Oscars are meant to die.

[BOTR]

Ok, I've just read through most of this thread, and I have to say WOW, just WOW. Alot of misinformation in here. This is not a tough one. My advise stands. Smaller water changes. Treat your water change water correctly. Your advies to others that they need to be schooled in fish keeping stands for you as well. This is pretty basic stuff. You can learn alot by reading, and losing the feeling that you know it all already.

You CAN kill your bio with large water changes. Look into what you tap water contains. There are elements in it that can wreak havoc on your bio if not treated properly. These things will also negatively impact your fish. Contact your municipality and get a readout of what is actualy in your tap, and go from there. You may be suprised what is "safe" for us, but can destroy your tank.

To wrap this up..... Oscars are one of the easiest and most forgivving fish in this hobby. A true begginer fish in alot of ways. You shouldhave no issues with a little basic understanding of fish keeping. Keep reading and look into every aspect of this exp. and you'll do well.

Chris

 

[Danzig86]

Ok, I've just read through most of this thread, and I have to say WOW, just WOW. Alot of misinformation in here. This is not a tough one. My advise stands. Smaller water changes. Treat your water change water correctly. Your advies to others that they need to be schooled in fish keeping stands for you as well. This is pretty basic stuff. You can learn alot by reading, and losing the feeling that you know it all already.

You CAN kill your bio with large water changes. Look into what you tap water contains. There are elements in it that can wreak havoc on your bio if not treated properly. These things will also negatively impact your fish. Contact your municipality and get a readout of what is actualy in your tap, and go from there. You may be suprised what is "safe" for us, but can destroy your tank.

To wrap this up..... Oscars are one of the easiest and most forgivving fish in this hobby. A true begginer fish in alot of ways. You shouldhave no issues with a little basic understanding of fish keeping. Keep reading and look into every aspect of this exp. and you'll do well.

Chris

Do you really think your municipality is gonna be truthful about whats in the water??? From what i know tap water is a way of thinning the population.
I hate the fact that people go out and get oscars right off the bat they are forgiving but for the wrong reasons, i did it and i try and steer beginners away from them. Not because i care about their wallet but because i love the fish so much!!!

 

[BOTR]

As a matter of fact I do. Not sure how things work "Down There", but here in the states they are required by law to tell you exactly what they treat your water with. There are at times issues with non disclusure, but these are isolated, and treated very seriously. Although I do understand your attitude about it.

 

[jimolds8862]

i feed mine pellets. my red just died this week . dont know y just found him wensday upside down in tank.15'' long had a long time could it have just old?

 

[Danzig86]

As a matter of fact I do. Not sure how things work "Down There", but here in the states they are required by law to tell you exactly what they treat your water with. There are at times issues with non disclusure, but these are isolated, and treated very seriously. Although I do understand your attitude about it.

I want even be drawn into it....i've said more than i should of. I dont need an infraction!

 

[BOTR]

I want even be drawn into it....i've said more than i should of. I dont need an infraction!

 

[Danzig86]

 

[IveGotTheBestTank]

Since my Oscar won't eat broccoli, am I to assume that he's going to die? How can this hobby tell me to feed my adult fish every other day, but also tell me HITH is caused my malnutrition? If I feed him more often, the nitrates get too high. If I don't, he apparently gets HITH. It's just one hole over his right eye, but it's a nail in his coffin and I know it. And I did everything this time. The water is electrically grounded. The only charcoal is the same old charcoal that has always been in there in the penguin cartridge. He has never seen ammonia in my tank, and nitrates only once climbed over twenty. I change 90% of his water every week now. He eats crickets and mealworms which have been gutloaded, and otherwise eats Massivore and other high quality pellet foods. PH stays at 7.2. Temp always 77ºF. There is nothing else to do but watch him die. Slowly. I thought I had it beaten, too. It's been almost a year I've had him...just like the first Oscar. And this one's wild-caught, too. I did EVERYTHING right. Everything...

Oscars are all set to self-destruct. Don't try. They just die.

LOL... just LOL ....

 

[BOTR]

You are too easy my friend! Internetz is serious buizness.

 

[Deaths Sting]

You CAN kill your bio with large water changes. Look into what you tap water contains. There are elements in it that can wreak havoc on your bio if not treated properly. These things will also negatively impact your fish. Contact your municipality and get a readout of what is actualy in your tap, and go from there. You may be suprised what is "safe" for us, but can destroy your tank.


Chris

i 100% agree with u. elements like chlorine and chloramine are bad for fish/bacteria. but if u treat ur water correctly then there's no harm in large water changes. myself and many others on this site have been doing 50% water changes for years, and have had 0 fatalities; because we treat are water properly with the all mighty and powerful PRIME!!! and Hikari Ultimate ( that's what i u use)

Prime: http://www.seachem.com/Products/product_pages/Prime.html

Prime
Product Description
Prime® is the complete and concentrated conditioner for both fresh and salt water. Prime® removes chlorine, chloramine and ammonia. Prime® converts ammonia into a safe, non-toxic form that is readily removed by the tank’s biofilter. Prime® may be used during tank cycling to alleviate ammonia/nitrite toxicity. Prime® detoxifies nitrite and nitrate, allowing the biofilter to more efficiently remove them. It will also detoxify any heavy metals found in the tap water at typical concentration levels. Prime® also promotes the production and regeneration of the natural slime coat. Prime® is non-acidic and will not impact pH. Prime® will not overactivate skimmers. Use at start-up and whenever adding or replacing water.
Sizes: 50 mL, 100 mL, 250 mL, 500 mL, 2 L, 4 L, 20 L
Why It's Different
Nearly all companies manufacture a product that removes chlorine. None of those, however, can compare in quality, concentration, or effectiveness to Seachem’s flagship product: Prime®. Prime® is the second most concentrated dechlorinator on the market after our own aquavitro alpha™. A single 100 mL bottle will treat 1000 US gallons of tap water. Prime® will remove both chlorine and chloramines from municipal water supplies.

Prime® also contains a binder which renders ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate non-toxic. It is very important to understand how those two functions work together. All dechlorinators operate through a chemical process known as reduction. In this process, toxic dissolved chlorine gas (Cl2) is converted into non-toxic chloride ions (Cl-). The reduction process also breaks the bonds between chlorine and nitrogen atoms in the chloramine molecule (NH2Cl), freeing the chlorine atoms and replacing them with hydrogen (H) to create ammonia (NH3).
Typically, dechlorinators stop there, leaving an aquarium full of toxic ammonia! Seachem takes the necessary next step by including an ammonia binder to detoxify the ammonia produced in the reduction process.

Be very careful when purchasing water conditioners. If your municipality includes chloramines in the water supplies, a standard sodium thiosulfate dechlorinator is not enough. Prime® promotes the natural production and restoration of the slime coat rather than relying on artificial or non-native slime compounds. A further bonus for the ref hobbyist—Prime® will not overactivate protein skimmers.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ultimate: http://uskoi.com/ultimate.htm

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica]Ultimate® is the world's first full-function water conditioner. With everything you need in one bottle to maintain a superior environment for your aquatic pets. For new setups Ultimate® instantly "ages" water allowing you to enjoy your pets in action quicker without fear of the negative impact of toxic chloramine, ammonia, chlorine, heavy metals or nitrite.
Key Benefits

[/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica]Destroys Chloramines[/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica]Removes Ammonia[/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica]Removes Chlorine[/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica]Detoxifies Nitrite[/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica]Detoxifies Heavy Metals (including Copper)[/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica]Adds Essential Electrolytes[/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica]Boosts Alkalinity[/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica]Replaces Skin Slime-Coat[/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica]Reduces Fish Stress[/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica]Instantly "Ages" Water[/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica]Makes A Safe Environment For Your Aquatic Pets[/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica]Non-Toxic To Humans, Pets & Aquatic Life[/FONT]