Hi, i have 2 oscars i have had them for a while and all the sudden they r biting each other. They have never done this since ive had them. I have had them since november and they are about 5-6". One had bite marks on one side of his body(small nothing rlly major) but the other has 2 big marks runnin down his foreheard. Any ideas to help me care for the marks? I am doin 2 water changes a week rite now shld i do more or wht else wld help them heal and keep them from fightin....
Oscars butheads...Help with bites
- Thread starter fishy12
- Start date
how big of a tank are they in? it could be caused by territorial disputes. i would keep them separated until fully healed.
u can also dose Metronidazole to prevent the wounds from becoming infected.
but most importantly keep the water clean!
u can also dose Metronidazole to prevent the wounds from becoming infected.
but most importantly keep the water clean!
Missing scales are not a big deal but if the wounds get through the skin then use Seachem Stress Guard to help with healing.
I love a product called "Melafix". It uses Melaleuca Oil as the main ingredient and as a lot of people know, this oil is extremely beneficial to humans for healing wounds, and it is also the same for animals and fish. But when using the Melafix, be sure to do a 25% water change after a few doses because it removes some of the oxygen from the tank. just follow the directions on the bottle if you choose to use it.
I have seen huge gashes and wounds healed within days with this.
Good Luck!
I have seen huge gashes and wounds healed within days with this.
Good Luck!
They get spooked prety easy, they might be getting scared in the night and thrashing around. Sometimes it doesn't need to be a sharp object to cut them. When they lose it, they swim into things full tilt and a blunt object can cause a cut when they hit it so hard.
Something you can try is rearranging the tank to try and get them messed up sort to speak.
What worked for me really well was I have alot of drift wood and plants in my oscar tank. And when they were being really aggressive for a few months, I would position the wood and plants more in the middle of the tank so that you couldn't see the other side.
So they both had their spots where they could chill out, but they could still swim freely through the drift wood and plants to mill around.
Turning off the lights helps too, and lowing the water temp since it kind of makes them a little more docile.
But yeah, a bigger tank will be a good idea. Mine are in a custom 80g tank that is 5 feet long, but only 15" deep and at 10-11" they are looking mighty tiny in there. 120 is in the works
Something you can try is rearranging the tank to try and get them messed up sort to speak.
What worked for me really well was I have alot of drift wood and plants in my oscar tank. And when they were being really aggressive for a few months, I would position the wood and plants more in the middle of the tank so that you couldn't see the other side.
So they both had their spots where they could chill out, but they could still swim freely through the drift wood and plants to mill around.
Turning off the lights helps too, and lowing the water temp since it kind of makes them a little more docile.
But yeah, a bigger tank will be a good idea. Mine are in a custom 80g tank that is 5 feet long, but only 15" deep and at 10-11" they are looking mighty tiny in there. 120 is in the works
If the wounds look like they made it down into the meat then I would deff be worried. Considering the wounds are lengthy and on one of their heads I would say it probably came from him trying to jump and smacking the lid, or running into the glass. You dont really see O's nip at the forehead in a teritory or dominance dispute. The little fin nips/lip locking/pick at sides are all things you see from that.