Oscar itching his side on rocks

[cichlid tank]

Have you tested your water?

Yes

If yes, what is your ammonia?

0

If yes, what is your nitrite?

0

If yes, what is your nitrate?

5

If I did not test my water...

...I recognize that I will likely be asked to do a test, and that water tests are critical for solving freshwater health problems.

Do you do water changes?

Yes

What percentage of water do you change?

41-50%

How frequently do you change your water?

Every week

If I do not change my water...

...I recognize that I will likely be recommended to do a water change, and water changes are critical for preventing future freshwater health problems.

so yesterday i added a jack dempsey to the tank with the oscar and green sunfish. the green sunfish got really aggressive and attacked the JD. so the sunnie got moved to the pond, while the Oscar and the jack are inside. it seems as if the oscar misses the sunnie, they were always active and out and about. but now the oscar doesn't even come out to the rattle of the pellets in his food container. i also saw him twice rub his side along the gravel as if itching something. could this be bad? thanks.,
edit: the JD is 4" the Oscar is 7" the sunfish is 6"

 

[cichlid tank]

ima bump this because i have no explanation. it also seems the oscar missed his bud (the sunfish) and he's pouting a ton

 

[duanes]

Since all cichlids are territorial, there is not usually a happy ending when you add new ones to an established tank. The new guy is often the loser because the current residents have carved up the turf between them, and any new fish is considered an interloper.
And the sunfish seems to have been an alpha, and even those it is not a cichlid, it is similarly territorial (maybe more so).


I will assume the JD was not quarantined and could have been carrying an ick parasite or two that have hatched off the JD, and now young ick have attached to the oscar. If you see spots appearing on the oscar (not always visible right away) along with the scratching, you will need to treat the entire tank.
Or ick may have been there all along, it sometimes takes a month or two for ick to appear en-masse.
I assume the sunfish is wild caught, and most wild caught fish are carrying any number a parasites, that in nature, are not problematic because of the availble space, but all tanks are tiny by comparison, and one ick can become pandemic in a small space very quickly.
All my current fish were wild caught, and I noticed at least two species of parasites on them, ick and Lernae, so I began a salt treatment right away, bringing salinity up to 3ppt (parts per thousand).
The salt (3lbs per gallon) killed ick and young Lernaea, but I had to physical remove adult Lernaea with a tweezers (salt doesn't kill adults)

 

[cichlid tank]

Since all cichlids are territorial, there is not usually a happy ending when you add new ones to an established tank. The new guy is often the loser because the current residents have carved up the turf between them, and any new fish is considered an interloper.
And the sunfish seems to have been an alpha, and even those it is not a cichlid, it is similarly territorial (maybe more so).


I will assume the JD was not quarantined and could have been carrying an ick parasite or two that have hatched off the JD, and now young ick have attached to the oscar. If you see spots appearing on the oscar (not always visible right away) along with the scratching, you will need to treat the entire tank.
Or ick may have been there all along, it sometimes takes a month or two for ick to appear en-masse.
I assume the sunfish is wild caught, and most wild caught fish are carrying any number a parasites, that in nature, are not problematic because of the availble space, but all tanks are tiny by comparison, and one ick can become pandemic in a small space very quickly.
All my current fish were wild caught, and I noticed at least two species of parasites on them, ick and Lernae, so I began a salt treatment right away, bringing salinity up to 3ppt (parts per thousand).
The salt (3lbs per gallon) killed ick and young Lernaea, but I had to physical remove adult Lernaea with a tweezers (salt doesn't kill adults)

so the oscar was/is the alpha, the sunnie was always scared of him. to treat the tank, do i raise the temp, then salt it? and 3 lbs per gallon??? thats a ton of salt. that would mean i add 150 lbs of salt to my 55. i have no money for that amount. any cheaper way? i have prazipro and paraguard already, will those work?

 

[cichlid tank]

should i treat now? or watch for parasites?

 

[Magnus_Bane]

so the oscar was/is the alpha, the sunnie was always scared of him. to treat the tank, do i raise the temp, then salt it? and 3 lbs per gallon??? thats a ton of salt. that would mean i add 150 lbs of salt to my 55. i have no money for that amount. any cheaper way? i have prazipro and paraguard already, will those work?

I think he just got the measurement wrong on the amount of salt. I think he ment to say table spoons not pounds. I think that if ya have aquarium salt that it should have directions on the back on how much to use per gallon in a freshwater tank. But yeah I would wait and see how it goes first before adding anything to the tank. It could be just that the Oscar had an ichy spot and since they don't have hands to scratch with he just had to rub it on the decor to satisfy it.

I'd just keep and eye on him for now and if it keeps happening just have the salt on stand by ready and waiting. As for how long to treat, I usually treat my fish for 2 weeks straight before stopping. It wouldn't hurt to bump up the temp a few degrees tho just in case.

 

[duanes]

Sorry bout the typo
Actually its 3 lbs salt per 100 gallons.
And I would also watch to see if spots appear, a scratch here and there may be nothing, just something to be aware of

 

[Magnus_Bane]

Sorry bout the typo
Actually its 3 lbs salt per 100 gallons.

Ahh yeah that makes a bit more sense there lol.