We've had this Oscar for over 7 yrs now. For the past year or so the condition seems to be getting worse. It is kept in a 55 gallon tank. What is this and is there a way to treat it? Thanks in advance...

it hith and the best way to treat it is with pristine water. ammonia 0 nitrites 0 and nitrates always kept below 20 ppm. it takes a long time to cure so be patient. also if you dont have a water test kit you need to pick one up asap. it is vital to know what your water readings are to cure hith.

also you need feed your oscar a varied diet with a quality pellet as a staple. if you need to feed your oscar live food stay away from store bought feeders. they contain little nutritional value and risk disease entering your tank.

and if you have carbon in your filter i would recommend removing it and replacing with more biological media if possible.

hope this helps

btw welcome to the site

Thanks...How long do they actually live for? There were actually two, but the other one dyed about a year ago...

oscar can live for up to 12 years.

if you used to have 2 oscar in a 55 gallon tank that might have contributed to the hith. but it can bee treated so stick with it.

I see...Ok, thanks for your advise.

GeoRXT wrote:

one possibility why the other one died was poor water
condition. anyway, since you have 55 gal tank, that would be
good enough for the remaining one. all you have to do is keep
the water under check, provide varied foods and it will heal in
no time. pristine water is the first defense in any fish sickness.