I just got my very first oscar last night, it was in my tank for less than 12 hours and I woke up to check out the stock, and found the little guy dead, mouth agape and in my fake bamboo plastic plants (the little leaves fake stuff)...
First I checked my water:
ammonia - not checked (will do that tonight)
Nitrites - 0
Nitrates - 40-50ppm
PH - 7-7.5
temp - 79*
Poret panel filter with a powerhead for filtration-air line added to output -with everyother day vacs (bare bottom)
tankmates at the time of death:
10.5: seng bichir
7" albino short body bichir
9-9.5" Palmas palmas bichir
5" BGK
4" blue spot Gourami
50 gallon long tank (now dedicated to growout only after this morning...)
I moved the 2 big bichirs this morning after pulling the body out, my thinking for this was that the bigger poly's got a bit rough during the night and either scared it into snarling itself in my decorations or incorrect aclimation(floated open bag in tank for ~1/2 hour after a 1 hour drive home...). I thought these fish were very hardy, it seemed very responsive to me, maybe a little lethargic, but after a long trip in a bag, to be expected... I had the LFS put it into the big bag for transport, called him today and they have had this stocking for about 3 weeks without losses. Oh and it did go for food last night, blood worms and beefheart, i think there might have been a couple carnivor pellets (small) left in the tank that the polys didn't find yet...
No other bite marks or oddities, except the mouth being wide open...
I am going back tonight to get another, maybe performing a smaller water change before adding the new fish. Any other suggestions and/or concerns with this setup? (other than the need for additional mechanical filtration...)
First I checked my water:
ammonia - not checked (will do that tonight)
Nitrites - 0
Nitrates - 40-50ppm
PH - 7-7.5
temp - 79*
Poret panel filter with a powerhead for filtration-air line added to output -with everyother day vacs (bare bottom)
tankmates at the time of death:
10.5: seng bichir
7" albino short body bichir
9-9.5" Palmas palmas bichir
5" BGK
4" blue spot Gourami
50 gallon long tank (now dedicated to growout only after this morning...)
I moved the 2 big bichirs this morning after pulling the body out, my thinking for this was that the bigger poly's got a bit rough during the night and either scared it into snarling itself in my decorations or incorrect aclimation(floated open bag in tank for ~1/2 hour after a 1 hour drive home...). I thought these fish were very hardy, it seemed very responsive to me, maybe a little lethargic, but after a long trip in a bag, to be expected... I had the LFS put it into the big bag for transport, called him today and they have had this stocking for about 3 weeks without losses. Oh and it did go for food last night, blood worms and beefheart, i think there might have been a couple carnivor pellets (small) left in the tank that the polys didn't find yet...
No other bite marks or oddities, except the mouth being wide open...
I am going back tonight to get another, maybe performing a smaller water change before adding the new fish. Any other suggestions and/or concerns with this setup? (other than the need for additional mechanical filtration...)
