I have a 55 gallon aquarium that I added new plants to yesterday. The tank has 2 oscars in it, one 10 inch tiger and one 8 inch albino. Today I noticed the albino only using one side of his gills. It looks like there is a large bruise or bloody looking spot on his chin on the same side, but its been there for a little while. I was thinking it might be sick or something. I went to petsmart the other day and saw all of them only using one gill. So is my oscar sick, and if so what does he have. Or is he just injured.
P.S. I just checked up on him after writing this and he is using both again... Please Help.

That's a lot of Oscar's for a 55 gal. tank. Have you checked the water parameters(ammonia).What kind of filters are you running? One adult Oscar in a 55 gal tank would need lots of filtration! I had one (' Oscar in a 55 gal with 2 HOB 60 filters and a fluval 305 canister filter and that was just enough to keep up with the Oscar's output.

I have four undergravel filter plates covering the entire tank floor. They are all connected and have 2 30 gallon rated powerheads positioned on opposite ends to circulate the water very well. The bacteria bed is so large that the only problem I have had is high nitrate levels due to inconsistant water changes. I put in the plants to try to help keep the nitrates in check. I am also in the process of finishing a 20 gallon sump.

Welcome to the site BTW. Most guys and gals on here will tell you undergravel filters are not good for Oscar's as they get clogged up fast because of the massive amount of waste they create. That being said. Do they get along well? Maybe one of the mods can answer you better. Water changes will help the nitrates. Good luck

Thanks for the welcome. This site has been such a help to me. I do know the tank is too small and was looking to upgrade but dont have funds currently. I also read somewhere that if you feed your oscars less often their metabolism will slow down and waste production will slow. I personally feel this will not be good for them. They are still growing rapidly and I feel they need the nutrition to stay in good health. Am i mistaken and this actually helps or are the people who wrote the thread full of it? I clean the tank at least every other day and do a 25 percent change every time i clean it. I dig pretty deep into the gravel, Prety much to the grates. Is this bad for the filters?

Welcome to the site R.Korrell. You don't have to feed them everyday. I feed mine every other day unless they just beg for food and it isn't hurting them at all. It also helps to keep the water cleaner longer. When you ask if the people that wrote the thread were full of it was it a thread on this site? We can be full of it but not about our fish
Medic is right about you needing a canister filter and bigger tank but I also understand money trouble. Keep doing your water changes like you are and save save save for a canister and bigger tank. You can very often find a great deal on a used on www.craigslist.com I've got 2 of mine that way and don't even get Nicki started on the subject
I'm glad you joined the site, fresh blood is always welcome, bring your friends !!

hey welcome to the site i just recently joined too and all the people here are very nice and know there Oscars! i don't know why your Oscars and breathing funny but all i have to say is watch out for the hole in the head disease.

welcome to the site rkorrell. 10" and 8" oscars
can be considered grown up already. since you knew
that your tank is under size, i will not tackle that
anymore.

yes, less feeding would help to reduce the growth rate but
that is not happy fish keeping. if you have a baby in your
home and feed him/her sparingly all the times, what will
happen to your baby? pets should be treated the same way.

there are times, oscar breath with one gills only but not at
all times, otherwise, you have to watch out.