Those of you who have been following my breeding thread, know the luck I have been having with my breeding pair and Nemo, well today I stopped in my local shop for some supplies, and a lady brought in 3 6-8 oscars, 2 tigers and a red. She wanted the store to take them because she didn't want the hassle anymore. I talked with her for a little bit, and she had 4 this size in a 55 gallon tank. The Oscars are beat to hell. cuts all over them, one is missing half of its upper lip, sores on their jaws, just not happy fish. She said that 2 of them were always fighting, and then they would team up on the other. Could just be fighting, or maybe a pertective pair. Of course they were way over crowded in that 55 tank.

I usally deal directly with the owner of the store, and he wont be in till later, so I am going to go back and see if he will hold them till I have a tank set up. I have a 220 and a 125 that are not set up, so I just need to get them going. The Oscars are in really bad shape, but with the proper care, it may not be too late for them, and maybe I'll get another breeding pair out of them.

A breeding pair would be nice but I think the most important thing is to try and help those poor fish.

If it works out and you end up taking them my hat is off to you. You are to commended for your efforts. Good luck with it and keep us posted.

johnl wrote:


Agreed, too many people pick up these fish, and have no way to take care of them. People go to all these chain stores where the staff really doesn't know anything about the fish, and just want to sell them, and people get these little babies with no idea of how big they will get. If I have the extra space, and see the large oscars in the stores, I always try to do something with them. My current breeding pair came from the same shop, the owner had taken them in for someone who couldn't provide for them. Months after I got them, they started breeding, and haven't stopped since.

I haven't seen Oscars in this bad of shape in a long time. I am going back to the shop tonight to tal with the owner, to make shure he can hold them for me till I'm set up. I may try to work it out with him so that I can have him start medicating them in the store since they are in a 55 gallon in the store, and it will be easier to medicate them in the smaller tank than the larger one I plan to put them in.

Good luck! Most people go for the healthiest most colorful fish not that there is anything wrong with that but to help some oscars that were so severely negleted is really good to see.

Well, I picked up the 3 rescued Oscars tonight. They are already looking a bit better. The Red Oscar is the best out of the set, but he has pretty large sores on his gills. The smaller Tiger has a piece of his upper lip missing, and the larger tiger has some sores and cuts of his own. Now that I got to take a closer look at them, the larger Tiger is closer to 12 inches. I can't imagin these 3 in a 55 gallon tank.

Here are a few pics










In this one, you can see one of the sores on his gills

Here is a close-up of the smaller Tigers messed up upper lip.



So far, only the Red has eaten anything, but at least they are all swimming arounf now, and not laying on the bottom.

Poor things. What a shame. Well their in good hands now. Keep us posted.

johnl wrote:


I just hate to see people do this to these, or any other fish for that matter. People need to start researching what they want before they buy it. I know a lot of people want to blame the petshops, but the stores can't go to each home and verify they have what they need, They are just there to sell fish. Now the store that I shop at most, is one of the best I've ever been to. He will ask questions about what a customer has, and tell you not to buy something if he doesn't think you have what it takes. He will also take in fish like this if he has the space, and try to get them sold to proper homes. That is how I got my breeding pair, he took them in from someone who couldn't take care of them.

I agree with the post above, most people will only buy the best looking fish. The problem is people don't realize that these 3 messed up fish, are great looking fish. Even in their messed up condition, I can tell the coloring in them was great at one time. With proper care, You can normally get this coloration back, and as most of us know, Oscars can heal quite nicely. Just in the few days I've been watching these 3, their color has gotten better, and the wounds have started to look a little better. Last night I even noticed some of the signs of trying to pair off.

hi well done you have done a good deed in takeing the oscars and im sure you will do a good job in looking after them they are in good hands well done julie

That last picture scared the crap out of me...

Glad you rescued them though. Poor guys. It's both the lfs' and the peoples responsibility. The lfs should have informed them better and they should of done at least a little research:angry:

Well, still today only the red was eating anything, so I decided to try some live feeders. I don't like to use feeder fish, but I thought I would give it a try. Sure enough all 3 went right for the feeders and ate them. I'm guessing they were on a diet of feeders with the old owner. At least I know they will eat, no I will just have to get the accoustomed the prepaired foods.

I have not seen nearly the aggression that the owner said she had with them, so I guess they have calmed down in the larger tank.

They seem to be doing well in their new home, now I just have to tend to their wounds.

Well, I have been treating the new Oscars tank with Melafix, and it seems to be working a bit. The smaller Tigers messed up lip is starting to get some new tissue growth over the injury. If you didn't look at the cuts and injurys, you would think they are healthy fish. They are acting normal and are active. The two larger oscars still wont eat pellets, but I'm not really worried, they eat feeders, so I know they haven't completely gone off food. I will just let them get hungry enough to try and eat the pellets.