New Oscar Might Be Sick?

[nathanFoudray]

i got an oscar yesterday hes about 4 inches long, hes in a 30 gallon tank and i let him float for about 30 minutes before putting him in, it was about 73 when i put him in but now is about 76 degrees. when the lights on he kinda sits on the bottom and goes about 45 degrees sideways, but when the lights of he swims around a bit more. is he sick? should i take him back and get a healthy one? or is he just stressed with his new tank

 

[KittyKat]

Or maybe take him back and not get another one? Your tank is far too small for an oscar.

Is the filter cycled? What are the rest of your water parameters? What have you been feeding him?

 

[nathanFoudray]

i have had him about 12 hours, he wont go up and eat he just sits at the bottom of a tank

also the water is fine i cycled it with the pleco for about 2 weeks first and he is fine, i think the oscar may have some form of epilepsy or somthing because as soon as the light goes one, he just freezes and sinks to the bottom of the tank

 

[holidayinn]

Hi, Did you cycle the tank? How long has the tank been up and running? Any tank-mates? Dimensions of the 30g tank?

Have you checked Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate levels recently?

 

[KittyKat]

Is the filter cycled?
What are the rest of your water parameters?

Please answer those questions if you would like us to diagnose the problem. If you don't know what I am on about, say so and I will explain in detail.

 

[nathanFoudray]

hm not sure on the dimensions i know its called a 30 long though and its been up about 2 and a half weeks, my test strips got some moisture in them and only one was usable, i checked it about 5 days ago and everything was in correct ranges

 

[KittyKat]

Did you cycle / mature the filter? i.e. run it in your tank for four weeks with a source of ammonia?

 

[nathanFoudray]

well the pleco, but i was told it was only needed for 2 weeks, and buildup of amonia would not cause him to act like this, atleast not this fast, this isnt my first fish tank.

 

[KittyKat]

You have a pelco in there too? Look, if you have had fish before then why did you not know about cycling and acclimatisation? It does sound as if he is stressed and maybe suffering from incorrect water quality.

Why don't you start at the beginning and tell us when it was set up, what fish you have added since, what decor?

I have to say, it doesn't look as if you are off to a good start, but we will try to help you. It would be a good idea to get a new test kit as soon as possible

 

[nathanFoudray]

i have always let my tank run for a day or too with water conditioner, then added some sort of bottom feeder to cycle the tank while feeding him algae wafers for the first week, then after about 2 weeks i would add my other fish, no problems, except for this. first thing the oscar did when taken out of the bag was to float down to the corner without even trying and sit for 6 hours, everyonce and a while he will swim around but then go back to the same spot and sit and look very unhealthy. i have no idea what is wrong with him

 

[holidayinn]

Have you done any water changes since adding the pleco?

Test Strips are notoriously innaccurate, invest in a liquid test such as API. Agree with Kat, it seems the problem you are facing currently stems from bad water quality, I would either return the fish and start again or 50% water changes twice a day. If you can't return the O today, do a 50-75% water change with dechlorinated water tonight. Water Changes are the key to happy fish. HTH.

Edit *** only way of confirming whether its the water thats the problem is by using an accurate test kit, it could be the Oscar just sulking

 

[nathanFoudray]

yes i change out 4 gallons a week which is the 10-15% and the pleco looks happy, should he be affeced by this too

 

[Bluetooth]

I can see both sides of the arguement here.

A few things you should understad though:

You tank is too small for an oscar, you need a 75g plus for an oscar, the rule goes you should aim to stock using the FULL size of the fish not the current size.

Also just because you cycled for 2 weeks with a plec feeding wafers doesnt mean you tank is cycled, tbh 2 weeks is about the time it takes for the ammonia eating bacteria to mature and begin producing nitrite so while your ammonia MAY be dropping nitries WILL be growing meaning your O will probably have ammonia burn and nitrite shock.

I would seriously suggest taking the O back, O's are wonderful fish and tbh he doesnt deserve to be in such a small tank.

Finally what you're describing is normal oscar behaviour. I have kept many oscars and them laying down and looking around is just normal. Especially if he swims about when the light is off. When the light is off fish are generally less stressed and will move about freely (hence why you switch the lights off for 30 mins or more when adding a new fish)

To summarize you should take the oscar back and work on cycling your tank for longer, even if you just cycle with a plec your tank will still have to grow more bacteria to cope with a larger fish.

 

[nathanFoudray]

also if i took him back and got a new one would it be best do a complete water change and recycle the tank for 4 weeks, if so i would have to buy a new oscar, i have 14 days to bring him back, also i looked up common oscar diseases, and it looks like sitting on the bottom of the tank leaning to one side is a symptom of hole in the head. could this be a possibility

 

[premiumhawks]

my oscar did the same thing when i got it. i was told that that was his way of adjusting to his new surroundings. it died a few days later. so i guess im saying be careful.