Help Needed With 6.5 Year Old Oscar, Possible Internal Infection?

[xenomorph]

My 6 1/2 year old oscar, One-Eye, has been tilted to one side for the past couple days.

He was born with only one eye so he's naturally favored the side with the eye (right side) all his life. But for the past couple days he can't get upright. He tilts to the side so his right side (with the eye) is looking down at the gravel.

He swims around and behaves normally, otherwise. He's still a good eater but it's a little more difficult to feed him.

I just noticed last night that the side that's facing down seems to be very slightly concave while the side facing up seems slightly convex.

Can anyone give me feedback on this and how I can help him? I love this fish dearly, he's the reason I really got into fishkeeping and it would break my heart if something happened to him

Someone on another board said he might have an internal bacterial infection (although HOW he got this, I have no idea) and to treat in a sick tank with a wide-spectrum antibiotic. Could I get this at Petsmart? Most LFS's around here close early on the weekends.

I'm thinking of putting him in a 20 gallon breeder aquarium (this aquarium has a Penguin 330 and Penguin 170 for filtration--the water is crystal clean)...would this tank be too small? The oscar is 10" long. I could put him in a 75 but that would be harder to medicate.

Tank specs:

Tank size and occupants: 180, tankmates are a male texas cichlid, four plecos, two bichirs, a spotted raphael and two lima shovelnose cats....all fish have been living together in this tank since we moved in September.

Diet: The fish are fed a variety of foods, but the oscar's diet is mostly Hikari Cichlid gold pellets and krill and the occasional algae wafer/Hikari sinking carnivore pellet. I started feeding him freeze-dried crickets a couple weeks ago but only give these once a week.

Filtration: Filtration is a Filstar XP3 and large homemade wet/dry (estimating about a 4400 gallon per hour rate since the filter is powered by two CAP 2200 pumps). The filters currently do not hold any activated carbon, just lots and lots and lots of biomedia...

Temp: Temp is currently at 84, it went up over the past couple days and I'm trying to get it down...

Water parameters: I will need to test the water for the exact parameters but since the lima shovelnoses look brilliant (they can be sensitive), right now I'll assume the water is a-ok.

Water changes/additives: We do a 40% water change once every 7-10 days, no additives are used except for AquaSafe tap water conditioner. No medications have ever been put in this tank.

Here's a pic of the guy when he felt better...

 

[Tolak]

Petsmart or Petco should carry Maracyn & Maracyn II. It would be a good idea to bring in your water for a test if you don't have a kit. Where in Chicago are you? I know of places on the south side that are open, I've got meds on hand as well.

Chicago water can suck in the winter, I double dose with Prime all winter long. The water conditions may have had a bit of a cumulative effect.

 

[phlawed]

ahh poor oscar, but cant complain too much if it is terminal, guy lived alot longer than i would expect, deformed fish are probably lucky to even make it out of a fish store, much less live 6 1/2 years.

 

[xenomorph]

Petsmart or Petco should carry Maracyn & Maracyn II. It would be a good idea to bring in your water for a test if you don't have a kit. Where in Chicago are you? I know of places on the south side that are open, I've got meds on hand as well.

Chicago water can suck in the winter, I double dose with Prime all winter long. The water conditions may have had a bit of a cumulative effect.

I bought both Maracyn and Maracyn II...the boxes say they can be used together at the same time. Is this a good idea or not?

 

[Tolak]

Maracyn deals with gram positive bacteria, Maracyn II deals with gram negative. Unless you are certain of the bacteria you are dealing with, using both is a good idea.

 

[xenomorph]

Maracyn deals with gram positive bacteria, Maracyn II deals with gram negative. Unless you are certain of the bacteria you are dealing with, using both is a good idea.

Ok, done.

I put One-Eye in a freshly-cleaned 20g tank with no decor except gravel and a makeshift 'bubble wall' in the middle of the tank that he can swim through. I took the carbon out of the filters and started on Maracyn and Maracyn II.

If he does indeed have an internal infection, do you think I caught it early? I'm hoping so, since his coloration/behavior (other than the tilting) is normal up to now. And how long before he gets better?

I'm guessing I should not feed him during this time....do I have to change the tank water everyday and if so, how much?

 

[Tolak]

Weather you caught it early enough, and how long it takes to get better is hard to predict. If he starts to look better in a couple of days, continue to medicate. Stopping medications early is how drug resistant strains develop. Sometimes you do have to continue medicating if the fish doesn't appear to be better after the first round.

I would do daily 50% water changes with the meds you are using.

 

[xenomorph]

He is looking good--he's not tilting to the side anymore. And I think the 'bulge' on his side has always been there--looking at old pictures, his body seems the same then as now. I guess I just panicked when I saw him acting strangely.

He's now making a nest in the hospital tank--pretty funny seeing a full-grown oscar do that in a 20-breeder!

Anyway I have a slight problem. On Friday at around noon my fiance and I are going on a weekend getaway, we are returning Sunday afternoon. We can't miss this because we've been planning this for months and both of us took days off from work for this (no easy feat).

The oscar's last day of medication is Thursday night. I have been changing his water--50%--every night before adding fresh medication. Will he be ok for the weekend in the 20? I hate leaving him alone in there but I don't have a choice. Now that he's making nests and etc, he might splash around so I'm going to put a rock or two on the tank lid. But will he be ok swimming in stale medication?

 

[Tolak]

Maracyn & Maracyn II won't get toxic if left in the water. You could put some fresh carbon in the filter before you leave, this will remove the meds. The oscar is in an undersized tank, but should be fine for a couple of days.

Enjoy your weekend!

 

[xenomorph]

Thanks for all your help, I really appreciate it