koeyhorse

I had a renter move out and leave me a surprise in a very large tank (about 4foot long). The power has been off for about 2 weeks and the tank was so dirty I didn't even realize there was a fish in there until I could hear something like tapping on the inside of the glass. I have viewed a ton of pictures and I think it is an Oscar. It is Orange on the top of it's body and then goes to white. It is approximately 7 inches long. What do I need to do?

I have never owned a fish before.

gremlin

If you can get a pic of it on here, someone will be able to identify it for you. If it is an oscar, they can grow quite large. What are the full dimensions of the tank? 4 feet long x how wide x how tall? That way we can figure out how many gallons it is.

iloveengl

Grrr, what a terrible renter & fish owner! Good luck with whatever you decide and good for you that you didn't just toss everything out without checking first!

bolivianbaby

Welcome to Fishlore Great advice above. Hopefully you can provide pictures so we can better answer your questions.

koeyhorse

The tank is still in the rental house. I am not really sure even how to dump the water out of it. I can take a picture and post it here in a few minutes. I brought it home in a trash bag of all things that I put down inside of a 5 gal bucket. The only thing I had at the house was a storage tub. I filled it with water and put him in the tub. He's moving around but looks kinda yucky.

Lucy

Welcome to FishLore.
Wow, some people have no heart. Thanks for trying to save this fish.
Since it's used to living in such deplorable conditions, he's going to have to be slowly acclimated to clean water. When you added water did you use dechlorinator? If not, it would be a really good idea to get some. chlorine is deadly to fish.
Even though the clean water is good for him, it could be a shock to his system with such a huge change at once.
If you can, at the very least, put an air stone in with him. You can pick up a gravel vacuum also. That'll help syphon the water from the old tank.

Hang in there, our members have a great deal of knowledge and hopefully we can help you and Oscar get through this.

aquarist48

Welcome to Fish Lore Koeyhorse and "congrats" on the rescue. It's sad how some people just don't care about their fish. By chance if the renters' house is close by, see if there is an air pump with tubing and an air stone with the aquarium. This will be your fishes oxygen supply.

I don't want you to get overwhelmed but here is a link that will be very helpful for beginners and to help you understand some of the fishes needs.
http://www.fishlore.com/NitrogenCycle.htm

By all means when you need help or have questions don't hesitate to ask. Even if you don't decide to keep the fish, hopefully you can keep it alive until you can give it away or take it to a fish store. ( I hope you keep it though ) That's what we're all here for is to help each other.

Keep us posted! Again
Ken

eiginh

If you plan on keeping him/her make sure to buy a water conditioner. Btw did the tank come with a filter? If so keep it and put in with the tub. Does the fish look healthy? (ex: swimming around, staring at your, eating)

Oil_Fan

I don't know a whole lot about FW fish but if you can say what city you live in, there maybe people who can come and help. You'd be surprised how many people will help out in cases like this.

At least they can help in pointing you to local help. The biggest problem you've got is total lack of knowledge and being thrust into this situation.

It's too bad you couldn't move the tank back to your house. But then again, we're probably dealing with a 75 or 90 gallon tank. If you can, try to save at least half the water. Then get some fresh water for a local fish store (not a national chain). Get the pumps and air running again and then you can start to move from there.

Now keep in mind I only have SW fish but the advice should be good. What you want to try to avoid is shock to the fish. The one good thing though is larger fish tend to be pretty strong.

Oh and very good on you in trying to save the fish!!

koeyhorse

I have just given him 2 crickets. The information that I read was the Oscar is a meat eater. One man said his Oscar loves "Feeder Crickets". I'm not sure exactly what the difference between a feeder cricket and a regular cricket is but I opted for the ones you get at the bait store. This fish cracked me up... he swam up to the cricket and bam it was gone. Are fish suppose to be petted? He seems to like it when I put my 2 fingers down his/her back like from his head to his tail. He at least will move around a little when I do this. He also seems to spend a lot of time of his side kinda like he's trying to look at me. Also, I have the hose rigged to the side of this large tub and the water is just trickling into it. I live out where god lost his shoes in Georgia and we have really good well water so will I still need to put the conditioner in this tub. I am trying to download pictures of him/her now.
It is my plan to go back into town tomorrow to the rental house and see what I can inside of the tank. I am thinking that short of pailing that mucky water out of the tank I have a gas syphon line and 4 - 5 gal buckets. I guess I will figure out how many gallons it is then. We had a 20 gallon tank many years ago that housed a guinea pig. I am guessing that it must be at least a 75 gallon tank. What is an "air stone". Sounds like a stone that must make air. lol. Is there anything else I should try to do for him/her tonight? Sorry everyone I am rampling. This is the first time I have ever been on a forum too. Oh this fish is bringing out the person I didn't know I could be. HA

koeyhorse

I live near West Point, Georgia off of Highway 103.

iloveengl

LOL! Don't worry about the rambling or the desire to pet your fish - it's a good thing, I promise! I know there are lots of big fish experts who can you help give more guidance, and it's nice to see the oscar bonding with you.

Lucy

lol, See what one fish can do for a person. Look out, you may just end up like the rest of us.

The gas syphon line wouldn't be a good idea. You'll contaminate the take that way. You can use a garden hose or get a gravel vac like mentioned above.

Since the container you have him in doesn't have a filter, there should be at least some oxygenation. This is what I'm talking about: Air pump

This might help while your getting him and the tank settled:
Beginners Links

You shouldn't pet the fish, it could hurt his slime coat. He sounds like a good fish and grateful you saved him.

There should be an aquarium calculator at the bottom of the page. If not, you can find it here:
Aquarium Calculator
Just measure and put in the dimensions.

koeyhorse

I went to the website through the link you provided and I do think I remember seeing a plastic box in the bottom of the tank. I won't pet him anymore it was kinda a fluke I guess and he actually seemed to want me to do it again. What do they mean when I read that he is an aggressive fish? So should I turn the hose off? I just thought that as long as I was putting some bubbles in the tank that that was oxygen... I am a horseback riding instructor I hope this fish can surive my equine/country ways. Ha

Lucy

Oh, I misunderstood, what you're doing with the hose sounds like a good idea.
Oscars are aggressive. They might eat almost any fish smaller than them. Thats probably why he was the only fish in the tank.

My fish sometime brush against my hand when I'm doing water changes. It's kind of cute.

koeyhorse

Thanks for the info I'm gonna try to download these pictures of him and then check on him one more time. I feel like I got a new foal in the barn tonight. I can't quit checking on him I feel so sorry for him. lol

Lucy

I think you did a wonderful thing

gremlin

Some of my goldfish love to be petted. Just make sure that your hands are thoroughly cleaned and as long as your fish is healthy, it really shouldn't hurt to bad. Just don't pet to hard.

The water conditioner will take care of any ammonia and chlorine and chloramine. Prime is an excellent water conditioner and will help with ammonia in your tank. Fish poop causes ammonia, so it doesn't matter how pristine your water is, you will have some ammonia. Read the link about the nitrogen cycle and that will help to explain how ammonia is handled in an established tank.

An air stone is a manufactured stone that goes on the end of a piece of tubing. An air pump blows air through the tubing and out through the air stone which breaks up the air into tiny little bubbles. This allows the oxygen to be absorbed into the water for use by the fish. Letting the hose drip in will also allow oxygen to be absorbed into the water as it does agitate the water a bit.

Bait crickets and feeder crickets are basically the same critter. The difference is in what they are fed. Feeder crickets are fed a highly nutritious diet so that they pass the nutrition on to whatever eats them. They are usually available at pet stores. You may want to consider getting a pellet type food also as it would be more nutritionally stable.

aquarist48

Some great information above. Crickets are great and so are earthworms. I had Oscars years ago and loved them. As suggested by Germlin...some cichlid pellet food would be good then you can use the crickets and earth worms as a treat a couple times a week. I'd feed him once a day for now until you get him into the tank. This will help to keep down the ammonia levels in the bucket. "Prime and Amquel + " are great water conditioners. Nova Aqua is good for adding slime coat and a stress reliever. Since you have well water you don't have to worry about removing chlorine and chloramines. Great on letting the water trickle into the bucket. Yes, this will give him an oxygen supply for now.
You're doing a wonderful job. I'm grateful to you for the rescue and I'm sure the fish is.
Keep us posted.
Ken

Oh, 1 more suggestion. The Oscar is tropical and should actually be in water between 70 to 80 degrees. So when you're at the renters house see if there is a heater there. Link below as to what it may look like. It could be a clear glass one as well.
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...m?pcatid=12060

koeyhorse

I have been working on trying to download the pictures of my new pet... (I figure that's what he is now that I have made an investment in him. HA) but I can't seem to get it to go thru. I did show the sales clerk at the Petco today a couple of pictures that I had on my phone and he agree that I have an Oscar and he looked to be about 7 inches long. How old does that make him? And I forgot to ask is this Oscar a male or Female? Do you tell by it's markings?

I went by the rental today and tryed to retrieve the - well I guess it was an air pump at one time- from that discusting tank. The thing was really a mess. So I make an executive desicision to take myself to a pet store like I was recommended and purchased an "AquaClear" power filter with CycleGuard. I went ahead and got the one for up to a 50 gal tank. This is bigger than what I have him in presently but will not be big enough when I can figure out how to get his tank back here to the house.

I also picked up some pelleted food, frozen shrimp and some feeder crickets. I kinda liked seeing him zap the crickets.

I cannot believe how much better he looks and acts already only having him rigged with the filter for a couple of hours. His tail had kinda started turning purple. Or I just didn't remember him having a purple tail when I first got him. Will that fade back to orange and white. He also seems to be using his side fins a lot more. I know he is at least moving all around the tank now. Could it be just the filter?

I didn't realize about the ammonia in the water I will go back into Petco tomorrow and check on the "Prime". Anything else I should try to pick up. Oh yes I also took a minute and looked at the tank pumps too.

koeyhorse

I just read your post Aquarist 48 and thank you for the info. I am actually thinking that what I thought was a filter was probably a tank heater tht's why it didn't have all the things a normal filter looks like it should of had. I really thought it was just junk. It may be. So what size should I get. After looking at the tanks in the pet store today I think I must now have a 90 gallon one. I forgot to take a tape measure with me when I was at the rental but will measure it for sure tomorrow. So far it looks like I need Prime or Amquel, Nova Aqua, and a tank heater?

ATKINSON

That sounds good. You are really taking a great responsibility to look after these amazing creatures and you wont regret it.

grimtongue

koeyhorse, I for one would like to personally thank you for what you are doing. Being somewhat new to this hobby I can tell you that if you do decide to invest in this fish (and it sounds like you already are) you will be rewarded immensely. My little fish have become something like slimy children to me. I didn't know someone could get so attached to these little critters, but I have and I love trying to make their stay with me as comfortable as I can. I think you will too. Thank you again, and best of luck.

P.S. this board is a wealth of great information. These people will definitely steer you in the right direction.

aquarist48

Good morning. You're doing a wonderful job! Prime is an excellent choice and used by so many members here on this site.

Choosing a filter: Once you determine the size of the aquarium then you can select the appropriate filter. I love the Aqua Clears and they do a wonderful job. I have 3. Your filtration should be 8 to 10 x the volume of your tank. Example: 50 gallon tank should have a filter with at least 400gph to 500gph (gallon per hour) or close to it.

Heaters come in different sizes and watts and they are also labeled according to tank size. Once you determine the size of the tank we can help you with which to choose if necessary. If it is a 90g (gallon) tank you may need two one for each side of the tank. This will help to eliminate cold spots in the tank by having two.

As long as you have filtration on the tank (especially with the hang on back (HOB) type
chances are you can do without an extra air supply/pump. Oxygen enters into the tank by movement at the top of the water.

Pick up an aquarium thermometer as well.

activated carbon for your filter. This is a personal choice and I use it religiously but many members do not. In my opinion it helps to keep the water crystal clear and eliminates odors and minerals that may not be good for the tank and the fish. Others use it to remove medicines and tannis from driftwood and then remove the carbon. If you decide to use it as I do , I change it out for fresh every 3 weeks so it doesn't leak what it has collected back into the tank.

I'll stop here for now. I don't want you to get overwhelmed By all means don't hesitate to continue asking questions. Too, if you'll go to the top left hand side of this screen and click on Fish Forum Home, scroll down to Fresh Water Aquarium Beginners, so much good information there and how to set it all up.

Thanks again for everything that you are doing for your new fish. Have fun and enjoy.
Ken

ATKINSON

Great info Aquarist 48!!

Marisseas

Good job on saving the fish! I think it's great you're a horse person (hunter-jumper here)

MizRamzi

All for you and what your doing for this poor lil fish. We at FL love having pep's like you around. Thank you for saving his lil life!!!

jwokmuba2

great job on the rescue, .

first oscars can get to 13 inches and live to about 10-13 years, you might have a buddy for a while, sounds like he likes you to.

sexing oscars is hard because it has to be done during mating season in perfect conditions and with a fish of the opposite sex.

great advice from the posts before, the purple that is on his tale is a color change that most white or albino oscar do depending on there mood, all oscars do it, it will fade and reappear all the time, also oscars are pretty hardy fish, so when he was laying on his side he was probly resting from the shock of the move and/ot transfer to a different tank.

again most oscars like to have a varied diet this will make there appearence much more vibrant and they will act alot happier so good job there.

again congrats on the new buddy.

edit: sometimes when a fish rubs against something they might have a parasite, look for little white spots on his fins. this might be ICH, and if caught soon enough, easy to cure by just slowy turning up the temp to 85, and daily gravel vacs for two weeks.

koeyhorse

Hello all. Again I come to this computer to write to whom ever will read my words. I have just put the Prime into my makeshift tank. When I got home I couldn't believe my new little guy was floating on his side then letting himself drift into the waterfall that the filter puts out. He would fan his fin like he was waving at me and then the water would slightly dunk him under. He was actually doing a sort of fish summersalt. You know like we all did when we were kids in the swimming pool. After he did this he then floated back to the top and started the whole process again. I didn't even realize that I stood and watched him/her for over an hour.

Aquarist 48 again thank you for such good advise. I had already rigged up a thermometer so that I knew the water temp after your post from last night. Right now the water in the tub is 73 degrees. The weather has been mild so I feel like his water temp is adquate for now. I was thinking the same thing about the two tank heaters. I hope I can find a really good deal on all the things I'll need to get his tank set up. I am not going to use anything that was left by my renter except for the tank. I found some chemicals in the storage cabinet under the tank but I don't trust the contents. Also the AquaClear Multi-Stage Filter contains Foam, Carbon & BioMax filter inserts. I thought that if one type did a good job then one with 3 types of filters would be even better.

I am so glad to hear that his tail is okay. I actually was beginning to wonder if a fish could receive a bruise. Like I hurt him when I was trying to move him. I was noticing tonight that his coloring is getting more vivid. He was mostly white when I found him and now I would say that he is mostly orange. And it's a brighter orange. Can fish change color that fast?

I have made arrangements for a couple of my farm hands to help me move the tank on Friday night. Is there anything I should know before I attempt to move it? I am going to just drain it with a regular garden hose and a syphon pump. I will have to invest in a tank vacumn soon I know.

Lucy

They can color up pretty quickly when moved to better conditions.
We really notice it with our bettas. They look one color (usually dull and washed out) in those horrid cups. We bring them home, give them a nice clean heated tank and they really start to show off their colors and personalities.