Hi!!

I have bought 3 oscars in the the past week. 1 albino, 1 red, 1 tiger. The tiger and red oscar are doing GREAT but the albino is acting strange.

When they were first brought home they were all kept in a 10 gallon that was previously set up for gold fish until I got my 30 gallon up and running. The oscars have been in the 30 gallon for 3 days now and just the albino oscar is sitting at the bottom of the tank and rarley moves about. When it does it's not for long and it hasn't ate anything since yesterday afternoon.

The water and temp is perfect..

Could the move to the new tank cause it to act this way? Loud noises? or is it just dying?

Thank you for any advice!!

Have you actually tested the water for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH? This is very important as poor water conditions are often the reason why fish start acting differently. So if you haven't done a water tests, please do one and give us the results. Is the fish breathing heavily at all? We will await your reply

I'll have to re - do the water test again. Unfortunatly I have to buy more test strips and I can not get them till Tuesday:dry: bad bad bad I know!! I can't remember the numbers that I got yesterday and stupid me didn't write them down but they were in the range they were suppose to be I know that for sure.

Yes the albino is breathing heavily and I think it may die soon. It has little to no movement now. The other 2 are 100% and are not acting different. Still the same little savages as they were when I brought them home

Hope this helps....

Sometimes oscars do this when put in a new tank, new surroundings and all that, if this is the case it should be ok after a week

It maybe cause your water quality isnt good. What was the time difference between taking the goldfish out and putting the oscars in the 10g. Did you just set up the 30 and put the fish in or did you take the filter from the 10g and put in on the 30. The liquid testers are better than the strip testers (and cheaper in the long run). Your results should be ammonia 0, nitrite 0 and nitrate ideally 20 or below but 40 or below is acceptable

Thanks for the advice on the strips!! I'm new so I don't really know what to buy lol.

The difference in time between fish was 3 days. The 30 was set up for a day before adding the fish and I took the 10g filter till I get a 60+ filter in a couple of days. The filter from the gold fish is still in there and I rinced it off today after doing a small water change.

In the 3 days between taking the goldfish out and putting the oscars in most of the good bacteria in you filter will have died due to lack of food and you tank will be cycling. This means you will have ammonia or nitrite in your water which isnt good for oscars. Until you get your testers i would do 50% water changes daily to keep those levels low

If after having tested the water you find that you have ammonia or nitrite present you have 2 options

Keep doing the 50% water changes until ammonia and nitrite are zero. This make take a few weeks, the water changes keep the levels lower but it means it takes longer to get settled

or you can try stress zyme which can be bought from shops. I have no experience of this but OFL mentioned using it in a post

www.oscarfishlover.com/index.php?option=...418&catid=14

You can PM him and i am sure he will help you

So you mean that everytime I change the filter I have to re-cycle my tank??? If so is there a way I don't have to do this all the time?? For the fish' health??

Thank you for the advice on the water changes!! I"m tankful for the help!!

The only other response I got was to get rid of my fish I din't want to do that!! I only had then for a week but I'm attached!!

Again THANKS!!

****** I should have also mentioned I have never seen the albino use the bathroom...... The other 2 go frequntly..I guess thats normal for them...indigestion maybe?????

Can you tell us what type of filter you are using and what sort of media is inside. I think you are getting a little confused when it comes to filtration. The only filter media you want to change every now and then is your mechanical filtration. If you at a completely remove your biological filtration and replace it with new, yes you would have to cycle at tank over again. This is why you do not mess around too much with your biological filtration. You must keep it clean by rinsing it out in existing tank water. Remember that your biological filtration is home to a very important bacteria colony. Without this bacteria, you have nothing to deal with the dangerous toxins that your fish produce. So when you wash your filtration, never do it under tap water, always an existing tank water. Obviously take some out and put in a bucket.

Okay, your Oscar is breathing heavily and is not moving much and has stopped eating. There could be any number of reasons why it is doing this. It could have internal problems, this is often what causes fish to die. Can you have a look at the gill filaments and tell me what colour they are. They should be a nice red colour with no signs of mucus or any other abnormalities.

You can't be watching the fish 24 hours a day, it could pass waste when you're not watching

You only have to cycle a filter when its new or if all the good bacteria has died (like if you have no fish in the tank for 3 days). Once the filter has cycled, clean the filter as OFL said and the good bacteria will survive and you wont have to cycle again

I know I can't watch the fish 24 hours a day lol. I'm just saying I've never seen it use the bathroom lol. Sorry I thought it may have been important.

Gills..... I don't see red..inside the gills when it breaths or outside....so no...no red color...and no mucus or any other abnormalities. It looks like the rest..only it won't move or eat....

Filter...I am using an AQUA TECH POWER FILTER..contains a filter cartridge, intake tube, impeller,filter cover, bio fiber,impeller housing and a strainer..... I am planning to get a 60+ power filter of the same kind. Its the only kind they sell at Wal Mart and that is the only place where I live that I can buy fish supplies/assories.... I have to change my filter cartridge every 2/4 weeks (it contains carbon)..... I have NEVER replaced the bio fiber. Just cleaned it off with tank water.

Hope this helps

I have been chating to a lady from my area about my fish. She has stated that I could take a filter cartridge from her tank and place it into mine and my tank will be cycled..I hope this works. Also she has agreed to help me find a proper filetr system for my 30 gallon.

As for the fish... Its not dead. Its still breathing heavily but has been swimming around some. But still is not eating. The other 2 still 120%!!

I have done a 25% water change as of yesterday. Aparently the test strips I was using are garbage and may not have been giving the proper readings. BAD BAD!!

Hopefully by the middle of the week I'll have everything I need for the tank and the fish will live happily...

Thakns for the help!!