Help

[helsekia]

my oscar is ill.

he is 6.5 inches long,ive had him a few months.There are no signs of illness,the water stats are fine.

he has been sat at the bottom for 2 days,not eating,or moving.

any ideas??

 

[Tolak]

Need a little more info:

Tank size:
pH:
ammonia:
nitrite:
nitrate:
kH:
gH:
tank temp:

Fish Symptoms (include full description including lesion, color, location, fish behavior):

Volume and Frequency of water changes:

Chemical Additives or Media in your tank:

Tank inhabitants:

Recent additions to your tank (living or decoration):

Exposure to chemicals:

Digital photo (include if possible):

If it involves white feces, hanging toward the back of the tank, & not eating, it could be internal parasites. If there are no white feces, not eating, but looks bloated, it could be constipation. What have you been feeding this fish, & how often?

 

[helsekia]

ok

tank is 96gallons,external filter.
nitrites 0
ammonia 0
nitrate 40 (always has been )
temp 27

fish was fine up to thursday then became lethargic.been sat on bottom since friday evening.just sat there in the sand.refusing to move or acknowledge anything.up to this the fish was perfectly healthy.

I water change twice a week about 20%.Have an external filter.

no meds in tank except dechlorinator (aquasafe)

he is normally active and at the front of the tank if he sees me

 

[Tolak]

Could be constipation, depending on what is being fed. Since he is not eating, shelled peas won't help. Epsom salt will, 1 teaspoon per 10 gallons of water. Increase by a teaspoon per 10 gallons daily for a couple of days to bring it up to 3 teaspoons per 10 gallons. Epsom salt is magnesium sulfate, which is different from aquarium salt, which is sodium chloride.

 

[helsekia]

I feed prawn,mussel,salmon,bloodworm,whitebait,cockle, and mix it as much as possible.

do i just put the epsom salt in the tank?

 

[helsekia]

oscar just came out.he rubbed himself along the sand and then went back in cave.no sign of spots

 

[Tolak]

I take a cup of tank water, & mix it in the cup of water before pouring it in the tank. I use a 10 or 20 gallon to med fish, you may want to mix it in with a few cups having a larger tank.

That's a pretty good diet, might be a little protein heavy though. Try to mix some veggies in, along with a pellet food that's got some vitamin enhancement to it. I've heard of oscar keepers using liquid Centrum, a vitamin suppliment for humans, on cichlid pellets. As well as being part of a solution for HITH in oscars, it is good preventave medicine.

I've got a 5" oscar that gets beefheart, bloodworms, Omega One pellets, and zuccini a couple of times a week. Every 2 or 3 weeks he gets angel culls from my breeding setup. He also likes the spirulina disks and veggie pellets that are supposed to be for plecs. Oscars are not strict piscavores, they need some veggies to keep their digestive system running smoothly.

 

[diburning]

i dunno about epsom salt but you are better off using aquarium salt or kosher salt.

Sometimes oscars are just plain lazy so I wouldn't worry too much unless he stops eating or something

 

[Tolak]

Aquarium salt or kosher salt won't work for constipation anywhere near as good as epsom salt. I wouldn't be suggesting this if I hadn't tried it on a variety of fish, including my oscar.

My oscar had some similar symptoms when he was all of 1", it was internal parasites. If this is the case with yours, I have a rather long post on how to deal with it saved on my computer.

Epsom salt can be used with most any med I can think of. I've used it along with antibiotics, antifungals, and antiparasitics. It's a good natural remedy.

 

[KathyM]

I know that bloodworm can really constipate Oscars and other cichlids - might be worth laying off that for now?

 

[black angel]

What other fish is he in with and any new additions? What is the nitrate from the tap?

 

[helsekia]

thankyou everyone for your help and advice.

Id just like to let you know sadly the oscar didnt make it

 

[WILDER]

Sorry. R.I.P.

 

[Baldpoodle]

Oh dear
never mind at least you still have your other fishies.

 

[vix]

So sorry Helsekia, you did your best xxx