Hi guys, just joined the forum and am in need of good advice.
Two weeks ago I purchased a 6ft(340L or 90G i'm fairly sure) for an albino tiger oscar which I had in a tank that was admittedly far too small(what can I say, it was love at first sight) He was only about 2.5" when i got him and grew about 1.5" in about one month so it was obvious he quickly needed a bigger home(don't know if Jaci is a he or a she, apparently i need a microscope to tell). After cycling the tank for several days I transfered him into the tank and all was well. The tank is running a large 1500Lph canister filter(three stage mechanical/bio/carbon), a 440Lph sponge filter, two heaters and an air stone) In the days that followed I noticed the aquarium store nearby had a red oscar for offer. I was surprised when I saw the price of $18 scrawled on the tank, as he was nearly 5" in length. He looked to my eyes in good health (but im a newb) except for a couple of what looked like wounds from fighting and a torn fin. I asked what it was and the shop owner said it was battle damage and he would quickly recover. That being said I was happy to take him home.

The first day he seemed to be keen to eat, 3 or 4 cichlid pellets. The albino at this stage is as happy as ever. Second day the wounds on the new oscar begin to look worse, does not eat anything offered (pellets, crickets) and seems lethargic in comparison to Jaci. Day Three is the same with no improvement of the wounds. Day Four I notice there are more wounds and the existing wounds are seem to be getting worse rather than healing and has still gone off his food but seems to be very friendly and not timid. Day Four the sores seem to be getting much worse and I have noticed a large sore at the base of his damaged right pectoral fin he also doesn't seem to be using his right gill(left is moving as normal). Day five (the day of this post) the sores are starting to look quite bad, I noticed today his fins seem to be whitening around the edges and his dorsal fin has developed a hole . On the plus side he ate one cricket but am extremely worried and saddened in seeing the deterioration of this beautiful animal.

I have taken pictures but there doesn't seem to be anywhere I can add it into the post (I assume i'll need to upload it to somewhere and provide the link).
For now I will do a 25% water change but I hope someone can advise me on what to do about this fish. I have already decided not to return him as I know he will be disposed of rather than nursed back to full health and I have already grown attached to him.

Thanks for any help you can offer.

Uploaded photos to:

i754.photobucket.com/albums/xx189/phayze82/IMG_0140.jpg

i754.photobucket.com/albums/xx189/phayze82/IMG_0140.jpg

Cheers for the help

hey there and welcome.
You say you got the new tank 2 weeks ago.
did you transfer the old filters to the new tank?
If the filters were new, your filters are not cycled, for that may take 5-6 weeks.
Even if you have a cycled old filter that was transferred to the new tank, you should have waited to up the bioload with another fish...
Could you please test your water for ammonia-nitrites-nitrates and pH?
Those results will help us help you.
Do you use Prime/ dechlorinator when ding waterchanges?
And a pic wouldt help too, you are right and should use Photobucket, and copy/paste the [IMG] code into the post.

first of all, welcome on board... im happy you found us.
2nd, congrats or the new tank... if you can give the dimension
we can give you the actual size in gal....

with the additional new fish, i love your logic...if you gonna return it,
the lfs will just lush it down in the bowl... you made the right move and
nurse the sick oscar.... definitely, it had been exposed to bad water
condition.... the good thing is he is eating some foods and that is promising
sign. just keep your water in good shape and it will recover soon.... just keep
an eye with your other o... healthy one normally pick the sick one rom time to time.

good luck...

Sorry second link was:

s754.photobucket.com/albums/xx189/phayze...current=IMG_0141.jpg

I forgot to mention I have had the filter running from the old tank aswell, it is a small hang on style filter. I also put some of the water from the old tank into the new tank as well as plants from the old tank. The albino oscar that was in the old tank is doing great so far. The new oscar is a different story (keep in mind he has only been in my care for 5 days)

Thanks

Ouch.....
the pics works and that one sick little fish.
I fear he has been in bad water in the LFS.
Surely he has battle scars, but i fear he may have HITH as well, and it looks like secondary fungal infection.
He needs pristine water conditions first, and if you got that in check he may need a medication treatment.
The other Mods will chime in and advice in the matter.
Keep up with the waterchanges, add prime and get back to us with those test results, so we can find out what the trouble is.
Do your other fish show any signs of sickness?

wow...
from the pics it would appear as noddy has mentioned that it seems like a combination of hith and aggression damage.
i think the first thing you will need to do is to make sure your water is in pristine condition ammonia 0, nitrites 0, and keep your nitrates below 20 at all times. for an extra to help with the physical damage you might want to look into treating the tank with some melafix.
stay on top of your water and if possible try to keep the newcommer in a hospital tank to help in reducing the cost of treatment.

keep us posted on your progress.....

Yep not good at all.. after doing a little research I came to the conclusion last night it was either HITH or fin rot or both..
Ive been getting my water tested at the local store(not the one I purchased the O from) but I have been doing regular ph checks. Just need to eat some dinner, do a water change, retest the ph and get back to you. I do intend on getting a full test kit, Im aware of how essential it is to have.

Here is a picture of my other oscar:
i754.photobucket.com/albums/xx189/phayze82/IMG_0154.jpg
And the overall tank setup:
i754.photobucket.com/albums/xx189/phayze82/IMG_0158.jpg

Could you possibly give me a run down of what prime does? Ive been using a water ager additive and have had to previously adjust my ph using ph down as it was too high. I have access to rainwater but am worried about contamination from whatever is in the gutters ect.

Thanks for your help, really appreciate it(so does the O)

ouch! the picture shows a lot of things:
previous poor water conditions;
injury from bullying;
stunt growth;
and early sign of HITH.

as i had said earlier, keeping your water in pristine condition
fish taking some foods.... you have a chance to make it live.
just keep an eye against another bullying from your other o.

prime or waterconditioner removes chlorine, chloramine and ammonia,converts ammonia into a safe, non-toxic form that is readily removed by the tank’s biofilter,detoxifies nitrite and nitrate, allowing the biofilter to more efficiently remove them. It will also detoxify any heavy metals found in the tap water at typical concentration levels. It also promotes the production and regeneration of the natural slime coat.

we advice not to alter your pH. A steady pH between 6-8 is good enough.
And get that testset quickly, you need one!
Hope he pulls through and heals quickly!

Thanks heaps for your advice everyone. Ill get that kit asap, just did a 25% water change and the ph was around the 7.8 mark. Ive heard that carbon in the filter is not good when used constantly or when trying to cycle the tank. Is this true? if so ill take it out. The filter has a UV tube in it aswell. Ive adjusted the heaters to 28 degrees Celsius and they are sitting steady at 27.
I was considering adding a little aquarium salt as a treatment, is this a good idea or will i just annihilate the good bacteria?

Thanks all.

carbon is only good for removal of medication , after treating a tank.
It will take out toxins from the water but this process will reverse when the carbon is in the filter for too long.
Best to take it out, imo.
Salt can be added, and it will not damge your cycle, but i say keep your water in pristine condition,(and find out if it is good at the moment) and don't use salt just yet.