Confused about Oscar death?

[RD.]

I don't believe new fish keepers should be coddled into thinking half assed water quality is acceptable.

Me either. That's why I didn't get into the nitrates argument, who gives a flying F what some study presents as fact with regards to nitrate toxicity, the bottom line is as nitrates rise (which are easy to monitor with a simple nitrate kit) so does a plethora of pollutants, bacteria, etc, that are known by science (and even common simple folk) to harm a fish over time.

I think some people like to argue just for arguments sake. Nitrate toxicity is not the be all to end all in this discussion. Clearly the OP screwed up starting with cycling a tank with an oscar (and other) fish in it. And other then a short term QT tank, any idiot knows that a 40 gallon is not suitable to keep an oscar in, let alone with other fish. This was a recipe for disaster from the get go. Hopefully the OP learns from it. Good luck.

 

[LBDave]

It's not that a 40 gallon tank isn't enough space for a 3" oscar for a while to swim around in, its that a 40 gallon tank without attention to water quality, (plenty of regular water changes), it becomes an un-flushed toilet, very quickly.
And with other fish in it, even quicker.
The rule I hold myself to, is a "minimum" or 10 gallons per inch of adult cichlids, so with that in mind, a few months down the road (had the oscar lived) it would need somewhere between 125 -200 tank tank (and even then), lots of water changes would be needed to keep it from deteriorating into the kind of space where most oscars endup scarred for life with HLLE, or dead.
I don't believe new fish keepers should be coddled into thinking half assed water quality is acceptable.
The average person (without sufficient knowledge) keeps a tank no more than a months, because he/she gets discouraged by what eventually happens if they don't hold to a few general conepts.
High water quality, quarantining new arrivals, and being realistic about what size fish fits in what size space.

I agree. The more water you have for the fish the less chance for a tank "swing" and the better opportunity you have to change large quantities of water. The OP stated there are other fish and frogs in the tank. The OP also asked for opinions regarding what could have happened to cause the death. Given the information we have, various people have weighed in on the tank conditions and what could have happened. I can see the benefit of being conservative on the water quality of the tank. It is logical to compare the fishes natural environment to the aquarium for providing a healthy environment. Granted, it would be very difficult to replicate this and I am not claiming that I do. But the benefits of striving to match the environment would seem to outweigh arguing what amount of pollutants a fish can theoretically live with.

 

[Stanzzzz7]

I personally don't think the words 40 gallon and Oscar should ever be uttered in the same sentence. The idea of keeping even a juvenile in such a small space seems ludicrous to me.
We may never know what killed the ops oscar for sure. The poor little guy may have had unseen health issues and was doomed for a short life from the start.
Having said that all the facts we know of, ie 40gallon tank with bicher, catfish and frog would strongly suggest keeper errors to me.

 

[Zak03]

Sorry for your loss mate.

As stated previously here, the consequences of subjecting a fish to a cycle(ammonia and nitrite) are delayed and end up in premature death, often from "mysterious" causes or full blown disease in some cases.

Chronic exposure to ammonia and nitrite can cause irreversible damage to the fish's organs. Even if the fish survives due to subsequent excellent care, the fish will have a weak immune system and be a magnet for diseases, hence they don't last.... I'd never subject a fish to a fish in cycle for those same reasons but I understand that it wasn't your intention too.

yea, that makes sense. It was due to my ignorance that the fish has had to through a cycling of a tank. (but im confused though, why are my catfish doing well though. they're eating -fat bellies- and are growing too.)

 

[Zak03]

I agree with RD and duanes on this matter.
What makes me smile is people who have had constant fish health problems and carry out risky cycling techniques are carrying on like bloody experts. Your history suggests otherwise.

wait, are you referring to me? I was not trying to argue with people who know their stuff. I just wanted to make sure they were aware of every single detail pertaining to the Oscar's death and care.

 

[Stanzzzz7]

wait, are you referring to me? I was not trying to argue with people who know their stuff. I just wanted to make sure they were aware of every single detail pertaining to the Oscar's death and care.

To be honest my comment was mostly aimed at philipapraso1982.

 

[Zak03]

To be honest my comment was mostly aimed at philipapraso1982.

ah, ok.

 

[RD.]

Zak, NHS (free ammonia) as well as other substances that are toxic to fish, impact different species, and even different fish within the same species, differently. Even in small doses, free ammonia can have a negative impact on a fish, even if it's not visible to the naked eye. It's like exposing an infant to second hand smoke - not a good thing, but not necessarily noticeable at an early age. As an example, many people use danios to cycle a tank as they seem to hold up better to free ammonia and nitrites, compared to many other species. Still not advisable though.....

 

[Ulu]

. . . all the facts we know of, ie 40gallon tank with bicher, catfish and frog would strongly suggest keeper errors to me.

yea, that makes sense. It was due to my ignorance that the fish has had to through a cycling of a tank. (but im confused though, why are my catfish doing well though. they're eating -fat bellies- and are growing too.)

You might find your 20-year catfish only lives to be 10. Anyhow this is my experience.
You can take 10 years to kill a fish that should live 20.
I was clueless about fish when I started in 1975. I'm only about 1% less clueless now.
In a way we all are.
Fish mutate and hybridize and evolve faster than we can find them to write it all down.

 

[Matteus]

Hey zak. I want to commend you for seeking help and facing the firing squad with an objective attitude. Well done. You have the makings of a true mfkr if you see the issue and address it rather than turn a blind eye.

I, like many others here, fighting to establish a point of proper husbandry, have killed and maimed a few oscars and such, before knowing what we know now. After this process I have personally concluded that an Oscar should have at least 180 gal of its own space even as a 6-8 month old specimen.

Others may disagree, but if we read the opening screen of mfk. We are the people who will go to any lengths to make sure we give the best possible housing to our fish. Let’s stand on that as a community, rather than trying to push the limits on our wc schedule to see what doesn’t kill our fish.

Personally I like to see my fish flourish and swim around happily because of a great environment that I provide. I hate to see lethargic, pathetic mopey fish that are sick because they swim around in their own defecate. This is why it’s fun to do a wc imo. Just my .02$.