Oscar fish not eating

[Rocksor]

Ok so the fish store left prime here. He told me when I add water only add a couple of drops. I feel like this is supposed to be more accurate than a couple of drops. I am buying the python water changer so I hope its easy to figure out! I also am getting the water test kit.
He really does deserve better than this. I feel so bad. I am trying to give him the best life as I would with my animals. I know cats and dogs just not fish . I am learning so much from this forum. I havent even used a forum before.. so much new to me! LOL.

Thank you!!

When filling the tank directly with the python, put enough water conditioner for the total tank volume. Do NOT put only 2 drops. Putting enough for the total tank volume will ensure that the water is dechlorinated faster than enough for the amount of new water.

Lots of you tube videos on the python, as well as starting a gravel vacuum siphon when simply draining to the outside and not using the python connector to start the siphon.

 

[troublesum]

Awesome job on the rescue and instead of saying F*^k it and giving up your sticking to it and trying to help that poor O. to be honest if your really going to help that fish water changes will become your life i get relaxed doing WC because i know my fish love the fresh water. Also when you put the water back in make sure its at the same temp.

 

[esoxlucius]

Ok so the fish store left prime here. He told me when I add water only add a couple of drops. I feel like this is supposed to be more accurate than a couple of drops. I am buying the python water changer so I hope its easy to figure out! I also am getting the water test kit.
He really does deserve better than this. I feel so bad. I am trying to give him the best life as I would with my animals. I know cats and dogs just not fish . I am learning so much from this forum. I havent even used a forum before.. so much new to me! LOL.

Thank you!!

The fish store was right, to some degree, but should have added further important detail.

If, for instance you are doing a water change using the bucket method, and say you take a full bucket out of your tank. Then, when filling that bucket up with fresh water out of your tap to put back in your tank, then you can get away with just a couple of drops in the bucket. The prime works instantaneously, a quick swish about with your hand and you can pour the bucket of water back in your tank, chlorine gone. That's what they probably meant by just a couple of drops.

BUT, if you are using a python or hose pipe and you are filling the tank directly from the tap, then when adding prime you need to add enough to treat the WHOLE tank volume, as Rocksor said. In fact it states this on the side of the bottle. The dosage levels are also on the side of the prime container.

Also, when filling the tank back up you need to ensure the water is the correct temperature, or there abouts, VERY IMPORTANT. You can tell simply by touch whether it's right or not, a couple of degrees either way you should be ok. You can send the fish into shock, or worse kill them, if the temp is way too cool or way too warm.

The API test kit and the Seachem Prime dechlorinator may seem quite expensive at first but once you have them they will both last a long long time. In fact, once you get to grips with your system you will find that you don't need to test your water as much, and the chances are your bottles of test liquid will actually go out of date before you actually run out!

 

[emlk9963]

The fish store was right, to some degree, but should have added further important detail.

If, for instance you are doing a water change using the bucket method, and say you take a full bucket out of your tank. Then, when filling that bucket up with fresh water out of your tap to put back in your tank, then you can get away with just a couple of drops in the bucket. The prime works instantaneously, a quick swish about with your hand and you can pour the bucket of water back in your tank, chlorine gone. That's what they probably meant by just a couple of drops.

BUT, if you are using a python or hose pipe and you are filling the tank directly from the tap, then when adding prime you need to add enough to treat the WHOLE tank volume, as Rocksor said. In fact it states this on the side of the bottle. The dosage levels are also on the side of the prime container.

Also, when filling the tank back up you need to ensure the water is the correct temperature, or there abouts, VERY IMPORTANT. You can tell simply by touch whether it's right or not, a couple of degrees either way you should be ok. You can send the fish into shock, or worse kill them, if the temp is way too cool or way too warm.

The API test kit and the Seachem Prime dechlorinator may seem quite expensive at first but once you have them they will both last a long long time. In fact, once you get to grips with your system you will find that you don't need to test your water as much, and the chances are your bottles of test liquid will actually go out of date before you actually run out!

OK I get what you are saying. Thank you for elaborating. The fish store told me that when I add water if I am only adding in a few gallons, add cold water because the warm water has more bacteria in it. I have just been adding cold because at my work access to warm water is difficult but I will make it work if I have to. My sink at work has cold or hot.. So maybe do hot and let it cool down a bit till it matches the temperature of the tank?

 

[emlk9963]

Update for everyone: So I started to learn water changes myself. I did a minor water change yesterday of only 3-5 gallons because I was scooping it out with a cup.. All the python supplies and everything I ordered should be delivered today so I can hopefully do it right. I have watched a couple videos and I am looking forward to getting the supplies in today. I have the prime already so I am good with that but I ordered magnet cleaners, gravel cleaner and went and picked up frozen krill and a frozen variety cube. He actually ate one already. Once I did the minor water change he did start swimming around a lot more. It could just be coincidence.

Couple questions:
I made the mistake of posting on Facebook and got very different responses. One person said that Fred (the fish) looks like he has HITH currently and fin rot. The 2 professionals say that it is old and not current. Do you think I should attempt to treat that with the metroplex, Melafix or pimafix? (I learned that from a video of how to treat HITH with Oscars). Do you treat something that may not be active? It also says do not have charcoal in the tank when treating (I presume they mean in the filter). One video even said add salt to the tank - thoughts?

Second - I heard a lot about a "complete diet". What does that consist of exactly? Another video said that giving your fish amino vitamin supplements are very good. Should I get Vita chem and give that to him along with the cubed frozen food and pellets? Alternate or just give one steady thing?

Should I water change every few days until he seems better or looks better? Or just stick with once a week? I do not know if he will ever look better than he does now due to the past damage. Is it possible for his color to come back?

Oh and I ordered more plants, someone on Facebook said he may be bored which I think is possible but not what is making him not eat. He also seems to be partially blind cause he bumps into everything which is why the tank is bare. But I will add more plants and if he bumps into those, he at least wont hurt himself.

Thanks everyone. You were all much nicer than people on Facebook. You actually gave helpful advice instead of being critical. I definitely would not have allowed Fred to get to where he is if I owned him all along. I also expected a goldfish not an Oscar. I will do whatever I can to ensure he gets the best chance at a happy, healthy remainder of his life. His previous owner is now saying he may be 10 years old but I still don't know. Thanks again!!

 

[troublesum]

If possible don't use chemicals for HITH just turn up the heat and dose with aquarium salt. With a fish that size and age in that size of tank i would do 50% daily WC
As for food i would give a good staple and once he is feeling and looking better then give him some worms as a treat

 

[esoxlucius]

OK I get what you are saying. Thank you for elaborating. The fish store told me that when I add water if I am only adding in a few gallons, add cold water because the warm water has more bacteria in it. I have just been adding cold because at my work access to warm water is difficult but I will make it work if I have to. My sink at work has cold or hot.. So maybe do hot and let it cool down a bit till it matches the temperature of the tank?

Looks like you've been blagged with a bit of strange information there regarding the bacterial content of warm/cold water. Hopefully, thanks to the chlorine content, both should have negligible bacteria in them, the harmful variety anyway.

Once you get to the stage of doing proper big water changes, then adding just cold water will be really stressful for your fish, you could kill it. When filling back up the python attaches to both taps, so you get a mix, hot and cold. It is up to you whilst filling your tank to monitor the temperature and adjust accordingly whilst filling. As I said before, a few degrees over or under and you should be ok, but large temperature swings can end badly.

I have the prime already so I am good with that but I ordered magnet cleaners, gravel cleaner and went and picked up frozen krill and a frozen variety cube.

Can you elaborate on this "gravel cleaner" you mentioned? The cleaning of the gravel is done with the python, or is that what you meant?

I made the mistake of posting on Facebook and got very different responses.

If you want proper advice come on here for it, otherwise going on multi sites will leave you open to all sorts of abuse and misinformation.

Should I water change every few days until he seems better or looks better? Or just stick with once a week?

Regarding water changes. You don't just pick a water change routine out of the ether, that suits you. Your water change routine is governed by your nitrate build up (reading up on the aquarium nitrogen cycle will help you understand what nitrate is/does).

You do a water change when the nitrate builds up to about 20ppm, some say less, some say more, but the common concensus around here is around 20ppm. After a water change your nitrate will drop, and then gradually build up again, when you do another water change, and so on an so forth.

You will soon get into a routine, and as long as you keep performing those water changes to keep that nitrate from ever going over 20ppm, then your fish should be happy. But how do you know what your nitrate level is? Well that's where your test kit comes into play, that's why it's important you get one sharpish.

 

[duanes]

When I initially saw the pic in the 1st post, I figured the oscar was already a goner, and didn't bother jumping in..
At 6 years of age, a healthy oscar should be around 12"to 15"
But you were given good advice here on MFK, and it may yet survive.

As you can see by the variety of responses, there are many different concepts in how to keep, and treat fish like oscars.
Most have their merits, as long as certain basic concepts are adhered to.
Some aquarists use meds, some don't. I don't if at all possible, believing water quality is more important.
In most cases when meds are needed its already too late. Unless its a simple disease imported into the tank, like ICK

There are also varying degrees to what different people think are acceptable conditions.
Most experienced aquarists will agree a 50 gal tank, is too small for an oscar.

But... it is not just dimensions that determine viability.
The smaller the tank, the faster water quality constantly deteriorates. And gets exponentially worse as the oscar grows
As someone said above, in a 50 gal tank, daily 50% water changes are needed, not just now, "but forever", or until you gat a proper size tank (at least 6 ft) and even then, a frequent large water changes schedule will be needed as the oscar grows.
If this is in your purvieuw, continue to try, if not..... find a better home for the oscar.
Some people will say a 6ft tank for 1 oscar is over kill. But....those are the people you often see later posting in the disease section about why their oscar mysteriously and suddenly developed HITH.

HITH is a chronic disease brought on by stress. That stress could be high nitrates, and bad water quality, from too few water changes, could be bad tank mates, could be bad diet, could be over feeding, or even too hard water that favors chronic disease producing bacteria. And any combination of these (usually the case).
To me, any nitrate level above 10ppm, is chronically dangerous for an oscar, and even 10ppm may be high, if you tap water is mineral rich and /hard, because hard water in pH range of 7.5 or above is the perfect soup for bacteria that cause HITH, and other chronic maladies.

Just so you know the basis of where I'm coming from, I acquired my first oscar in around 1960, kept them again more successfully in the 80s, and beside having over 60 years as an aquarist, my career was as water chemist, and microbiologist (now retired).

 

[emlk9963]

When I initially saw the pic in the 1st post, I figured the oscar was already a goner, and didn't bother jumping in..
At 6 years of age, a healthy oscar should be around 12"to 15"
But you were given good advice here on MFK, and it may yet survive.

As you can see by the variety of responses, there are many different concepts in how to keep, and treat fish like oscars.
Most have their merits, as long as certain basic concepts are adhered to.
Some aquarists use meds, some don't. I don't if at all possible, believing water quality is more important.
In most cases when meds are needed its already too late. Unless its a simple disease imported into the tank, like ICK

There are also varying degrees to what different people think are acceptable conditions.
Most experienced aquarists will agree a 50 gal tank, is too small for an oscar.

But... it is not just dimensions that determine viability.
The smaller the tank, the faster water quality constantly deteriorates. And gets exponentially worse as the oscar grows
As someone said above, in a 50 gal tank, daily 50% water changes are needed, not just now, "but forever", or until you gat a proper size tank (at least 6 ft) and even then, a frequent large water changes schedule will be needed as the oscar grows.
If this is in your purvieuw, continue to try, if not..... find a better home for the oscar.
Some people will say a 6ft tank for 1 oscar is over kill. But....those are the people you often see later posting in the disease section about why their oscar mysteriously and suddenly developed HITH.

HITH is a chronic disease brought on by stress. That stress could be high nitrates, and bad water quality, from too few water changes, could be bad tank mates, could be bad diet, could be over feeding, or even too hard water that favors chronic disease producing bacteria. And any combination of these (usually the case).
To me, any nitrate level above 10ppm, is chronically dangerous for an oscar, and even 10ppm may be high, if you tap water is mineral rich and /hard, because hard water in pH range of 7.5 or above is the perfect soup for bacteria that cause HITH, and other chronic maladies.

Just so you know the basis of where I'm coming from, I acquired my first oscar in around 1960, kept them again more successfully in the 80s, and beside having over 60 years as an aquarist, my career was as water chemist, and microbiologist (now retired).

Thank you for your response. It is a little difficult because the information varies a bit. I was under the impression that I should be doing frequent water changes but now I understand I should just be doing it when the nitrate level is over your recommended 10ppm. I ordered the water test kit so I will figure this out. I am going to try to help him and I will still consult with a local place that is known for helping rehabilitate fish and keep them.

 

[emlk9963]

Looks like you've been blagged with a bit of strange information there regarding the bacterial content of warm/cold water. Hopefully, thanks to the chlorine content, both should have negligible bacteria in them, the harmful variety anyway.

Once you get to the stage of doing proper big water changes, then adding just cold water will be really stressful for your fish, you could kill it. When filling back up the python attaches to both taps, so you get a mix, hot and cold. It is up to you whilst filling your tank to monitor the temperature and adjust accordingly whilst filling. As I said before, a few degrees over or under and you should be ok, but large temperature swings can end badly.



Can you elaborate on this "gravel cleaner" you mentioned? The cleaning of the gravel is done with the python, or is that what you meant?




If you want proper advice come on here for it, otherwise going on multi sites will leave you open to all sorts of abuse and misinformation.




Regarding water changes. You don't just pick a water change routine out of the ether, that suits you. Your water change routine is governed by your nitrate build up (reading up on the aquarium nitrogen cycle will help you understand what nitrate is/does).

You do a water change when the nitrate builds up to about 20ppm, some say less, some say more, but the common concensus around here is around 20ppm. After a water change your nitrate will drop, and then gradually build up again, when you do another water change, and so on an so forth.

You will soon get into a routine, and as long as you keep performing those water changes to keep that nitrate from ever going over 20ppm, then your fish should be happy. But how do you know what your nitrate level is? Well that's where your test kit comes into play, that's why it's important you get one sharpish.

Ok I understand. The more water you change, I could kill him by adding in all that cold water. Makes sense. I will have to find a happy medium in this dumpy kitchen sink I have at work. The gravel cleaner is the python. I just realized its the same part to clean the gravel as it is to change the water. Ok so check the nitrate before assuming it needs a water change. Test kit should be in today!