Save The Oscar

[Candyco]

I need of some serious help here.

Hi.... In my 120g tank i started off with 2 Albino tiger Oscars (one of which sadly passed on) 6 red-bellied p's and a plec. I've now moved the red-bellies & plec in2 my big tank with the others i had and they're getting on really well, no problem there.

The Albino that was left was looking really low n off colour so i added 2 striped talking catfish.... all well n good there but Albino still looked VERY lonely.

Yesterday i got a tiger Oscar 4 company. At first they seemed 2 get on really well, rubbing along side 1 another and swimming around 2gether Unfortunately my Albino then got very nasty and started picking on tiger so badly that i had 2 transfer him 2 my 12g tank just 2 get him out of there whilst i sort out another tank as soon as.

The problem i have now is that the tiger has been through so much that he's looking really poorly now..... Here's his symptons as thay stand @ present.... Torn, clamped fins, misty eyes and standing on his nose..... he's been like this 4 15 hours now and still surviving but not moving 2 far and not eating..... I've given him some Melafix so far, but this is really upsetting me now! HELP

 

[CFC]

The symptoms sound like the effects of poor water quallity though they could also be caused by severe stress, was the 12g cycled prior to putting the bullied Oscar in there and what are the current water parameters? Im afraid in the confines of a 12g tank there isnt really much you can do, a large messy fish like a oscar will pollute the tank faster than you can change the water to keep it clean which will just add to the problems, if possible try to get a divider into the larger tank to seperate the two Oscars and put the damaged one back in, then treat the whole tank with Melafix for 7 days to ward off infections and help the damaged fins grow back.

 

[Candyco]

The water in the 12g tank was perfect b4 i put the baby oscar in it.... ph @7 nitrate & nitrite all fine etc etc..... the baby was looking the way he is now b4 i took him from the big tank, that's y i moved him.... he turned super vulnerable, he's really off colour now. Very blunt question..... do u think he's gonna die?

 

[CFC]

To be blunt, yes it is very likely the fish will die.

 

[Candyco]

Oh dear...... Well thanx 4 being honest. Poor lil sausage. Think i'll keep my Albino alone... he seems happy enough now!

Just wait 4 the inevitable now with my tiger......

 

[sylvia]

Or you could take him back and let someone else try to keep him. There's no reason to leave him suffering in a 12 gallon until he dies. He still has a chance.