My oscar started acting funny the past couple days. it swims upright then flips on his back and there is a bubble-like bulge at his rectum. I talked to our local pet shop and they suggested doing a 25 gallon water change and add epsom salts to the tank and not to feed the fish for 3-4 days. The fish will eat and tried to feed him some peas but would only eat 1 and then wouldnt eat any more peas. I have him in a 55 gallon tank with 2 filters and a water temp of 82 degrees. Here is a picture, has anyone dealt with anything like this? I got the fish from a friend about 3 years ago when it had severe hole in the head and have been bringing it back to normal then this happens.. When it flips upside down this bulge appears but when it flips right side up, the bulge disappears.

welcome to the site.

for uploading pictures you should photbucket. its free to join and faily simple to use. there is a thread general information forum to help in doing this.

I talked to my local pet store " fish expert " and he suggested the oscar might have torn the muscle that holds the swim bladder in place. Thats why when it swims upside down it looks as if it is trying to defecate out it's swim bladder. He says there are 2 choices, 1. take to vet and have surgery 2. give it a good life until it dies.. It is about 7 years old. lives in a 55 gallon tank with 2 filters 1 with a bio wheel. it has a 6 inch knife fish that is his buddy. All my water levels are fine but my nitrate level was high. I have been doing water changes every couple of days and have added Cycle to replace any bacteria that i might have lost in the water changing process.

Thoughts? please help.

wow ive never heard of anything like that. i can see in the picture that the bulge is quite large. as i read further on, i red the part where the one guy suggested it could be a torn muscle in the swim bladder. and although i am by no means an expert and ive never even heard of that, it sounds like thats the case. that would explain the lack of balance of the oscar, and why it rises up when its upside down. if thats the case, i dont think theres much you could do. maybe talk to a vet and see what they could suggest to you? i cant imagine how much surgery would cost, so dont feel bad if you dont go through if thats the only option.

although your picture is small, i can see some very nice coloration on that o.

I have never see anything like this before but before I read your post below I thought it was the swim bladder coming out. I would suggest a vet to stitch up the torn skin. You could try putting the fish in a very shallow tank to stop it inverting. It may repair if it has not got the chance to pop out. I cant offer any more advice as i have not come across this before. best of luck. please keep use posted as what the out come is.

first of a kind is your case, never had encounter or
read something like that. since your oscar is having
difficulty in balancing, swim bladder problem can be
considered plus constipation that was infected. i believe
you need to see a veterinarian for it.