Need help with oscars.....

Dadstank

Dadstank

Large Fish
#1
Nov 4, 2006
162
2
0
Minnesota
#1
OK quick rundown...
A friend of a friend is moving and they don't want to setup their 55 again.... so my family and I inherited two fully grown oscars and an 11 year old pleco(13" long)!!!
I got home from work yesterday and the two oscars are "listing", they don't have much movement and are kinda on their side...lethargic....
They have eaten about 27 feeders in the last 5-6 days...

Is their a certain water temp they like?
Too much food all at once? kinda like thanksgiving day meal :D


BTW... I want to say hello to all.. this is my first post on this site... So far I like it as much as reefcentral.
 

MissFishy

MissFishy

Superstar Fish
#2
Aug 10, 2006
2,237
5
0
Michigan
#2
Welcome to the tank! Wow, sounds like you overfed your oscars like crazy! 27 feeder goldfish? rosy reds? or guppies? Either way, that sounds like WAY too much. I don't personally keep oscars, but it sounds like there is way too much food in their stomachs. Did you keep the filter media wet while moving the tank so that is was already cycled when you set it up again? What are the water parameters? They are also tropical fish, so they need a water temp of 78-82.
 

Mahamotorworks

Mahamotorworks

Superstar Fish
#3
Aug 26, 2006
1,722
6
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Thule, Greenland
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#3
Ya sounds like too much to eat. I wouldnt feed for a week or so. Dont worry they wont die of hunger. When you moved the tank if you didnt keep the filter media wet the Good bacterial colony might have died off. I reccomend buying a Master test kit. This way you can find out what is happening inyour tank with the ammonia, NirtIte and NitrAte Levels. Getting the actual numbers, even if you have to take a water sample to the LFS (Local Fish Store) will help us help you.

Good luck with the fish.
Welcome to the Tank.

MAHA
 

VirgoWolf

VirgoWolf

Superstar Fish
#4
Feb 16, 2006
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#4
Oscars tend to tip when they are stressed. I would stop feeding them feeders for now and get them on some cichlid pellets for now at least.

Also, not sure if you know this, but 55gal is not enough for 1 full grown oscar or pleco, let alone all 3 of them. I'd look into getting a 150gal or bigger tank for them. Oh, and LOTS of filtration, plecos and oscars are some of the messiest fish out there and Oscars can be fairly sensitive to water conditions.

Do you have a test kit? If not, go get one ASAP, let us know your water parameters. Did you cycle the tank?

Oscars and Plecos are some of my favorite fish, they can really be a joy to own, but it takes a lot of dedication to keep them. Not only dedication to giving up a HUGE spot of your home, but the waterchanges get intense when it's weekly changes on a MASSIVE tank, plus trying to afford to keep them fed, and if you get any outbreaks, treating a tank that large can be quite a pain.

If you need anything, feel free to ask, I know there are a few people here who at least keep similar fish, and even a couple of us who keep Oscars and plecos in particular (IE: me :) ) so hopefully we can get these guys healthy and happy and give you some tank puppies to enjoy.

Not to assume anything, but being that they were in such a small tank, I have to ask... is there any signs of illness? Hole in the Head disease is extreemly common among Oscars in these conditions.
 

K

kristalAK

Medium Fish
#5
Feb 9, 2006
70
0
0
Anchorage Alaska
#5
Pardon my jumping in here, but I also have Oscars. I have a 120 with 2. One is about 6" big while the other is maybe 5". I call them Sam and Ella.
My question was is sand better for an Oscar tank rather than rocks? I have noticed my fish frequently picking up rocks and spitting them back out. Is it possible for them to choke?
Also if I might ask another.. Their Pleco died recently, what would be a suitable tank cleaner with fish that size?
 

VirgoWolf

VirgoWolf

Superstar Fish
#6
Feb 16, 2006
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#6
Sand is fine, but gravel works well too, it's all based on personal opinion, I don't think one is better than the other, unless of course you are trying to do a natural bioope tank.

By picking it up and spitting it out, they are just checking to see if it's food, they spit it out if it's not, I've never seen a problem with it.

Hard to say, not much can go with Oscars, Other plecos, there are a ton of more appealing plecos than the commons out there, most of them carry a heavy pricetag, but they are worth it. By the way, most plecos dirty the tank more than they clean it, expically when full grown, so don't add them just to keep the tank clean, but they are a great addition to a tank.
 

Seleya

Seleya

Superstar Fish
#7
Nov 22, 2004
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Cape Cod, MA
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#7
kristalAK said:
My question was is sand better for an Oscar tank rather than rocks? I have noticed my fish frequently picking up rocks and spitting them back out. Is it possible for them to choke?
Click to expand...
As long as the gravel is small and smooth enough, they should be fine. Many oscar keepers keep barebottomed tanks for ease of maintainence.

kristalAK said:
Also if I might ask another.. Their Pleco died recently, what would be a suitable tank cleaner with fish that size?
Click to expand...
Yourself. *crazysmil
 

Dadstank

Dadstank

Large Fish
#8
Nov 4, 2006
162
2
0
Minnesota
#8
Thanks for the replies. Virgowolf... i'll take all your advice you care to give. These are really beautiful fish and would hate to lose them...
I haven't filled out my "bio" yet but here is my experience...
Freshwater since 1985... mostly cichlids
Saltwater since 2003- FOWLR .....quasi reef...
Currently I have a self-built 76G Salt w/20Gsumpfuge and a 15G on the side-shares sump. Two True perculas, yellow watchman goby, serp star, urchin, zoanthids, and my absolute favorite.... APTASIA *thumbsups .. and in the side 15 is my bastard psuedochromis ie:dottyback, two scutus, the usual clean-up crew...
Kids have 15G with some good ole goldfish and two african dwarf frogs :)
I have plenty of experience with DIY projects ... Worked in plastics for about 9 years... got questions on acrylic?...ask away and i'll try to help...

I have never had oscars before because of how darn big they can get :rolleyes:
I just found out that the previous owners would feed them crappie minnows... about a scoop a week and would just dump them in the tank... so says the wifey... we don't have their phone number so we can't just call....

What might I do to ease their stress? easy listening music? lol
I do have test kits for fresh n salt and parameters are acceptable. The water temp is the only issue... it is at about 72-74.... room temp. i'll raise it up slowly to 78 to see if that might help.

Again, thank you for the help.
 

VirgoWolf

VirgoWolf

Superstar Fish
#9
Feb 16, 2006
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#9
Sounds like you know a little about what you're doing, just try to keep them off the feeders for a while, feeders aren't the best balanced diet, they make a good snack, but they are not good staple food and they can spread parasites and disease if they aren't quarentined properly first.

Did you just move them? They take a day or two and sometimes up to a week to get used to new surroundings and people. I know my red tiger oscar tipped and hid for like a week... but he was like 1.5" when I got him, so he was a little on the defence from the get-go.

Good luck with them either way! :) I hope they cheer up for you, they are awesome fish!

P.S. I always wanted Oscars, but never even considered getting them because I didn't want to dedicate that much tankspace to 1 fish... then I saw an oddball albino Oscar on craigslist who needed a new home because he was getting too big and mean for the tank and tankmates he had, and I just completely went gaga over his pics (he's grey, not yellow/orange) and I just had to have him. I'm now planning the upgrade for my new SA/CA tank... some time this year I am getting a 220gal (or bigger if I can get a good deal) for them. Spoiled fish...

...so in other words, I know what it's like to just get them out of the blue, but they are SO worth it.
 

Dadstank

Dadstank

Large Fish
#10
Nov 4, 2006
162
2
0
Minnesota
#10
We got them about a week ago. They seemed to be acting healthy for the first few days but now they just kinda sit there near the top and kinda leaning to one side.
The larger of the two always seems to stay on top of the smaller one... and they did this twice since my last post.... they go head to head and have a mouth wrestling thing going on. one gets ahold of the top lip and the other the bottom lip. They don't shake aggressively but is still odd. After that they go back to their comatose state.

I'll hold off on the feeding also for a few days and then try the pellets like you suggested.

"VIRGOWOLF"quote{Sounds like you know a little about what you're doing} :D *thumbsups
 

VirgoWolf

VirgoWolf

Superstar Fish
#11
Feb 16, 2006
1,933
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Michigan
#11
Well lip locking is a sign of battling for dominance. Mine do it from tme to time, it's not anything major, but it worries me that they are still tipping, it definitly could be the food getting to them, but if the feeders weren't quarentined properly, there is a whole list of things that could have been spread to them, so just keep the water clean, keep an eye on them, and I'll be over here hoping they are just being silly. :)

Mine have been loving Hakari Cichlid Gold, they used to eat the Hakari Cichlid Complete, but once I got the gold, they started spitting the complete out. Let me know what you try and what reults you get, I really like giving my fish a varied diet, so fill me in on anythign they seem to like. :)
 

Dadstank

Dadstank

Large Fish
#14
Nov 4, 2006
162
2
0
Minnesota
#14
VirgoWolf.... I have failed you miserably....Both have passed on to join the pleco.

There are a few factors to why the died.... first off, my wife didn't acclimate them when introduced to their new home, she dumped about 30 feeder/rosies into the tank all at once, the pleco had "sores" on him before we aquired them.
I work 2nd shift so I wasn't around to really supervise the transition and what not.
Now with that being said, the wifey has learned a lesson and sees why I am SOOOOOO anal when introducing anything new into my salttank.

After a few talks with the family we have decided to turn the 55G into a fresh plant tank and go from there.
 

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