Hi All,

I've had my Oscar (Steve) for a year now. He has been an absolutely tough fish, a true alpha male. Unfortunately about 3 weeks ago, he seems to have hit his head hard on some fake coral I had in the tank. Several serious wounds developed and seem to be worsening. At first, I thought it may have been HITH, something I had missed, and treated with an anti-parasite medication. This was 2 weeks ago. He stopped eating more than a week ago and lays on the bottom of the tank. I don't know how much longer he will last. I also tried a treatment for fungus and using anti-biotics, thinking he had an infected wound. Didn't seem to work, but he didn't really eat the anti-biotic meds either.

s941.photobucket.com/albums/ad260/nsgold...urrent=_MG_5217x.jpg

I figured I'd give some info from the sticky to help diagnose:

1, Test the water write the results down. Ammonia,nitrite,nitrate,PH,temp. you must test for all. so a full test kit from a fish store is a must.

I tested pH, ammonia and nitrites using test strips and the water shows to be between excellent and fair. Temp is around 80-82°F which is within the normal range (and it's summer); I have left the A/C on during the day specifically for Steve. I've got a 55 gallon aquarium with a Fluval 405 filter, using carbon, Biomax, and Ammonia absorber media. Water is VERY clear, I typically do a 50% change every 2 weeks.

2, Take a good look at the fish and try to work out what the problem is. look for heavy breathing, cuts, marks, colour change, parasite (these may be very small less than 1mm in size so look very carefully).

No parasites visible, but the treatment I gave lasted a week (3 doses) so that should have rid of any. Steve is breathing heavily and has "grey" stripes running down his side. This is not normal for him. His normal black color is fading. Obviously the large gashes are visible. I was told by a local fish store (I trust his judgment) that he likely was injured by the coral and needed time to recuperate. It's been a couple weeks since then and he is not improving. I immediately replaced all the coral with harmless fake plants (I washed them first).

3, if you are still worried post and ask for advice. give good clear descriptions in your post subject. IE sick fish "white spot" or what ever the problem is.

Think I covered this.

4, In writing your post give the water test results in full. "OK" means little. we need those results in full. IE nitrates 20 pph etc. give your tank size, filter size, type and output if known.

Just using strips, not very accurate, but good enough.

5,Tell us how long the tank has been setup. days wks or months?

Approx. 6 months.

6, give the number, size, and fish you have in the tank.

I have 4 other fish in the tank: 2 Jack Dempseys, 1 Tin Foil Barb, and one... I forgot his species (doh!). Steve is the only one struggling, the others are in perfect health. Steve is about 8" long and the others are about half his size or less.

7, if you think a picture will show more than you can explain then post a picture. Usually a picture can solve a lot more than words if the sick fish is showing some signs. IE cuts, marks, colour, slime, parasites.

PICS: s941.photobucket.com/albums/ad260/nsgold...urrent=_MG_5217x.jpg

8, while waiting for a reply its recommended you carry out a 30% water change.

Currently treating for fungus (rid-ich), carbon is removed. I will be doing another water change later this week when it is over.

DO NOT TREAT THE TANK (Oops, I screwed up on this one....)

Ouch that surely looks like a wound idk what to tell you ill let someelse chime in though.

VERY VERY VERY good!!!!

OK, can you tell me how much time is given between meds???

I have to tell you that you are WAY overstocked. Your Oscar needs the 55 gallons to himself...

And you need to be doing a 30% water change every week... Keep in mind that is if you ONLY have an Oscar in the tank.. Being overstocked, you need to be doing a 30% water change every 3 days or so to keep your water in good condition.

hey there.
nicki got you covered.
I got a fully stocked tank, and need to do 50% waterchanges weekly to keep things in check.
And boy,would life be easy for us here, if everybody used the stickies like you did.
Great compliments for that.
hope your fish heals up nicely, with some extra waterchanges.

Nikki-Sue and Noddy,

Thanks for the advice, I really appreciate it. It's funny about reading stickies first; it seems most people on the web have some kind of reading dysfunction - rather than search around, it's easier to just post. I find it funny when I see a post that describes nothing but expects the world... and then the same person posts an angry response later because no one helped them. Anyway, I'm getting off topic.

You know, I think I may have exaggerated on the size of the fish (the fish was thhissss big!) Two are about half Steve's size, the other two are about 1/4. Either way, it is a lot for a 55 gal. I wasn't thinking and put 55 gal - IT'S a 70 GAL TANK! DOH! (It's late, long day, etc.) I think he has plenty of space for his size.

However, I am immaculate when it comes to cleaning; the first thing people say when they see the tank is that they cannot believe how clear the water is. I realize the water can be clear but full of ammonia and nitrates, but the Fluval 405 is a large filter for this size tank and weekly changes seem to keep the levels safe. I said I do a water change every two weeks, but it really more like every week and a half. I had been overfeeding and changing every week, but I found by feeding less and changing every week and a half works.

The Tetra Parasite Guard was used for 6 days, with a dosage of 7 tablets every two days. Then I performed a water change, and gave him a week before trying the Rid-Ich, which I am dosing at 35 ml every day. So far, I don't see an improvement. However, it's only been 2 days, and tonight was the last dosage - tomorrow I will do a 50% water change and will add the carbon and ammonia absorber back into the filter. I'm hoping some fresh water and some more time will help him, but since he stopped eating I'm worried he may be at his end.

I think I may just have to wait it out and hope for the best. However, any other advice would be greatly appreciated.

ok, that changes things a bit.
70 gl is better and if you check your nitrates, and keepthem real low, your o may survive.
Oscars can go without food for prolongued periods and still survive.
Unfortunately the "I won't eat-routine" is a common side effect of the medicine you put into the tank...

I agree with Noddy!!! Keep up with a few extra water changes, and stop ALL meds... He should heal quickly...

And the meds that have been added to the tank will cause him to refuse food... I wouldn't worry just yet!

can you try a frontal head shot? I'd like to see it closer for future reference...

Oscars indeed heal very quickly. one of mine had some scrapes/injuries (not as bad as your poor guy); but I was amazed - they healed up in just a few days - there is hope!

In the past, he's had some bad injuries - never this bad, but they always healed within a week. It's one reason I was concerned, since it's been nearly a month now!

I stopped giving him the meds (it was 3 days anyway - that's the recommended time) and did a 50% water change and a good tank cleaning. Hopefully he starts to pick up and begins eating again. All of the comments here have given me hope!

As far as the photos, I did my best to get a good shot of his injuries but had trouble getting a good photo of them through the glass. I used a bounce flash and took a bunch of pics; the ones I posted were the best of them all. Once the water clears up, (no carbon for 3 days) I'll attempt at a better pic.

I will keep you all updated. Thanks for the help!

what are stickies?

pjbeattie81 wrote:

if you enter the main forum page, you can enter the sub menus.
the top topics will be marked with a red marker on the right.
Those threads are important and will stay on the top end of the forum at all times.
I hardly ever notice them for i usually enter through the new posts page.
Hope that helps...