Camacho

well idk where to start....i got a phone call from a friends friend he was goin to kill his lemon oscar cause he didnt have room so me having the big heart i got i grabbed him ( this was lastnight 11-20-09) and put him with my JD's. He had all his fins torn up and no body woonds and really really skinny and no my jd's didnt do it. hes about 3 in long the same size as my JD's. i fed him last ngiht and went to bed and this morning when i woke up i fed him again. this afternoon when i got out of my job he was sitting on the gravel floor with his tail bent to his face( well not that much but you get the idea) then he saw me and went to the top of tank swam fine and then when he was at the top he bent his spine again i stuck my finger in there and he let me "pat" him then back to the gravel he went. has any one ever seen this befor with the bent spin he only does it every once and a while but it scares me and how can i get him fatter faster?

CHoffman

I'm not to experienced with Oscars but I do know they have a ton of personality and when they get stressed or are in a new environment they tend to lay on their sides. The face that he is eating is GREAT. Use that to your advantage. What are your water perimeters? Also what size tank is he in? About getting him fatter...what are you feeding him now? Make sure it's a good quality food, whether it's live or not and feed him often. Not TOO much though. too much can be a bad thing but I think 3 smaller meals a day would benefit him.

Camacho

55 gal - nitrAtes 10-15ppm nitrite-0 ammonia- .25 (can get it down for the life of me idk whats goin on) there eating Omega one, freeze dried worms by omega one and frozen blood worms

Bent72

well if you plan on keeping him and the jd's you will have to upgrade your tank as the oscar alone will need all that 55 when it's full grown wich wont take long and if i remember correctly jd's grow up pretty quick too but atleast they make good tank mates for eachother!

Camacho

yea im looking on craigslist for something

PetCentralNotObsessed

I have 6 oscars, I agree with everything CHoffman said. I think 3 or 4 light feedings per day being careful not to overfeed because oscars will overeat and that would just be extra stress on him while you are trying to get him healthy. They will often go in a corner or sit on the bottom of the tank after they eat and are digesting. Ours also will let you pet them and seem to enjoy it. They seem to like attention and will almost always swim up to greet you when you walk up to the tank, they will beg for food too, so you might be swayed to overfeed and have to monitor the amount. At night they appear to lay and sleep on the bottom of the tank. The first time my husband and I saw this, we were going to bed late and I went to shut off the light over their tank, I was like, somethings wrong with the oscars, they're all laying in the bottom of the tank not moving. We panicked and started doing water tests and a big water change. They gradually started to perk up. In hindsight, they were resting and we woke them up. This morning two of them were in a corner, looked liked they were cuddling. The only thing I can add to advice given by others above is that they do seem to like to have a secluded corner, a big cave or a rock or decoration to retreat behind. He might take comfort in having that in his new environment if you don't already have it. He will probably endear himself to you pretty quickly, sounds like he is already doing that. Good luck, I hope he does well.

aquarist48

Good morning Camacho. Congrats on the rescue. My first concern would be to get the ammonia level to 0. I recommend 30 to 50% daily water changes and add your Amquel + to detox the ammonia. Remember even though you've added the Amquel + you may still get positive readings for ammonia but it won't be toxic for the 24 hours until it's time for you next water change. For one reason or another your tank is experiencing a mini cycle, assuming it was cycled to begin with.

I would consider adding a couple of drops of garlic juice (from the grocery store, in a jar, minced garlic) or Garlic Gard from the Pet Store. Garlic is an immune system booster and food enhancer as well. Vita Chem may help also.

Oscars can be funny fish and they do like to lie around or lean against the glass and may even lay flat on their sides at times to rest.

Best of luck with your new Oscar and I hope he makes a full recovery. With some TLC (tender loving care) hopefully it will be just fine.
Keep us posted.
Ken