long story short, i came home from work today to see that my oscar had tried to eat my algie eater but had it stuck in his throat, sort of floating on his side in one spot, still alive, so i caught him and took tweezers to pull it out of his throat (was in there quite a ways) i successfully removed the fish from his mouth but now it is stuck open and he doesn't seem to be doing so great. is there anything i can do to save my fish or is he doomed? i really love my little fish i hope someone can help me. (*sorry if this is in the wrong section*)
my oscars mouth is stuck open
- Thread starter jasonstillson
- Start date
it was a small plecostomus my tank is a 29 gallon tank, i know i need a bigger one for my oscar but he is still small, only about 4 inches long and the plecostomus is roughly 2 1/2 inches long. i have had him for about 2 or 3 months now with no problems. he was always very energetic and would splash and get extremely excited when i would walk up to the tank to feed him, but now he just sits at the bottom and doesn't really move.
How far was the pleco in? If the one of the spines on the fins was in his gut and you pulled it out it could have done some damage
it was pretty lodged in there, but i was facing the choice of watching him choke or trying my best to get it out, i removed only about half of the fish the other half is somewhere in him still, but i can't see it from his mouth. i guess i will just have to wait and let time tell. hopefully i won't have to go buy a new fish tomorrow 
Yeah, bare minimum for starting with an oscar would be about 55, ideally larger. Even that they'll outgrow pretty quick.
i know i have done my research, but a little late. they really should let you know what you are getting yourself into if you're buying a fish that meet such high requirments. but putting all this aside, this does not help me with my current problem, please try to focus your statements on my problem, not my tank size.
Geez I am really surprised he tried to swallow that plec without much more size difference. That's crazy.
As was pointed out eating a plec is a really bad idea, and if it was that far in doesn't look good. If you really want to save him then slowly crank heat up high, add salt and get antibiotics in there. But he might die regardless and even if he lives his jaw tendon probably got severed by the spines and he won't ever be able to close his jaw again. I'd probably let nature take its course, if he is that aggressive he's not going to be a good tank mate anyway and he's going to outgrow that tank.
As was pointed out eating a plec is a really bad idea, and if it was that far in doesn't look good. If you really want to save him then slowly crank heat up high, add salt and get antibiotics in there. But he might die regardless and even if he lives his jaw tendon probably got severed by the spines and he won't ever be able to close his jaw again. I'd probably let nature take its course, if he is that aggressive he's not going to be a good tank mate anyway and he's going to outgrow that tank.
Big fish eats little fish, it's a fact, why the surprise?
That is the nature of an Oscar. No, they don't make good tank mates with just about anything. Having an Oscar is more than just having a big fish. I have owned several and still have 2 left. I know from experience what I can and can't do with them, but I researched before getting my first ones. You can have tanks mates but they have to be larger or meaner.
The fact that he can't close his mouth raises several possibilities. How a tendon on the outside of a jaw will get severed is beyond me, but that's your DX not mine. I would look more to the possibility of a broken or dislocated jaw. There is also the possibility of a dorsal spine being impaled and not allowing the jaw to close. Anything is sheer speculation without seeing it firsthand. Heat and salt only work well with parasites and not bacterial infection. If anything, heat can make them worse.
The OP needs to perform a very careful and full exam to try to find the cause.
BTW - the only reason I have 2 is because I kept them instead of rehoming. I take them from people that get in over their heads, bring them to good health and then rehome. And yes, I have tank mates in with them that work.