Oscar was betten up last night...Suspects are:

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
Racersk;4661457; said:
VRWC,

Your first post came across to me as condescending, I have seen others come down on members like a dad to a child, so yeah, I got defensive. I will see what I can arrange to lower my stocking, and get my Oscar the help he needs. Maybe a Craigslist hospital tank, like a 15 gallon or something is in order. I already have a cycled Hydor IV in a tank I can use for this. Thanks again for the help, it looks like I needed a wake up call.
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Again, my bad for that. It wasnt my intention at all.

Too bad youre not closer, Id take your barbs for my 265 and give you a 20g for trade!

Judge Holden;4661469; said:
That's a great post VRWC, from another Oscar owner trying to keep nitrates under 20 in a 90 gallon. Even with a Firemouth & SDs it can be tricky.
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For some reason, I always had higher nitrates with oscars than any other fish. It was an ongoing battle with nitrates no matter the food selection/ amount and the only thing that helped me was an impossible amount of water changes. I just didnt have it in me to do them 2+ times a week.

That being said, I didnt know as much about it as I do now and MFK wasnt around in those days, so youre light years ahead of what I knew then with the knowledge you already have. Good Luck!
 
my clown knife and bowfin used to go AT it when they were little... my guess is the clown knife
 
VRWC I thought it was a great post....very informative and not condescending. Its not always the amount of fish you have .... sometimes its the sizes and waste they produce in your tank (with that many Firemouths and Convicts your nitrate level would be much lower). I mean this as no disrespect to RacerSK....but I learned the hard way you cant trust the pet store on how many fish you can successfully keep in a tank. I definately agree.....it could be one of your knives just got hungry......but then again dont count out the pleco. There are many different types of Plecos sold as "common" in pet shops and some of them are aggressive and even carnivores. I have heard of Plecos stressing out and killing everything from Koi to Bullheads to Geos by eating their slime and scales and harassing them (usually at night).
 
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=374137

Anyone close with bigger tanks?


Checked my nitrates and ammonia levels and I read between 10 and 20ppm on my chart, 0 ammonia. I have a sump that holds at least another 15 gallons. That and my Oscar is already healing (2 days), so I have to believe in my original assumtion that my water is fine. My stocking, not so much-I now believe that my Asian knife is the culprit-my GCK just seems too reclusive, and besides, there are no chunks missing. My asian knife OTOH has a smaller mouth and is known to be one of the more aggressive knives.
 
VRWC;4662188; said:
Again, my bad for that. It wasnt my intention at all.

Too bad youre not closer, Id take your barbs for my 265 and give you a 20g for trade!



For some reason, I always had higher nitrates with oscars than any other fish. It was an ongoing battle with nitrates no matter the food selection/ amount and the only thing that helped me was an impossible amount of water changes. I just didnt have it in me to do them 2+ times a week.

That being said, I didnt know as much about it as I do now and MFK wasnt around in those days, so youre light years ahead of what I knew then with the knowledge you already have. Good Luck!
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I second this. Oscars and nitrates...yeah lol. Always. I do water changes at least 3 times a week in my 55 with my juvie Oscar which is enough to keep the water at more than appropriate levels, but these little guys certainly require a lot of work -- they sure are worth it, though.

As far as VRWC coming off condescending you've just got to keep in mind that this is the internet and humans were not designed to necessarily communicate this way, so our perception of a person's statement can easily be thrown off by subtle nuances of social communication that is conspicuously absent in the pressence of online banter as opposed to more personal and direct methods of communication. All in all, VRWC gave some absolutely fantastic advice and even went out of his way afterwards to say that he did not intend to come off as condescending, which I receive as very genuine of him. I too, however, can understand your apprehension on this matter, because we all know that fish forums, MFK certainly being no exception, can be extremely condescending when in regards to the very controversial matters of overstocking.

All in all, I am glad to hear that your little guy is healing and I hope that you will keep us posted on his steps to recovery :)
 
I was doubting myself so I looked at the Aquavisor site to see if I was truely way overstocked...Other than size that is... here is what I got.
____________________________________________________________
Warning: At least 5 x Tinfoil Barb are recommended in a group.
Note: Tiger Oscar may jump - lids are recommended.
Warning: Blue Gourami may become food for Tiger Oscar.
Warning: Clown Knife is not recommended for your tank - it may eventually outgrow your tank space, potentially reaching up to 36 inches.
Warning: Clown Knife is not recommended to be with African Knifefish - not recommended to keep alongside another electrical fish..
Warning: Blue Gourami may become food for Clown Knife.
Warning: African Knifefish is not recommended to be with Clown Knife - not recommended to keep alongside another electrical fish..
Warning: At least 5 x Bala Shark are recommended in a group.
Warning: At least 3 x Dojo Loach are recommended in a group.

Warning: Your selected species may eventually require 744% of your aquarium space. You may need to deal with territorial aggressions later on. Try removing some of (Astronotus ocellatus, Notopterus chilata, Xenomystus nigri, Balantiocheilos melanopterus, Misgurnus anguillicaudatus) or get a larger tank.


Recommended temperature range: 23 - 25 C. [Display in Farenheit]
Recommended pH range: 7 - 7.5.
Recommended hardness range: 5 - 12 dH.


You have plenty of aquarium filtration capacity.

Your aquarium filtration capacity for above selected species is 509%.
Recommended water change schedule: 31% per week.
Your aquarium stocking level is 103%
______________________________________________________________



So other than the fact that my clown will either outgrow or eat tankmates, and I couldn't find the EXACT match for my Asian knife, If I get rid of my clown I should be ~90% stock level, and this is with a rating of 700GPH instead of 900, as I do have some head height to add in. Not quite as bad as I thought...


The Oscar is doing well, no additional marks and it's healing up...Just time is needed. Also there has been no hits to my fish for sale posts, here or on Craigslist...Looks like the LFS will be getting a hell of a fish for cheap. :(
 
Thanks for the response...The GCK is going to a new home this week, a 240g to boot.
 
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