While I am not defending the nitrate (which is too high either way) would that really prove fatal to a fish like that? would small fish in the tank not be affected first?
Full grown oscar died... why?
- Thread starter AquaticAustin
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JD should not be eating Massivore every day either. Hikari or Omega1 are far better for Oscars. And agreed, your nitrate is very high, more w/c needed. For your future Oscar, as I mentioned, veg matter very important. If it wont eat raw veg, a veg wafer or spirulina based pellet will do fine. Also try some fruit pieces, as VitC is very important, particularly in the growth spurt months of 2-9.
I was feeding hikari algae wafers which the oscar ate then always spit out. Same for the jd. I will definitely go get a different food today for the rest of them though
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Oscars are very sensitive to high nitrate, more than most cichlids. I strive to keep nitrate in my Oscar tanks at 10 or lower. I really think diet was a major factor here. I think fish would have shown some signs of hith due to nitrate, but as it just suddenly died, I think diet is the cause. Also for future, bump the temp up to at least 80, Oscars do best with temps of 80-84.
Kk will bump the temp. Will gravel vac the tank hardcore today
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Not that I believe for one minute that this fish died from fatty liver issues, while excess fat can build up around tissue within weeks, it takes much longer to result in serious illness, or death, especially in otherwise healthy mature specimens.
While excess calories can indeed lead to fatty liver disease, it's not simply related to excess protein in the diet, but excess feeding, period. Excess fat in the diet can cause more problems than protein as most excess protein is deaminated by the liver, and then excreted by the body. The excretion of that excess protein could be the cause of the high nitrate level in your tank. (maybe?) This of course would also be dependent on how much one typically feeds. Adult oscars in the wild will often times consume fish as part of their diet, so Massivore pellets shouldn't be a problem if fed in moderation, which holds true for all food, not just pellets with higher protein levels.
According to the experts, studies on oscar fish feeding habits are still scarce (SILVA, 2005) and ingredient digestibility is poorly known. The study below is from 2012.
http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?pid=S1807-86722012000200006&script=sci_arttext
HTH
It appears it was fairly new to the tank. The other fish could have gotten used to slowly increasing nitrates over time, while the oscar was put into a tank that had already been inhabited for a while and likely a high nitrate content. Also, a big fish like the oscar will raise nitrates quickly.
No oscar was first one in the tank. The others were added in the following weeks after
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There are thousands of reasons for fish to die including old age....but
high nitrate, and the gasping for breath are the only 2 obvious reasons/symptoms you have mentioned so far.
Nitrate is a stress producer at over 20ppm, it may have been lowering the oscars immune system since July, and finally taken its toll. (oscar natural waters would not be higher the 5ppm most of the year)
Most oscars build tolerance in aquariums over time, but manifest high nitrate toxicity by coming down with HITH, or developing enlarged gill plates/areas, and other diseases, (and gasping) but if the tank it came from, was low in nitrate, and your nitrate is 80, a more acute response may have been the result.
With a concentration of 80ppm nitrate, sounds like your water change schedule, and filter cleanings need to be more frequent.
Did you quarantine it before adding it to your tank.
There may be factors your original fish have become immune to, that the oscar isn't/wasn't .
Have your original fish had any diseases in the past, they have overcome?
high nitrate, and the gasping for breath are the only 2 obvious reasons/symptoms you have mentioned so far.
Nitrate is a stress producer at over 20ppm, it may have been lowering the oscars immune system since July, and finally taken its toll. (oscar natural waters would not be higher the 5ppm most of the year)
Most oscars build tolerance in aquariums over time, but manifest high nitrate toxicity by coming down with HITH, or developing enlarged gill plates/areas, and other diseases, (and gasping) but if the tank it came from, was low in nitrate, and your nitrate is 80, a more acute response may have been the result.
With a concentration of 80ppm nitrate, sounds like your water change schedule, and filter cleanings need to be more frequent.
Did you quarantine it before adding it to your tank.
There may be factors your original fish have become immune to, that the oscar isn't/wasn't .
Have your original fish had any diseases in the past, they have overcome?
I didnt mean to imply that the op's feeding was the sole cause of the problem, having the fish for only a couple of months. But the unknown history of the fish may well be the culprit. RD.. the op did an autopsy. Have you ever seen a fatty liver? If so, could you explain what it looks like as opposed to a healthy one.
