Help! My sister saved an Oscar from a friend - when I went to pick it up the fish was laying on its side (still breathing). I noted a fair build-up of algae on the tank and even on the fish. Gills are clear but the head and body went beyond the slime stage. I figure a clean tank, warm water and a chance to de-stress may save this l'il guy but as a first-time Oscar owner I would appreciate any input or tips to help me along. I've already found some very good (and user-friendly!) info here - so I figure if anyone can help us it's you guys!!

Doesn't sound too good does it? Could you give us a bit more information about how big the tank is that the Oscar was being kept in, and what sort of the location was on the tank if you know.

This sounds like either a bacterial infection, or maybe just a lot of slime build up because of high ammonia. You're going to need to introduce it into a tank that is already cycled. It's no good trying to cycle a tank with a fish that is already having health problems. So, I assume you already have a tank ready for it? How big is this tank? And, is it cycled?

It would have been helpful to get a water test result from the tank it has been kept in, at least we would know the state of the water and if the Oscar has been exposed to high amounts of ammonia. I'm sure that the fish will feel much better once it is in a tank with good quality water. It might take a few days but hopefully it should start showing signs of recovery.

Could you please post a photograph is possible?

Hey, there and welcome.
If you are gonna take a fish in, that is allready in a bad condition, please make sure the O is introduced into a completely cycled tank.
Cycling a filter may take 5-6 weeks.
Putting a fish that is having a rough time allready into an uncycled tank may make things worst.
I never heard of algae growth on a fish before.
Could you post a picture of the fish?
If you still have to cycle the tank, it's gonna take a lot of daily waterchanges.
Do you have waterconditioner/Prime yet?

Do you have a test set yet?
If not, you should consider getting( a liquid) one, for that will help you in caring for your Oscar the best way possible.

edit: i deleted the double post, just to make sure you get all the replies you need on this one.

He came from a 10 gallon tank and I will be putting him into a 29 gallon tank with a charcoal/biological filtration system. As this was short notice the tank was only set this AM. I have no water numbers for you yet. I will post pictures once we get home but have not dealt with a high maintenance fish before (although I have owned several reptiles and believe I can handle this task!) Any reccomendations for water treatments? I chose this site as you speak very plainly and it's easier for me to follow. The tank is reading 24 degrees now which sounds pretty good right?

Update - my husband just sent me a crappy photo from his phone showing the fish in the proper position, no more sideways fishy. Looking up!

Okay, 29 gallon tank is certainly better than a 10 gallon. However, be aware that it is too small long-term. But since this is all you have, it is certainly a better option than trying to treat the fish where it is.

Now this is going to be a problem because your tank is not cycled. Basically this means there are no bacteria present in the filtration system to deal with all the toxins that the fish will produce., So the toxins will just build up in the tank water which is obviously not good for your fish. It's difficult to know what to suggest. Okay, you're going to need some water test kits, ammonia, nitrates, nitrates and PH. I would also recommend you get a product called Prime if it is available at your fish shop. This will detoxify ammonia and turn it into a non-toxic form. I had never had a problem where I have actually had to use it to detoxify ammonia, I just use it as a water conditioner, i.e. to remove chlorine from the water.

Is there nobody else he has a properly cycled tank he can take the fish? I know that you want to do your best for the fresher matter is very commendable, however you really are not in the position to take in a broadly fish and their set back to health, it's impossible to do that if you haven't got a cycle tank ready for it. See what other people say, let me sleep on it and address the issue when I'm not so tired, it's 1:20 AM here in the UK

Could you please try and find out a little more about the 10 gallon tank. If you haven't switched the filter off on it, you could use some of the media to seed the filter on your 29 gallon tank, but I'm willing to bet that you have already switched it off. If so, maybe somebody you know could help you out by giving you some media from their filter, this is also an option, probably a long shot, but it's worth a try. What do you want to try and achieve is to introduce bacteria into your filtration system. I suppose another option would be to get some bacteria in the bottle, this may help your situation. Speak to you tomorrow.

In the meantime, I would recommend that you familiarise yourself with how a filter works and how it deals with all the toxins, you will need to know this information if you are going to help your fish. All the information is on the website. Of course we are here to help in any way we can.

Wow! He's looking great! Go home last nite to find him looking all happy - the green slime had sloughed off and he had a thin layer of a fuzzy algae type stuff left on him - but not the sludge that had been on him at pick up, and not nearly as much. He swims around healthy and has no signs of any other diseases I've seen listed on the forum. I notice a few (probably 3 or 4) rough looking scales, which I am attributing to his poor tank condition (and possibly fights?) but I think they will heal. I underestimated his size - he's about 9" - I can see a larger tank in the near future. My husband had transferred a small amount of his old water into the tank - hopefully that will produce the bacteria that he needs.

good to hear he's doing better allready.
Some of the old water will help, but it will not be enough to run a complete cycle.
Like the Boss stated, getting some filter media from an existing tank wouldt help.
If that's not possible i suggest to get some "bacteria in a bottle" to help get the cycle going.
I had a tank with new tank syndrome, and daily waterchanges of 30%, combined with Waterconditioner/Prime and added bacteria from a bottle got my filter going pretty quickly.
I used " JBL Denitrol Aquarium starter "to help my fish pull through the cycle and allthough the opinions may differ in the effectiveness of bacteria in a bottle, i say it surely won't hurt in this case.
keep a close eye on your waterparameters for those will tell you exactly how your filter is doing, and how far the cycle has been established.

Noddy wrote:


This. You can get some 'bacteria' in a bottle at your fish store...

Pick up a bucket while your there too, and a gravel vac to siphon water out into the bucket when you do your water changes. Seeing as you have an 'emergency' and the tank isn't cycled I would also pick up a water test kit. Get the test tubes one from API Pharmaceuticals--not the strips. This can let you know how far along you are as your tank cycles.

Trust me, it might seem a little difficult (and expensive) at first but Oscar's are hardy fish, and once you get the tank cycled and everything settles in it's really not difficult at all to care for them.

Thanks for the quick responses guys - your info has been helpful and name brands have helped me pick this little guy off death's doorstep. I already have a gravel vac and will post water readings after I've got a better kit (I only picked up a test strip kit *oops*)

Well done on rescueing the oscar

Unfortunately you have some problems

1- your tank is too small, if you keep your fish in the 29g your fish will get ill and maybe die or stunted. If you cant get a 55g (min- the bigger the better) then find someone else with a bigger tank to rehome him too. You will need filtration rated for a tank twice as big. so if you get a 55g tank you need filtration rated for a 110g tank

2- your filter isnt cycled so can you find someone with a cycled tank and borrow some of the media from its filter and put it in your filter. If not go with the prime as recommended, but ideally find someone to look after the fish

The ideal thing to do is to find someone with a cycled tank that is big enough (like a LFS) to look after it for you until you get a bigger tank but failing that until you cycle your tank with goldfish (see homepage on cycling a tank)

Oscars are not an idea starting fish for a first time fish owner but we are here to help you

some tips

1- only feed what your fish will eat in 2 mins once a day and NO more
2- clean the media in your filter with water taken out of the tank (dont clean your filter until it is cycled- ammonia and nitite of zero and nitrate above 10)
3- add dechlorinator to new water
4- test your water weekly for ammonia, nitrite andn nitrate. Ammonia and nitrite should be zero. If nitrate is above 40 then you need to do bigger or more frequent water changes
5- Vary the diet- check the site for foods to feed to oscars

I don't know of anyone else whose filter I would trust, and the old filter was thrown out before I picked him up. My tests were as follows:
1) PH = 7.6
2) High Range PH = 8.2
3) Ammonia = 0.5 ppm
4) Nitrite = 0 ppm
5) Nitrate = 5 ppm

Also wondering if it is too soon to introduce a pleco to the system. Have already looked into a larger tank and seems feasible. Doug really enjoys riding through the air bubbles and seems to eat pretty well. Thanks!