Heartsick.

[LBDave]

When I was in my teens I had a large oscar and I don't recall having all these problems. HITH oscar #1. Possible
Columnaris oscar #2. And I wasn't good on water changes back in the day. I'm wondering is it the water these days? Or the breeding over the years?
I've shifted away from oscars for now. Too much heartbreak after 5 years. They can be so personable and to die in 5 years...
Got more silver dollars to go with od Martha (the last SD). Got some congo tetras and 2 acaras.
Some see SD's as just dithers but to me as they grow old they are like mini pacus. Eat out of your hand and so happy to see you.

 

[Deadeye]

So sorry. He truly was one of the greatest fish on this forum.

Maybe it was a cancer due to a large firm mass popping up in a few days. Not much you could have done in that case.

 

[esoxlucius]

Sorry for your loss FINWIN . That is a blow indeed. Brick was some fish for sure.

Some hobbyists keep that "distance" from their fish. They don't give them names and overly fuss over them. I can understand that completely.

I can also understand the flip side where you get a real attachment to a fish, especially the more personable ones. The downside of that of course is when things go south because it hits you hard.

Keep your chin up.

 

[Sassafras]

So sorry to learn this. Brick, with all his antics, had become almost like family to many of us. Every time your avatar popped up, I would click to find out what Brick and friends were up to. Truly a magnificent fish!

First "personality" fish I had was a red oscar while in my teens. I still remember painting his name on a rock tombstone after burying him in the back yard.

 

[LBDave]

Yes, my mom was telling me this as well (she loved Brick too and his antics). My aunt called...she was the only one besides me Brick would play ball with. Maybe I'll get another oscar at some point. The kind words from everyone is really helping...this is just raw. I got maybe half an hour of sleep and had to start work at 8am.

I've been checking YouTube on break and am finding out this is a somewhat common issue with oscars: they're fine, get weird bulges or bloat suddenly, act normal for a short time then roll over. My mother made a good point about Brick's odd black color being a warning sign. With oscars its hard to tell because they change color based on mood. I was monitoring but how can you treat something when you don't know what the hell is going on?

When you get a new fish I look forward to your posts. You're a good fish keeper.
My wife was heart broken when #1 passed. #1 and #2 liked to move rocks together somtimes in the middle of the night! Team digging.
She thinks #2 sorta gave it up after his mate passed. Maybe. Definitely not the same.
The new fish I got have really been good for both of us. New personalities to observe as they grow out. And the last 2 fish in this tank. The survivors. Have shown their bond and have adapted well to the new fish.
Again, look forward to you getting a new story fish for the forum.

 

[Matth05]

So sorry FINWIN. Brick was one of a kind and loved by many of us. Even though we might not have been able to witness him and his endless antics in person, you’ve done an amazing job showing everyone how life is with Brick the oscar in it.

 

[dmyersWv]

Sorry for your loss.

 

[FINWIN]

I am so so sorry
Brick will always be a legend, in my mind anyways.

Life gives us these test. And best way foward is to jump back on that horse and dig in the spurs.

Very true. I'm doing some research about what it might have been (I'm a multitasker). Gives my mind a break from the grief. I still say in some universe Brick and Toni would've made some pair, raising 300 hell babies and ruling a pond!

 

[FINWIN]

Sorry for your loss FINWIN . That is a blow indeed. Brick was some fish for sure.

Some hobbyists keep that "distance" from their fish. They don't give them names and overly fuss over them. I can understand that completely.

I can also understand the flip side where you get a real attachment to a fish, especially the more personable ones. The downside of that of course is when things go south because it hits you hard.

Keep your chin up.

Thanks. I've always had a way of connecting with animals of all types, and my family used to comment on it all the time. I'm not an anthromorphic screwball like the furry fanatics who have dogs/cats/sheep/whatever in clothes, in the bed and all over the furniture, not to mention food surfaces like countertops and tables. As far as fish go I figure you get what you give as a keeper. If you think of fish as background decorations, that's what they'll be. If you consider them scientific curiosities, they'll just be species in a tank. If you interact and observe you will find behaviors that blow up preconceived notions.

The more you pay attention the more you learn and discover. Some fish aren't interactive and that's fine...I'm busy. Ten tanks of fish demanding attention/interaction would drive me nuts. So you have 'quiet' tanks to mix with the 'wild' ones. Unfortunately I don't have any quiet tanks...maybe that's the way to go for a while.

Some people may think I'm around the fish tanks a lot...not really. My office is downstairs so I'll do a series of quick hit visits. If I'm cleaning or doing water changes yeah I'm around for a period of time. Bp Boss has stayed in his log watching the pit now. I'll have to get him new buddies...the 225 looks empty now. Red rainbow Salt and hrp Buddy hang around him now. Boss runs the tank.

When I write captions I don't humanize: I simply report my interpretation of what's going on. The fish are the actors.

One of the fun things about intelligent fish is you develop cues: for instance, when Brick wanted to play ball he would watch me, look up at his ball then go up and punch it. That was my cue to play. On days when I was too busy to visit the fishroom he would hurl his ball out of the tank or splash to get my attention. Or if I was late from work with the chow I got puffed at. They could feel my vibrations and voice so they always knew when I was downstairs. I would walk past the fishroom and just wave.

Some sleep and a few days will have me in a better state.

One last thing: The bulging belly/lump thing in oscars? Nobody seems to have an explanation. A few cases are egg bound females or slow developing tumors. The majority come out of nowhere and no treatment seems to work. And they all die. Also, they can strike oscars at any age, as early as 2 or as late as 7+. An online vet may have an idea but I ain't paying for that information.

Only possible factor mentioned is too high protein diet. Maybe. Can be in the form of pellets or live food.

 

[RD.]

So sorry to read all this. For what it’s worth, when I saw the pics above I suspected a possible tumour. No telling, but obviously nothing a person can do when something like this happens. Good luck moving forward.