Oscar trouble; septicemia or bloat wtd???

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aflownes

Registered Member
Jan 5, 2005
1
0
0
I have a nine year old Oscar that until a recent tank change has been okay and disease free. I went to a pet shop and told the lady what type of filtration I had and she told me that I was defeating the purpose of filtration by having an undergravel filter and a water filter (whisper 20 series) She told me that I should get rid of one or the other to keep the water clear. So when I did a 75% water chang I also pulled up the gravel filter and noticed how dingly the water was (almost black) I started putting fresh water in imideatly and changed the water filters and it was clear a little over an hour later. Well now my Oscar has a disintended stomach. I noticed just a few days ago that he/she was lying on the side of the tank at the botom, leaning. I have been taking note that for the past few weeks he/she has not been eating but just a bite here and there. I thought at first it was the temp of the tank because I do not have a water heater for the tank and it has been getting as low as 60 deg. I don't know if there is any cure for this other than taking he/she out of the tank and putting them into isolation and waiting to see what happens.....( I also have a 9yr old silver dollar and alage eater) I don't believe this could be pregency because the Silver dollar has started pecking at the oscar and where he would fight back he/she is now just sitting there floating.
 

cal26w

AC Members
Jan 17, 2005
16
0
0
u need that heater for the oscar to live the temp is too low for a cichlid of that type
 

jagarundi

Bonafide, 100% Cichlid Lover!!
Oct 6, 2004
259
0
16
I thought at first it was the temp of the tank because I do not have a water heater for the tank and it has been getting as low as 60 deg.
Find a submersible heater and PUT IT IN as quickly as you can! Oscars need a temperature of between 72-78 degrees to be comfortable. With a 60 degree temp, you're just ASKING for a stressed fish and the diseases that come with it.
 

Harry Tolen

Cichlid Fan
Aug 17, 2000
664
1
18
Union, WA, USA
Not only is your temperature waaaaay too low, the advice you got from the petshop was wrong. Although an undergravel filter might not have worked at 100% efficiency with an oscar (because they like to move the gravel a lot and might expose the filter plate), it certainly wasn't cancelling out your Whisper 20 (which is too small for that fish anyway). Your oscar may already be suffering from a disease brought on by the low temperature,, but you might be able to help him recover if you get a heater, raise the temperature to at least 74F, add a second hang-on-the-back filter to replace the undergravel filter that you eliminated (I would recommend an Aquaclear 300 or 500), and make several 40%+ water changes over a period of 3-4 days to get the water quality back on track. If that isn't enough, then a 7-10 day course of metronidazole (available from a vet or many online vendors if you can't find it at an LFS) might also do the trick.

If you can't get an in-tank heater in the next day or so, then turn up the temperature in your house. A tank won't get colder than the room it is in (unless you have it sitting next to a window, which is another no-no).

Good luck.
 
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