How to deal with frickin messy oscars??!!

[t_h_e_s_a_c_k]

I just vaccumed my gravel... but i cant seem to get all the **** out of it. I do as much as i can until 20% of the water is out... but theres always so much extra crap in there. When the fish swim it kicks it al up and clouds the water. How do you deal with this???

[Matt W]

Keep vaccuming....It shouldn't hurt to do a larger water change....

[Verse914]

you can point a powerhead against the gravel so it pushes it into the filter intake.


or you could put a diaper on him :D

[t_h_e_s_a_c_k]

o yea i also have under gravel filters... is that part of the problem?

[peifc]

Possibly. Oscars are messy cichlid. You need a powerful filter to help cleaning the water.

How often do you clean the tank?

[HungryGoldfish]

I've heard that these guys can take a dump that is so large, a python water-changing system can't suck it up (gets stuck in the tubing).

Some people need to go in there and net it out.

[t_h_e_s_a_c_k]

i clean it once every week and a half

[Matt W]

If your cleanings aren't doing the trick, I would step up the frequency to once every 3-4 days at 25% water change until the gravel is vaccumed clean by the end of the water change....then start doing 25% every week and see if that keeps it clean...

[blitzen25bm]

how are you powering your undergravel filters? you should get powerheads that can run in reverse so you push all the stuff out of the gravel bed instead of sucking it in, how bout adding a big hang on filter with the intake tube near the bottom too. -john