Help! My Oscar is very sick

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
A

abiddle

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
May 17, 2008
326
0
0
65
Sweet Home Alabama
I have a 12" Oscar that has always been active and healthy.

The past few days I noticed he would just sit on the bottom of the tank on his belly. Last night it got really bad and he was laying on his side barely breathing. I figured he would die overnight, but he was still alive this morning. He moved around a little bit, but layed back on his side.

He seems like he may be bloated or swollen. And I have commited the sin of feeding him feeders from the LFS. But it has been several days since he has eaten feeders. He does not like pellets so he generally eats crickets, freeze dried krill, and earthworms. in fact his last meal was earthworms.

Does anybody have any suggestions for treatment or know what is wrong.

Thanks!
 
180 gal, water and filtration are good.
A couple of weeks ago I moved 4 large silver dollars to another tank to try and bring my new jag out of hiding. I just started with the feeder fish a few weeks ago when I got the jag because that is what they had been feeding him at the LFS. Since the Oscar has been eating them he has become more aggressive; moving things around and chasing the other fish. The silver dollars have been with him for a long time.

Thanks!
 
are you sure he's not just sulking? My O (before he got beat up yesturday) would just lay on his belly and if he started to lean he wouldn't correct it he just relaxes somtimes he won't eat on his regular time every day but then when I go by him 30 mins later he will be swimming around and fighting with the pingpong ball I teathered to the bottom of the tank (it's like he's punching a speed bag) so then I will go to feed and he jumps half body out of the water and bites pellets out of my hand

Is it possible you are overfeeding? Otherwise if he's bloated I would definetly take steps toward treatment/isolation
 
Have you done a water change yet? Try a large water change then don't feed for 2 days or so. Oscars are known sulkers as Petrella88 mentioned, mine does the same when I change things around (like moving fish). I would also feed a greater variety of food, I doubt crickets, krill, and earthworms gives him everything needed although those are good foods. Try something with vitamins, TetraCichlid Jumbo Sticks are as enticing to my Oscar as the foods you mentioned. My O eats Cheerios too.

Good luck!
 
fry has a point with the food variations. I would def get into some kind of home made food (I dont use beef heart its bad because they can't digest mamalia meat) I prefur cichlids gold and omega1 (omega because the ingridia ts are very impressive first five are all "whole" fish or other nutritious organisms instead of gluten and wheat flaked corn dried yeast and then words 12 letters long and inpronouncable. Also canned fishes just as long as it's in only water no oils or god forbid hot sauces or somthing. Maybe some tuna or sardines will entice him I always switch it up for my O

The other thing about my O is he gets a kick out of a new toy once In a while (trying to break the suction cups grip on the glass therm. Got boring so I threaded a pingpong ball to a sction cup and put it on the bottom and it floats he's like a bxer on a speed bag he also likes to roll PVC elbows so I give him room to go back and forth
 
I think you guys are right about the sulking.
I got some epsom salts yesterday and diluted it and squirted it over him with a turkey baster. It wasn't long until he was making laps around the tank. I think I will put his silver dollars back in, because he has been with them ever since I've had him.

He used to love Omega One pellets, but will not eat pellets anymore. I had also made some food from a recipe I found. It was a mixture of fish, shrimp, garlic, spinich and gelatin. You freeze it and break off little chunks. He liked it, so I might try that again. I really like the Cheerios idea.

I also need to spend more time playing with him. Sometimes you don't realize how much something means to you until you almost loose it.

Thanks for the help.
 
Thats good! Hopfully my O pulls thru from the beating he got. Just make sure you mix the food up I do one for a few days and then another and then he got bored with everything so I gave him leftover nightcrawlers from fishing and he just slammed that worm as hard as my Largemouth Bass hits them

I read on a page a new toy for your oscar every so often can spark him too so I use a string and ping pong ball or PVC and other things and just switch them around
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
MonsterFishKeepers.com
Top Bottom