. We got a replacement tank the same night and got it set up and again siphoned 7 gal tank water to two gal tap. We refilled the main tank with treated tap. He seemed to be doing better in the ten gal though he would not eat. Both tank have been cycling through meds since the night of their purchase per instruction. Yesterday red died. We are down to two Oscars though every other type of fish has remained relatively unaffected. About the same day we put red in the ten gal, our largest Oscar, an albino, began sulking and hiding but still eating. He has no sign of Ick, fins in excellent condition but a small scrape on his side. He is no longer eating. The tin foils had a small amount of Ick that has almost fully cleared up. No other fish in the tank has shown signs of Ick. All but Oscars showing normal behavior and appetite. Please note that while I am working on water condition it still needs some work. Ph is good but nitrates are still high. I have a vacuuming and 30 gal water change planned for this evening. I want to add suckerfish but do not know if it is safe yet in my tank. Please help me! I have lost two Oscars n do not want to loose any more. I am sorry this email is so long but I am trying to give you all the info I can. Please help me to understand what this Oscar killer is. Is it bioload? Or an illness? Thanks so much for your advice and wonderful site. Be sure to look for my emails around Christmas related to a reef tank that is being given to my son as a Christmas gift.
Aesia
<Greetings. It does seem your aquarium is massively overstocked. One Oscar in a 75 gallon tank is a squeeze; four of them is insane! Even if they're only young, let's say anything above 12 cm/5 inches, this tank will be overstocked. Throw in big fish like the Tinfoil Barbs and you've got a recipe for disaster. Adding a Plec catfish would be lunacy, and simply isn't on the cards at all. Not only does this aquarium need to have most of its residents removed, the Plec/Oscar combination is an unreliable one, with the common Pterygoplichthys species especially being known "mucous grazers" that damage the flanks of Oscars when they try to scrape off the mucous. But let's not worry about that now, because you aren't adding any more fish to this tank! Let's focus on why your fish are dying. The thing with cichlids is that non-zero levels of ammonia and nitrite are especially dangerous, and even nitrate, which for most fish isn't too serious, starts sickening them at levels as low as 20 mg/l. On top of this, overstocked tanks have low levels of oxygen, and this is another cichlids won't tolerate for long. Basically you have an aquarium that isn't nearly big enough for the fish you're keeping; 200 gallons would be the sort of size for the fish you have, though whether four Oscars will tolerate one another once they start pairing off is a whole other discussion. Do read what these fish need, write up a shopping list, and make the necessary changes.
Otherwise return all but one Oscar, and if you want a companion for it, choose a robust species that won't graze its flanks, for example Synodontis euptera or Panaque nigrolineatus.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/fwsubwebindex/oscars.htm
Cheers, Neale.>
Re: Mysterious Oscar Killer 9/22/11
Thank you so much Neale,
<Glad to help.>
Your insight helped to confirm ALL of my worst fears. After reading your email, I immediately looked up every fish my parents bought. I spoke with them about the information I gained and asked a few questions about the individual fish they bought and the live fish store they were bought from.
I was very disturbed to hear that the clerk at one fish store (no names but the tins, dollars, 2 Oscars, the cats and the gouramis were purchased here) recommended that my parents put more fish but also recommended they put in the tins, dollars and cats (while they are decent suggestions, not all together and not in a 75 gal tank.)
<I agree. All lovely fish, some of the best in fact, but your family have enough for a swimming pool!>
All about the Benjamins. We have been discussing solutions and here is what we have decided.
1. Return/trade in the tins,
<Could be wise. These fish are among the worst when it comes to housing because they're both active and big, so they need more space than an inactive fish of similar size. They're also social, which exacerbates things.>
2. Get a new tank for dollars, cats, and gouramis (I would like your suggestion on size here. I'm thinking maybe 50 or 60 here. And am also considering trading/returning the dollars.)
<Have seen 75, 100 gallon tanks with a combination of Gouramis and Australian Rainbowfish (Melanotaenia boesemanni for example) and these work extremely well together. Throw in some live or fake plants for greenery, and you have a winning aquarium that works well across a broad water chemistry range.>
3. Get 1 new Oscar (we lost our albino). Now my question here is can I add some hermits and snails since they r armored animals?
<Crabs are a major part of the diet of Oscars, as are snails to a lesser
degree. Look at those jaws -- they're massive! In the wild Oscars crunch on all sorts of shelled and armoured beasts, even small catfish like Corydoras!>
What about suckers?
<As I said, some Plecs can damage Oscars. Take a look at the photos close to the top of this page:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/fwsubwebindex/OscarDisF11.htm
Both Bob Fenner and myself believe that this is a classic example of Plec damage. While this isn't common behaviour, it does happen. I'd choose the Suckermouth catfish extremely carefully. The best bets are the more-or-less herbivorous sorts like Panaque nigrolineatus rather than omnivores such as Pterygoplichthys species. Alternatively, there are some excellent Synodontis species like Synodontis euptera that will be just as good at eating any leftover food without being dangerous to your Oscar. Do remember, in an Oscar aquarium no catfish will prevent algae problems. Such a tank will have so much nitrate and phosphate, and likely few/no fast-growing plants, so that physical removal is really the only way forward. Floating plants might work well though.>
The Oscars will be all that's left in the 75 gal. Thank you again for your insight. Unfortunately, I was unable to prevent this incident but with your help I am in the position to fix it and prevent future instances of ignorance. Again, thank you guys for all you do. I look forward to your advice as I travel down the road of saltwater tanks in the near future, something I plan to take very slowly.
Aesia
<Saltwater is fun in many ways, and thanks to advances in filtration and live rock, much easier than many suppose. Bob Fenner's 'Conscientious Aquarist' book really is an excellent step-by-step cookbook guide, and you'll find it well worth borrowing or buying. Cheers, Neale.>

Oscar fish 8/21/11
My Oscar's eyes are sticking out of his head more than normal, is this a disease.
<Yes. Pop-eye is a related condition where the eye has been sufficiently damaged that infection behind the eyeball causes swelling. Treatment is largely "wait and see" plus the use of Epsom salt, and optionally,
antibiotics. See here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/fwsubwebindex/fwpopeyefaqs.htm
If one eye is damaged or popping, that's commonly physical damage, e.g., by clumsy netting or a frightened fish bumping into the walls of the tank. If both eyes are damaged or popping, that's often to do with poor water quality. Either way, Pop-eye is extremely common when Oscars are kept in poor conditions, typically tanks that are too small, too few water changes, poor filtration. Do read:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/fwsubwebindex/oscars.htm
Cheers, Neale.>
Re: Oscar fish 8/21/11
Is popping eye a deadly disease?
<As stated in my last message, in Oscars, it is usually an indication of chronically poor environmental conditions. Without knowing anything else about your aquarium, that would be assumption here. So yes, it's a sign the Oscar is in very poor health, and without fixing both the environment AND treating the symptoms, the Oscar could well die. Not from the Popeye, but from other infections and stresses brought on by the poor environmental conditions. Sadly, this is all too common with Oscars because people keep
them in tanks that are too small, feed them too much, feed them the wrong foods (e.g., "feeder fish", Thiaminase-rich foods, not enough green foods), don't supply enough oxygen, don't do enough water changes. Cheers, Neale.>

Oscars; sys., fdg., hlth. 7/14/11
First off I'm new to Oscars and have learned TONS from the posts on your site. I have 3 juvenile Oscars. The largest 2 are around 4 inches long. I bought them because they looked cool and I had seen a friends very gregarious Oscar and thought how much it reminded me of my black lab.
<Agreed>
So being the typical exuberant "act first and research later" Oscar owner, I bought 3 of them. Doh!
I have 2 albino's and a tiger. Originally they were all in a 35 gallon aquarium together, but later I built a new 65 gallon and moved the tiger to it along with several new jacks, auratus and a couple others.
<One Oscar will not live long or well in a 35 gallon system>
The tiger was the largest of the fish in the new aquarium and everyone has gotten along famously for several months despite significant size differences. Mistakenly I have been feeding goldfish to my various cichlids... soon to stop thanks to what I have read here.
<Good>
I have been keeping the gold fish in a separate aquarium that remains heavily medicated with elevated temperatures. None of my fish have shown any signs of parasites or disease and I check them daily.
<You won't be able to see... until there are REAL problems>
The 2 albinos are still in the 35 gallon and seem to get along fine despite a significant size difference between them.
<Antagonism will occur very rapidly...>
I checked the water a couple of days ago and the nitrite/nitrate/ammonia levels are fine, but I clearly need to change the water more often.
<I'd change a good percentage every week. See WWM re>
The filter is a 55 gallon filter in a 35 gallon aquarium so it does keep ahead and I clean the filter every week or so. The 65 gallon aquarium has a 120 gallon aquarium filter in it so it too keeps ahead and the filters get cleaned at the same time as the smaller aquarium.
OK for the problems...
1. The albinos are in the 35 gallon aquarium. The larger albino for several months has randomly exhibited the odd behavior of being placid and calm for days and then suddenly slamming himself into the glass, bottom or lid.
<Due to the size/volume, and/or possibly a (goldfish vectored) parasite.
These fish need to be moved (now) to larger quarters. Read here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/oscarsysfaqs.htm
It then acts like it has knocked itself out and will lay on the bottom on it's side, breathing heavily. A few minutes later it's swimming around like nothing ever happened. The albinos will obviously soon outgrow their current home, but have never conflicted or caused each other any harm. Is the large albino crazy?
<Mmm, no>
The slightly smaller one NEVER acts that way. Some times this will happen in the middle of the night when I am asleep and the thrashing around noises are so significant that it wakes me up.
2. The tiger Oscar was in the 65 gallon aquarium and has been a great fish both to me and it's tank mates. It has been in a static environment (no new fish or other changes) for several months with 4 jacks and 3 auratus and a plec
<These fishes also need a much larger world...>
of which all are smaller than the Oscar by half. This past week the Oscar stopped eating and being gregarious and then killed an auratus and started doing the random slamming into things. It currently has a deep gash in it's head. I know it wasn't the best of solutions, but I moved it back in with the other Oscars to save the other fish. The three Oscars for the past 3 days of being back together are getting along very well despite the aquarium size. The large albino and the tiger are the same size and never apart and swim side by side or lay on the bottom together. They never fight and completely ignore the smaller albino. None of then show any territorial signs...yet.
Any suggestions would be helpful.
<As you re-read the "Oscar Health/Disease FAQs" files, you might consider a mixed treatment of Metronidazole and an Anthelminthic (in foods), otherwise, STOP feeding "feeders" and oh, I see some good news below...>
Obviously these guys need much more space and I intend to build a 300 gallon in the next 6 months, but they wont wait that long.
<Likely not>
I have an empty 55 gallon that I may split them up in until then.
<A good move>
I'm concerned they will
kill themselves slamming into things. Is this remotely normal?
<Yes... from crowding, certain parasitic infestations>
Can I do anything about it?
<Read where you've been referred to>
I already removed anything from the aquarium that they could bash into the glass for fear of them hitting the glass and breaking it. Thank you in advance for your input.
<Welcome! Bob Fenner>

Tiger Oscar wounded 6/7/11
I have a 2yr old tiger Oscar, 11 inches long, who has managed to hurt itself on the decoration in my tank. I have removed the decoration. I then added some aquarium salt and a little Stress Coat+.
<Salt does little of value when treating such damage. Stress Coat may or may not help, marginally, but I wouldn't bet the farm on it!>
I had the water tested at the pet store and they said that the pH was a 6.8 and my ammonia level was good.
<By "good" we MUST mean ZERO here. So clarify this! Wounds like this one WILL heal quickly if the water is spotlessly clean. But if the water is dirty, and ammonia and nitrite levels are good proxies for water cleanliness, the wound will quickly get infected. Assuming this tank is large (75 gallons) and equipped with a decent filtration system (at least 6 times the volume of the tank in turnover per hour) and that water quality is excellent (0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, and nitrate level less than 20 mg/l) this wound WILL heal, and all you need add is a suitable antibiotic to prevent secondary infection.>
I feed it Hikari Cichlid Staple, blood worms, and minnows.
<Minnows, also known as parasite bombs. If you want to offer a "live" treat, then earthworms are by far the best food.>
I'm not going to feed it minnows anymore after reading the other posts on your site. I'm not sure why it hurt itself but what worries me more is the way the wound looks now. The wound is 2days old. It has fuzzy looking white stuff on it.
<If the fuzz has the texture of cotton wool, then that's fungus, and that is usually a sign the water is not clean. Common reasons are overstocking (an Oscar this size in less than 75 gallons is overstocked) or the filter isn't adequate or the fish is being fed too much food. Obviously dead skin and flesh will be off-white in colour, much like cooked fish meat.>
Earlier today it just had a milky looking coat over it. The Oscar is not eating anything. Its feces is a milky color. It just stays in the bubbles and appears to be mouth breathing but not heavily. Please help. There are pictures attached if it helps.
<Absolutely no reason this fish should get worse. But make sure the tank is [a] clean; [b] the water is clean; and [c] that you're doing everything sensible to keep both tank and water clean. Medicate as per Finrot and, if you think relevant, Fungus (some medications, like eSHa 2000 and Seachem Paraguard treat both). If the fish appears lethargic or isn't swimming or breathing normally, assume environmental conditions are not good, and review accordingly. Do read, understand Bob's piece on the factors that affect fish health, here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/fwsubwebindex/fwdis3setsfactors.htm
A fish in the situation of your Oscar has the potential to recover quickly, but only if its environment allows. Good luck, Neale.>

please help. Oscar hlth., rdg. 5/18/11
hell my name is Ysabella, I have 4 baby Oscars, 2 clown loaches,
<The loaches should be elsewhere; not kept w/ Oscars>
and a common Pleco, one of the Oscars is really sick and has become so over a period of 24hours, he lays on the bottom of the tank and for lack of a better description loses his "balance" and tips over I have done regular water tests all show normal healthy; PH 7.5, high range PH 7.4, nitrite (No2) 0, nitrate(No3)10, ammonia 0.25.
<Trouble here. Ammonia needs to be 0.0; ANY present is debilitating>
none of the other fish have his symptoms. I have also noticed his eyes have gone deep black and he has lost nearly all his colouring (he is a tiger Oscar) I have asked the LFS where I got him from and they said just to use some health guard. I am at a loss he is refusing to eat and he is getting worse. they are in a 120 litre tank
<How large are these fishes? This isn't enough room if the Oscars are more than an inch or so in length>
(I am planning on getting a larger tank soon for them) I feed them blood worms
<See WWM re... I'd skip>
and Hikari gold cichlid pellets. I really do not know what to do any help you could offer would be helpful regards Ysabella
<... That it is only one of the four Oscars points to this being a social issue... but the ammonia present is toxic... Read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/oscarsysfaqs.htm
and the linked files above... particularly Feeding, Disease, Behavior. Bob Fenner>
Re: please help 5/19/11
hi thanks for your reply unfortunately he died during the night. I will take your advice to hopefully prevent this happening again, thank you anyway. regards Ysabella
<Thank you for this follow up... Again, I encourage you to read on WWM re this species... In some ways not easily kept. BobF>

Red spot on Tiger Oscars mouth 4/5/11
Oscar with Infected Lip
Hi I just purchased a breeding pair of Oscar's and when I got them home I noticed the male had a red lump on the inside of his lip any idea of what this could be ? His behaviour is normal and does not appear to be suffering in any way . Could this be caused be lip locking mating rituals ?
< Cichlids have certain spawning rituals that include pairs lip locking in a test of strength to test the suitability of a mate. Large cichlids have teeth that can inflict damage during this premating behavior. Keep the nitrates down and watch for infection. If it gets worse or starts to fungus than treat with a Furan type antibiotic.-Chuck>

Oscar... hlth. 3/24/11
Hi,
I have a 6 year old red Oscar and over the last week he has been swimming at the top of the tank with his mouth constantly open, seems like he is having problems breathing.
<Might well be... The collection of gas-impervious material (cooking oil, other aerosols, "dust"...) is very often a cause of oxygen deprivation issues>
When I look down his mouth I can't seem to see his tongue....also I have notice a small lump under his mouth, I'm worried because I haven't seen him eat or relax for the same amount of time. and I'm worried he is suffering..please help.
Kind Regards
Holly.
<... I would be dipping water from the surface (to remove possible mentioned film), gravel vacuuming and changing out a good portion of the water... Adding aeration/surface circulation. Measuring pH, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate pronto! And not feeding at all till I discovered and solved the source of trouble here. Have you looked on WWM, used the search tool re "Oscar breathing problems"? Bob Fenner>

Hope you can help! (Astronotus; RMF?)<<Nothing more>> 2/25/11
Hi
<Hello,>
We had two Oscars in a 5ft tank. The Oscars are approximately 7 years old and 10 inches long. We recently lost the albino Oscar who was breathing heavily and would lay on the bottom of the tank and not eat.
<Indeed, I seem to recall something about this from a couple of weeks back.>
Now our tiger Oscar seems to be sick.
<Do, please, check the environment. If you lose two fish within a short period of time, then it's most likely to be something wrong with their world. To recap: Oscars need 0 ammonia and 0 nitrite; nitrate levels less than 20 mg/l; and a water temperature at the middling range, 25 C/77 F being ideal. Water chemistry shouldn't be too hard: 2-15 degrees dH, pH 6-7.5. Water circulation must be robust, with lots of oxygen; check the filter is working, providing a turnover of at least 8 times the volume of the tank per hour, and that there's good circulation of water at all levels, not just at the top. Replace 20-25% of the water regularly, preferably weekly. Poisons can affect cichlids quickly and severely, especially things like paint fumes, tobacco, and bug sprays. Sudden exposure to temperature changes, like a broken heater, can affect them more rapidly than most other fish. Diet should be mixed, mostly good quality pellets alongside smaller portions of white fish fillet, squid, unshelled shrimps or small crayfish, snails, and some green foods like cooked peas.
Feeder fish should never be used. Lifespan for Oscars is around 12 years, so yours aren't especially old, and therefore old age is unlikely to be the issue.>
He is only breathing out of one gill and lays sometimes on his side on the bottom of the tank. He is still eating but we are worried that we are going to lose him. We have treated the water with Melafix as suggested by another aquarium specialist.
<Melafix isn't much of a cure; at best, it helps fish recover from minor wounds, assuming the fish isn't already infected with something. The classic combo treatment for cichlids infected with some unknown bacterium or protozoan is Metronidazole with a Nitrofuran-drug such as Nitrofurazone, but obviously this won't help if the fish is poisoned or environmentally stressed.>
Do you have any ideas of what could be wrong with him?
<Nope, but see above.>
Thank you
Kym
<Cheers, Neale.>

Oscar has nasty cuts
Oscar With Injuries 1/11/11
Hi guys and girls, Your site is by far the best on the web for Oscar care.
< Thank you for your kind words.>
You helped me a few months ago and I'm hoping you can do so again. I have an Oscar about 6 months old and he's around 5'' big now. He has a 50 gallon tank all to himself with only two items in it... an empty terra cotta pot and a log (purchased from the pet store). When he was a tiny baby, I went away on vacation for 10 days and used an automatic feeder. I learned very quickly upon returning that I had inadvertently trained my Oscar that food came from that big black object at the top of his tank. I stopped the auto feeder once I got back but he still swam to the same spot at the same time every single day waiting for that food to drop. I noticed that once the food no longer dropped, he appeared to become impatient and started "biting" the water right near the auto feeder. I figured this meant he was hungry, so I'd get up and feed him when he did this. Of course, now I have inadvertently trained him that jumping/biting at the water until it makes a loud sound results in him getting fed. I've created a monster. At first I found it a little endearing but also felt it might be stressful to him so I started feeding him in the mornings to prevent this behavior at his normal 9pm feeding time. The feedings in the morning did NOT stop him from attacking the surface of the water at 9PM. Taking care not to over feed him, I'd split his feedings between the morning and the evening feeding times. I saw no problems with this until tonight. I heard him jump up at the surface of the tank and make the "biting" the surface sound but I was on my way out and didn't give him any food. When I came home an hour later, his body was covered in injuries... particularly his head. He literally has chunks taken out of his forehead and a flap of skin dangling off his face between his eyes. :( I almost cried when I saw it. What the heck happened to him? I'm not sure if he jumped at the surface and injured himself on the small opening between the auto-feeder and the hood cover or if he ran into something in the tank (the wood piece, the filter "arm" that reaches down into the tank). It's been a few hours since I first noticed the injuries and I'm noticing that they are blackening now around the edges. I think I remembered reading on here somewhere that this meant they are healing. I also just noticed that one of his eyes seems to be getting cloudy all of a sudden (it was perfectly fine this morning). I'm not sure if there is something I should do for him. Should I add Melafix to help him heal faster?
< No, see comments below.>
On a side note, he appears to have developed hole in the head recently with two small holes near his gills that have been there now for a few weeks.
I lost an Oscar to this disease due to ignorance and not knowing anything about the disease until it was too late. I smartened up and bought the 50 gallon tank, I have a hang on back filter that has a 75 gallon capacity and am also purchasing a canister filter next week. I cycled the tank for a month before adding the Oscar and he has been happy and healthy in there for 6 months... until now. Nitrites are at 0, ammonia 0, nitrates between 20-40 right now but that's because he is due for his water change tomorrow.. it is typically at 20ppm.
I am not sure if I should administer an antiparasitic treatment or not.
With my last Oscar I feel like the treatment ultimately lead to his death.. it was too stressful for him. My new Oscar is a lot bigger though and probably stronger. I should also mention he is fed a varied diet of pellets, brine shrimp, blood worms and veggies (I use the "Lunch Box" frozen cubes variety pack). I am so scared to treat him with meds because I couldn't bear to lose another one but at the same time the holes aren't healing and I'm not sure what else I can do to provide a healthy environment for him. I do water changes, 25% once a month but I think I need to increase this to twice a month. Should I do it more frequently, or do bigger changes to see if this helps heal the holes before I treat with an anti-parasitic?
< Cleaner water is a big plus.>
A friend of mine had an Oscar with HITH and he treated it with the meds and put it in a bigger tank and it completely healed. I'm torn.
Sorry for the lengthy message, but it appears that I have one immediate problem and one ongoing problem to contend with here. My Oscar is still eating very well right now and he is sulking a bit in the last hour or so at the bottom. This isn't unusual for him when there is any change to his environment whatsoever. He is terrified of the tank lights so I keep them off and he was also terrified of a new house plant that I placed next to his tank. He hid on the other side for two days until I figured out what his problem was. To test it I moved the plant to the other side and he immediately swam to the opposite side and sulked there. I've moved the plant to the kitchen :) Thanks in advance for any and all help. Also, any recommendations on a good canister filter for a 50 gallon tank would be greatly appreciated. Katie < Keep the nitrates under 20 ppm with water changes. Your fish is getting bigger and puts out more waste. You need to do bigger water changes or more of them. Keeping the water clean is a big step in preventing infection. If you do not want to medicate then keep the nitrates under 10 ppm and add a teaspoon of aquarium salt per 5 gallons of water. Clean the filters too. If you see some cottony growth or red areas then you need to medicate with Nitrofuranace (Furan-2). Add some floating plastic plants to delineate the top of the water. This will give your Oscar a marker for the water surface so he might stay below the water and not injure himself again. The Melaflex is a like a general tonic or inhibiter, but I have had better luck using antibiotics.-Chuck>

Suicidal Oscar 12/6/10
Hello,
My Oscar jumped out of the back of my tank the other day.
<As should be obvious, Oscars cannot be kept in tanks without secure covers. This holds true for practically all cichlids.>
I got him and was able to put in back in and he lived, its been about 3 days now. After I put him back in the tank I noticed a lot of his scales were missing, I figured at was too big a deal because the scales will grow back.
<Indeed, they will grow back, all else being favourable.>
But I was away this weekend and now I am back home and I noticed that his fins are starting to "fall" off, his color is also very drained, he doesn't seem to want to eat.
<Understandable. Don't feed until he actively begs for food, and in the meantime, medicate as you would for Finrot and Fungus. You could try something relatively mild like Melafix, though I'd be tempted to go for something a bit more heavy duty, such as Seachem PolyGuard or eSHa 2000.>
I know this can all come from stress from being out of the water for as long as he was, but I was looking to see how is scales were coming back in and it looks as if there is something growing on him, it's transparent and looks like it's slimy. I want to clean my tank to see if that would help but I am afraid of putting anymore stress on my fish.
<Obviously good water quality -- i.e., zero ammonia/nitrite, and below 20 mg/l nitrate -- are essential. But cleaning the tank as such won't do much either way, so stick with your usual, regular maintenance regime. Stir gravel with each water change, remove 25% of the water per week, rinse filter media every 6-8 weeks, etc.>
There are other fish in the tank as well and I don't want them to get sick as well. Please help me make my fish better!
Thanks,
Alyssa
<One last thing, remember that Oscars need a varied diet. The quickest way to make an Oscar sick is to give it feeder fish; give even one live fish as food, and who knows what parasites and bacteria you've inoculated your Oscar with! Likewise, avoid Thiaminase-rich foods such as prawns and mussels. Instead, provide good quality cichlid pellets (such as Hikari Gold) as the staple, and offer weekly supplements of cooked/canned peas, strips of tilapia fillet, earthworms and crickets. The more variety, the better, as Oscars are famous for going "on strike" if they get too much of the same thing, refusing to eat anything other than the favourite food.
Cheers, Neale.>
Re: Suicidal Oscar
Oscar With Internal Infection 12/9/10
Thanks for the help! I was planning on starting treatment today but when I woke up this morning I noticed my fish was swimming belly up! I immediately thought the worse but when I went over to check I noticed he was still breathing and as soon as I got close he began to swim around! I started the treatment for
Finrot but not I'm wondering what I can do so he isn't upside down! It seems like he wants to flip the right way and even did for a couple hours but now he's back on his back. Is there anything I can do?
< Do a 50% water change, clean the filter, and vacuum the gravel. This should remove most of the organics from the water. If your fish is still eating then feed a medicated food with Metronidazole in it. If you fish is
not eating then treat the tank with a combination of Furan-2 and Metronidazole. If your fish starts to eat then feed the medicated fish food. This condition may be caused by stress or s poor diet.-Chuck>

Oscar cichlid diagnosis Oscar with Bacterial Infection 11/19/10 Hi just wanted to see if you could help me out. I have studied your site and really appreciate all the information you provide. I have two Oscars, have had them about 6-8 months now. They live in a 100 gallon tank, with 2 emperor 400 filters. They live with one Pleco, and one Synodontis catfish. I noticed about 2 weeks ago, that one of my Oscars had a little hole forming on his head, freaked me out, went and researched hole in head disease, and took action. I checked my water parameters, and my pH 7.8 -- 8.0, Ammonia = 0, Nitrate = 0, Nitrate was 40 ppm. So I immediately started increasing my water changes from once a week, to every 2nd or 3rd day. I had also recently switched to some cichlid food that I bought on eBay, witch I immediately stopped feeding them, and went back to Hikari Cichlid Gold, frozen blood worms and some Krill. After every water change, I have started adding aquarium salt, and did dose them with one dose of Metronidazole, and removed my carbon. The Oscars look so much better, they are back to greeting me again, very active, eating great etc. The hole in his head grew a little larger, but now looks to be healing great. I thought I had it all under control, but now I notice these discolorations on one of my Oscars body. I really don't have any idea what it is, maybe a fungal infection? He is still eating, my Nitrates are now between 10 -- 20 ppm, and I am still doing water changes every 3 days. Should I be concerned about this, and if so what should I do? I have attached a few photos outlining areas where I am concerned. Thanks so much for having this website, the information is so valuable. Mike < When the nitrates are high the bacteria become very active while the fish's immunity starts to become less effective. I think you have a bacterial infection that could be treated in a hospital tank with either a Furanace or Erythromycin type of antibiotics. Keep the nitrates under 20 ppm. Check your tap water too. You may have high nitrates in your tap water and will never get under the tap water nitrate levels while using that water.-Chuck> Oscar Cichlids https://cid-07a714df5b8d1e98.skydrive.live.com/redir.aspx?page=browse&resid=7A714DF5B8D1E98!349&type=5&authkey=XjEZYP3b1SA%24&Bsrc=Photomail&Bpub=SDX.Photos