Oscar help

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L

Lyn

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Mar 27, 2010
6
0
0
australia
Hi all, I'm new to this so please be kind I need your advice.

I have a 4 year old oscar, sole occupant, water levels all spot on BUT appear to be sick.

Has been behaving oddly for the past week, has gone off food, mouth breathing. I had no idea of the sex but she(?) has developed a marble shaped lump near her anus with a white centre which I thought maybe the egg tube( from description on web.)

My question is could she be in the process of laying eggs, how long does it take, or could this be some thing more sinister.


Lyn
 
can you post a picture? or find one just like what it looks like?

what size is the tank, what is your waterchange schedule, and what exactly are your ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels? it sounds like the oscar is stressed, not feeling well and might have something going on.
 
I cant give you the exact levels as they were done by LPS They said they were good . I normally do fortnightly water changes but have been doing about a 20% change twice a week recently. The tank is about 200 litre I think off hand
 
is the bump in front of, or just behind the anus? has the fish been pooping? if she/he is still eating, i would really really watch the fish, and note what does the poop look like? it should be pretty much the same color as its food.. if the poop is clear and stringy and thin, that makes me think of internal parasites. is there any type of discharge coming out? milky? could the fish possibly be constipated?

if i were you, i would add some epson salt-this will help clear out the digestive system, and act as a mild laxative.

its hard to tell you what it is, without a picture or an idea of what it really looks like.

how is the fishes color? is it faded? how is the slime coat looking? is it intact? are the eyes clear? wish you could post a pic..
 
oh i forgot to tell you- if the fish is still eating try feeding it peas! this supposedly helps with constipated oscars lol..
 
And get your own testset and retest for ammonia-nitrites and nitrates.
LPS have the tendency to tell you things are "fine" when they actually aren't.
 
Thanks for your help. Her colour is not as bright as it usually is. I thought she may be constipated and added epson salt. She is not eating usually loves crickets and worms but wont touch these. She rarely leaves the bottom of the tank so it is a bit hard to get photo but will keep trying. I have seen one poo. It appeared stringy, clear with a few darker specks. The lump is I think in front of the anal area. Sorry i"m not much help but i cant get her up long enough to really check it out.
 
Update: Still unable to get photo of underbelly, did another water change and added epson salts, tried to get her to eat mealworms and flakes but no luck. Just dont know what to do
 
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