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September 21st, 2009
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| | Moderator
| Hello Sphinx. So hate to hear you lost your albino Oscar. Hopefully with some TLC (tender loving care) your remaining fish will be ok.
Ken | 
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September 21st, 2009
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| | Fish Bum
| Hey Ken, thanks! yeah me too...
Probably going to to a 25% water change tomorrow and the next day and then put back in my carbon filters. Hopefully the Tank Buddies Parasite Clear helps if parasites are the case... with the symptoms my sick tiger is having, (rapid breathing, lathargic, loss of appetite, small red spots behind his gills near the the side fins, skinny, no growth). 
The other two oscars seem to be doing fine, growing well, and no similar symptoms as of now. (fingers crossed)
...Just did water tests, ammonia 0ppm, nitrate 5ppm, nitrites jumped a bit to .25ppm, and pH jumped a bit to about 7.6. Could this be due to the nitrogen cycle taking place, since i didnt properly cycle the tank before i added the fish? Should i add more prime/ amquel or just let it be? 
Last edited by sphinx_87; September 21st, 2009 at 05:09 PM.
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September 25th, 2009
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| | Fish Bum
| Ok so my sick tiger is looking much better, hes eating fairly well and has regained some of his color and weight. The rapid breathing seems to have slowed some and he swims around a good bit more. I think the Tank Buddies Parasite Clear has definetley helped out, i actually added another half a box yesterday (4 tablets, 8 to a box) and held off on the water changes.
The red oscar seems to be not eating as much, he will take a pellet and either spit it right out or chew it up some and then spit it out. Im probably going to try to find some garlic juice to soak the pellets in to see if that helps.
I want to take the divider out of the tank but im kinda afraid to so, being that the other tiger is now about twice the size of the sick oscar. The red oscar is not much bigger, but i would have three together and im afraid they would bully him or pick on him. Should i get another oscar to complete the pairs? Or just hope for the best?
Water tests showed today : ph 7.6, ammonia 0ppm, nitrite 0ppm, nitrate between 0-5ppm | |
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September 26th, 2009
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| | Moderator
| Hello Sphinx. Glad to hear that you're seeing improvement in your ill Oscar. Personally I would leave the tank divided until he is able to take care of himself against the aggression of the other two. I wouldn't add any more fish until all of the problems are solved with the ones you have.
Best wishes!
Ken  | |
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September 26th, 2009
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| | Fish Bum
| Thanks Ken! your advice along with everyone elses advice has been a big help.
Probably going to do a 40%-50% water change tomorrow add some Prime and NovAqua Plus. I may give it a week or so before i take out the divider. Im thinking if i get another oscar, i may add him in the side of the smaller oscar for a short while before i take out the divider, but still debating on what im going to do exactly. | |
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September 26th, 2009
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| | Moderator
| you dont need novAqua with prime  the prime will be fine...2 oscars for a 100g tank are plenty...I wouldnt add another...especially if the 2 you have dont get a long..and its going to be very hard to have them get along now that they have been divided for so long..one will be dominant and not tolerate the other in his territory  | |
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September 27th, 2009
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| | Fish Bum
| Thanks Shawnie!
I actually have three in there as of now (started with 4), the tiger who was sick but seems to be doing much better on one side of the divider. On the other side, a red oscar and another tiger, who has grown much faster than the other two and is about a little more than a half inch bigger than the other two.
When i left for work earlier everything seemed to be fine, when i get home a little while ago i find the larger tiger, who has been usually very active, sitting on the gravel, and i started to have flashbacks of what happened to the albino last week. Started the same way and three days later died. So im not sure whats going on. Im definetely doing that water change as soon as i can tomorrow afternoon.
The larger tiger ate a couple pellets, but usually eats quite a bit more.
Im not sure what the deal is with the red oscar either, for the past few days he eats maybe one pellet and anything after that, he grabs but spits right out. Going to try to find some garlic juice to soak the pellets in and give that a try.
Did water checks : ammonia 0ppm, nitrite 0ppm, nitrate 0-5ppm, ph 7.6.
Could they be stressing some due to the nitrogen cycle taking place or could it be something else that im missing? Im determined to find out  . The Tank Buddies Parasite Clear seemed to help out the sick oscar, and soon as i think ive cleared all the problems, another arises... | |
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September 27th, 2009
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| | Moderator
| Morning Sphinx. It sounds like your readings are fine as long as you are showing some nitrates. They should not be at 0 unless you have some live plants in the tank. Sometimes Oscars just like to relax and lean against the glass or other ornaments. If they are eating and don't appear to be losing weight I would relax a bit and just keep your eye on things. Anytime your fish don't seem to be up to par a water change is just about always good. 
Garlic on their food is a good idea as well to entice them to eat.
Best wishes.
Ken | |
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September 27th, 2009
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| | Moderator
| Quote:
Originally Posted by sphinx_87  Thanks Shawnie!
I actually have three in there as of now (started with 4), the tiger who was sick but seems to be doing much better on one side of the divider. On the other side, a red oscar and another tiger, who has grown much faster than the other two and is about a little more than a half inch bigger than the other two.
When i left for work earlier everything seemed to be fine, when i get home a little while ago i find the larger tiger, who has been usually very active, sitting on the gravel, and i started to have flashbacks of what happened to the albino last week. Started the same way and three days later died. So im not sure whats going on. Im definetely doing that water change as soon as i can tomorrow afternoon.
The larger tiger ate a couple pellets, but usually eats quite a bit more.
Im not sure what the deal is with the red oscar either, for the past few days he eats maybe one pellet and anything after that, he grabs but spits right out. Going to try to find some garlic juice to soak the pellets in and give that a try.
Did water checks : ammonia 0ppm, nitrite 0ppm, nitrate 0-5ppm, ph 7.6.
Could they be stressing some due to the nitrogen cycle taking place or could it be something else that im missing? Im determined to find out . The Tank Buddies Parasite Clear seemed to help out the sick oscar, and soon as i think ive cleared all the problems, another arises... | what test kit are you using? and can you read the lot# on the bottle of ammonia/nitrite if you are using the API liquid bottles? again oscars dont do well with meds and the meds will kill any cycled bacteria........all you need is the prime and daily water changes...have you been doing the daily changes? that is whats going to save your fish ...I had to do it for 9 weeks with mine..EVERYDAY ....everytime I see your post you say "water changes tomorrow or as soon as i can" ....oscars will spit as much food out as they eat...thats normal...laying on the bottom is normal also if the lights were out and no one was around...but with lights on and humans around, they shouldnt ever be listless or lethargic..they should be like puppies and always jumping around for attention from you....especially young oscars.... | |
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September 28th, 2009
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| | Fish Bum
| Hey yall, yeah i have the API liquid test bottles, the lot num on ammonia1 is 83A0509 ammonia2 84A0509, on nitrate1 17B0508 nitrate2 18B0808, and nitrite 26A0309. Could i be getting bad readings from old test kits?? They are all rescently purchased but the nitrate box seemed to be sitting on the shelf for a while and im guessing that is the date in the lot number.
I did about a 50% water change today, put back in the carbon, and took out the divider. The red oscar and the tiger seem to be getting along well, the imprisoned tiger seems to be happy to get out  and the red oscar is actually eating like normal again . Maybe he just missed his buddy and was getting to deppressed and was not eating.
But the larger tiger is not looking good. Hes not eating, has lost some color, and has been sitting on the gravel or floating near the surface by the heater. After the water change he seems to perk up a little, he will move a little and float around for a bit but then go back to sitting on the gravel. His breathing has increased and has almost a hic-up in his breathing which the other tiger had before. Ive noticed a vibration of his tail fin probably once every 30 seconds. Ive also noticed some small black spots around his gills, which i previously thought were part of his color and remember seeing them around his head before. Also right now he has a long white poo string, i dunno if that has anything to do with whats wrong with him or not. 
I held off on the water changes for a couple reasons. I didnt want to stress out the sick fish anymore than it was already and because the Tank Buddies Parasite Clear seemed to be helping i had added more and i wanted to leave it in for a couple more days i guess. And between work and school i havent had much time on my hands. Im not making excuses, but i guess i should try to find the time to take care of what i need to do. I will try to do one everyother day at the least for a while.
Water tests showed: ph 7.6, ammonia 0ppm, nitrite 0ppm, nitrate 5ppm
Last edited by sphinx_87; September 28th, 2009 at 02:55 AM.
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September 28th, 2009
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| | Fish Master
| Quote:
Originally Posted by sphinx_87 Hey yall, yeah i have the API liquid test bottles, the lot num on ammonia1 is 83A0509 ammonia2 84A0509, on nitrate1 17B0508 nitrate2 18B0808, and nitrite 26A0309. Could i be getting bad readings from old test kits?? They are all rescently purchased but the nitrate box seemed to be sitting on the shelf for a while and im guessing that is the date in the lot number. I did about a 50% water change today, put back in the carbon, and took out the divider. The red oscar and the tiger seem to be getting along well, the imprisoned tiger seems to be happy to get out and the red oscar is actually eating like normal again . Maybe he just missed his buddy and was getting to deppressed and was not eating.
But the larger tiger is not looking good. Hes not eating, has lost some color, and has been sitting on the gravel or floating near the surface by the heater. After the water change he seems to perk up a little, he will move a little and float around for a bit but then go back to sitting on the gravel. His breathing has increased and has almost a hic-up in his breathing which the other tiger had before. Ive noticed a vibration of his tail fin probably once every 30 seconds. Ive also noticed some small black spots around his gills, which i previously thought were part of his color and remember seeing them around his head before. Also right now he has a long white poo string, i dunno if that has anything to do with whats wrong with him or not. I held off on the water changes for a couple reasons. I didnt want to stress out the sick fish anymore than it was already and because the Tank Buddies Parasite Clear seemed to be helping i had added more and i wanted to leave it in for a couple more days i guess. And between work and school i havent had much time on my hands. Im not making excuses, but i guess i should try to find the time to take care of what i need to do. I will try to do one everyother day at the least for a while.
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Water tests showed: ph 7.6, ammonia 0ppm, nitrite 0ppm, nitrate 5ppm | Ok so reading through your posts here's the relevent info.
1) Carbon and Meds - I'm assuming that you put the carbon back in because you are done medicating. Carbon is for removing meds from the water.
2) outdated test kit - I don't understand how to read the lot numbers but in the meantime until someone answers that question assume that your results are wrong. DAILY WATER CHANGES!
3)Large Oscar - Hanging out near the surface, rapid breathing, IMPROVES AFTER WATER CHANGE (Hint hint nudge nudge wink wink)!!! When water changes make something better keep them up! All these are signs of water quality issues.
4) Other possible symptoms - Keep an eye on them but for now on the scale of improtance you've got bigger problems. FIX THE WATER QUALITY FIRST!
5) Held off on Water Changes - Ok so here's the million dollar question. Do you have a python? I can do a >75% water change on my 56 gal tank in under 15 minuets with my python. I understand that your tank is larger but set your alarm an extra half hour early. I know how crazy and busy life can get but would you put off taking your dog to the vet because you were to busy if he's obviously ill/hurt? You have a half hour somewhere in your day, even if you need to set an alarm to make it.
I'm sorry if this is harsh but please, do the daily changes until someone says your test kit is ok. Daily please, for your fish. Sometimes we need to listen to the fish and if adding clean fresh water is helping him out, keep doing that and stop going by the test kit results.
Last edited by Lucy; September 28th, 2009 at 10:10 AM.
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September 28th, 2009
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| | Fish Master
| What type of filter do you have on your tank? With that many Oscars in a tank, you'd need a monster filter. | |
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September 28th, 2009
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| | Fish Bum
| Hey Red, Thanks for the advice, harsh advice is good advice! Im going to do a 25-30% water change today, and will find time to do one once aday. As far as the larger oscar, larger meaning bigger than the other two, but were talking 2inches max and the other two are close to inch and 1/4 maybe. The larger oscar looks like he hasnt moved from sitting on the gravel since last night as far as ive seen and is losing color except for a large black spot near his tail fin. The same thing happened a little more than a week ago to my albino, he started sitting on the gravel and within three days he died.
Hey Amanda, I have two rena filstar xp2 canister filters, the specs for each said one filters 300gal/hour i think.
Last edited by sphinx_87; September 28th, 2009 at 07:33 PM.
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September 29th, 2009
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| | Fish Bum
| Ok so i think i have a big problem.
The larger tiger oscar did not make it through the night. I woke up today to find him dead, just as i suspected was going to happen. Pretty much the same thing that happened to the albino last week.
Heres where i think my problem lies. After i pulled out the dead oscar i was looking at the other two and i noticed these very tiny worm like creatures on the inside of the glass. I hadnt noticed them before, and i had just cleaned much of the glass with the scrubber when i did the water changes yesterday and the day before. Over night they have taken over the whole tank. They are everywhere on the glass. Hundreds if not thousands of them and multiplying. Im afraid for my two remaining oscars.
I have this medicine i bought a week or so ago, but i decided to use the Tank Buddies Parasite Clear instead. The medicine i have is called SentryAQ Mardel, Biospheres Maracide for ick, velvet, and other external parasites. I also have about half a box of the Tank Buddies left which will treat about 40 gallons. Should i use one or the other or both or somthing else  Im going to go to the LPS soon and ask for thier advice as well. Please if someone knows the best way to fix this problem, your input is greaty appreciated.... | |
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September 29th, 2009
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| | Moderator
| Quote:
Originally Posted by sphinx_87 Ok so i think i have a big problem.
The larger tiger oscar did not make it through the night. I woke up today to find him dead, just as i suspected was going to happen. Pretty much the same thing that happened to the albino last week.
Heres where i think my problem lies. After i pulled out the dead oscar i was looking at the other two and i noticed these very tiny worm like creatures on the inside of the glass. I hadnt noticed them before, and i had just cleaned much of the glass with the scrubber when i did the water changes yesterday and the day before. Over night they have taken over the whole tank. They are everywhere on the glass. Hundreds if not thousands of them and multiplying. Im afraid for my two remaining oscars.
I have this medicine i bought a week or so ago, but i decided to use the Tank Buddies Parasite Clear instead. The medicine i have is called SentryAQ Mardel, Biospheres Maracide for ick, velvet, and other external parasites. I also have about half a box of the Tank Buddies left which will treat about 40 gallons. Should i use one or the other or both or somthing else Im going to go to the LPS soon and ask for thier advice as well. Please if someone knows the best way to fix this problem, your input is greaty appreciated.... | im sorry for another loss
do they look like this? DSC05121.JPG shake up your gravel and im sure you will see more if they are them....its from overfeeding/waste/lack of gravel vacs...I had them in a few of my tanks from over feeding .... | |
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September 29th, 2009
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| | Fish Bum
| Hey Shawnie, thanks for the quick reply. Yeah kinda like that, very small white worms, and alot of them. Yesterday I did a 25-30% water change and vaccumed the gravel and the day before i did about a 50% water change and vacummed the gravel really well, moved all the plants, artifacts, and wood. I just got back from the LFS and got some Mardel Coppersafe. I opened the box of medicine i had, the Mardel Maracide, and it said that was for secondary infections and to treat with Coppersafe for worms. Im going to do maybe a 50% water change today and clean the gravel very well, should i add the coppersafe or any other recommendations? | |
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September 29th, 2009
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| | Fish Keeper
| Really, as mentioned before dont use chemicals to adjust your Ph.....what is the Ph of your tap water?? They should only be used in special applications and tested often. I went thru that setting up an specialized SA tank....its too dangerous for your fish. Oscars can adapt to a fairly wide range of Ph. You have added so many things to your tank and now what is affecting what? To many different treatments can react and make a "Love Canal" situation in your tank. IMO Keep up the safe water changes only.
Last edited by TedsTank; September 29th, 2009 at 03:44 PM.
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September 29th, 2009
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| | Moderator
| Quote:
Originally Posted by sphinx_87 Hey Shawnie, thanks for the quick reply. Yeah kinda like that, very small white worms, and alot of them. Yesterday I did a 25-30% water change and vaccumed the gravel and the day before i did about a 50% water change and vacummed the gravel really well, moved all the plants, artifacts, and wood. I just got back from the LFS and got some Mardel Coppersafe. I opened the box of medicine i had, the Mardel Maracide, and it said that was for secondary infections and to treat with Coppersafe for worms. Im going to do maybe a 50% water change today and clean the gravel very well, should i add the coppersafe or any other recommendations? | No meds....just keep up with what your doing..cut back on food and 2-3 gravel vacs a week ...continue the daily water changes to keep them safe also...they arent going to hurt your fish and the oscars will eat them | |
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