kevinb16

my oscar is only breathing out of one gill.the other one was stuck shut. also, he wont eat, and mostly just lays on the bottom of the tank. what could be wrong with him and what should i do? please help!

Barbrella

No one can help without a lot more information.

Here's a helpful list of questions that need to be answered before anyone can take a guess as to what is wrong with your fish. Just copy and paste it with your answers.

ammonia:

Ammonia tester used (salicylate or Nessler-reagent based?):

nitrite:

nitrate:

Are you testing with dipsticks?:

pH:

KH:

Temperature:

Heater:

Aeration:

water change amount/frequency:

Tank size/how long in operation:

Filtration:

Water additives/conditioners/pH adjusters:

What, how much and how often are the fish fed:

Tank inhabitants (number, size and type of fish):

New additions/changes to the tank:

Unusual findings on the fish:

Unusual behavior:

Medications/what has been tried or done do far:

Summary of potential fish stressors:

COBettaCouple

Those are the questions I would ask. Also, what has his diet been and do his gills have red or purplish coloring? We've got a number of Oscar owners here that may have more ideas on what's wrong with your Oscar.

kevinb16

Ammonia:?

Ammonia tester used (salicylate or Nessler-reagent based?):?

Nitrite:?

Nitrate:?

Are you testing with dipsticks?: no

pH:?

KH:?

Temperature: normally between 72 and 78 degrees Fahrenheit

Heater: no

Aeration: air?

Water change amount/frequency:50-75% water change approx. every 2-3 wks

Tank size/how long in operation: 29 gallon approx 6 months old

Filtration: whisper filtration system

Water additives/conditioners/pH adjusters: none (I am on well water)

What, how much and how often are the fish fed: 2x per day approx 4-6 cichlid pellets each and a couple rosy red feeders every once in a while

Tank inhabitants (number, size and type of fish): Oscar in question (Jake) approx 7 inches long
Younger Oscar (tiger) approx 4 inches long

Plecosomous approx 6 inches long

New additions/changes to the tank: gravel and a piece of driftwood (but he was acting like this before they were added

Unusual findings on the fish: large wound-like pits (if you would like to see photos, and I don’t figure out how to post them, you can email me for them at dualsportriderkevinb@yahoo.com )

Unusual behavior: only breathing out of one gill (as if the other one is stuck shut) mostly just laying on the bottom of the tank. won’t eat

Medications/what has been tried or done do far: gave tablets that supposedly help cure hole in head

Summary of potential fish stressors: ?




And no I don’t think his gills have red or purplish coloring

Howeyg

you have to bigger fish for a 29gallon and they will be producing too much waste .also without a heater the fish will be very suseptable to disease like white spot you currently have the tank around 22 degrees celsius which is about 4 degrees to low. you need to buy him a heater and some medicine for him.

Howeyg

also another question do you know what the ammonia cycle is

kevinb16

no i dont know what the amonia cycle is

COBettaCouple

It sounds like he has hole-in-the-head disease. Check for:
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Produc...&N=2004+113017

and liquid vitamins if you can find them, vitamin deficiency is part of the cause.. vitamin B, i believe.

0morrokh

To post pics, click "Go Advanced" and type your post, then below the text box there is a box of "Additional Options", click the button in there called "Manage Attachments", then click one of the "Browse" buttons to upload the pic from your computer, and after you have gotten all the pics you want click "Upload".

It does sound like hole in the head/lateral line disease, but just meds probably won't solve the problem (you also should fix whatever caused your fish to get sick in the first place, which is hard to tell without ammonia, nitrite and nitrate readings).

72-78 degrees is too much of a fluctuation...you should get a heater to keep it at a steady temp.

It is important to have a test kit because ammonia, nitrite, and excess nitrate can be harmful or fatal to your fish. Make sure to get a liquid kit and not dip sticks.

It is better to do smaller water changes each week than to do very huge ones every several weeks.

Also realize that you are going to need a way bigger tank. Oscars get a foot long and Plecos get anywhere from 12-18 inches..

0morrokh

http://www.fishlore.com/NitrogenCycle.htm

You should read this. Your tank is already cycled if it's been set up for 6 months, but it's still a good idea for every fishkeeper to know.

kevinb16

would it be a bad idea to put in vitamin b tablets from the home economist store?

0morrokh

Not sure but I would personally opt to get vitamins specifically made for fish.

susitna-flower

Hi Kevin, sorry your fish is sick. Several things I might suggest in addition to what has been mentioned so far.

I agree that you need to take readings on water paramaters.

All three of the fish you are currently keeping produce a lot of waste. The filter you described is not up to that kind of load.

You should research the feeding practices of the fish you have and may consider adjusting their diet. Fish that are not getting what their proper nutrition are more susceptable to desease.

If you have charcoal in your filter take it out before you medicate.

Try to keep your nitrate level below 10, with frequent water changes and gravel vacuuming.

Hope he pulls through.

Gunnie

Please click on the link in my signature to give you more help on some of the basics. Your tank is definately overstocked and needs a lot more water changes. You can start trying to help him feel better with a 50% water change. No matter what the problem is, a good water change is usually a good place to start. Do a good gravel vac too.

What type of testing kit(s) do you use? If you don't test your water for ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates, I suggest purchasing an Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Master Test Kit. It contains all of these tests and is very economical to use. When you have problems with your tank, the first thing you should be checking is all of these levels to help you determine what is wrong, and what you need to do to fix it.

I definately recommend that you upgrade your tank to a 100 gal. for these 3 fish in the very near future. Always plan your tank to be big enough for the adult size of your fish. I have 2 oscars and a pleco in a 100 gal. tank, and sometimes I think it is still too small. I also had 2 jack dempseys in that tank at one time with my oscars, and now realize what a mistake that was.

I would also go along with the other suggestions made in this thread. Metrodiazanole is what is usually suggested to treat hole in the head. You can buy it at your local fish store. It would be best if you bought the pure metro medication and added it to some homemade fish food since you only have 1 sick fish in the tank.

COBettaCouple

I wouldn't add most tablets as they are often mostly filler ingredients that could be a negative addition to the tank. Pure liquid vitamin b in small amounts would be better, but the best thing would be a fish-specific liquid multivitamin like VitaChem.

The link that I posted is the best med for HIH disease. Combined with liquid vitamins and getting the tank within the bioload for it's capacity, I think you could have very good results in him recovering.

kevinb16

how do you make home made food for oscars?