Hello everyone! I've rescued an Oscar from a school I attend once a week and although I presently have 6 tanks in my house, I'm a Gold Fish mom! Everything I know about Oscar's comes from what I've read over the last 3 days. I have also studied this site and I'm confident I have come to the right place.
The O I rescued is 6 years old and comes from an extremely dirty 30 gallon tank. This tank had moss-like algae (?) free floating throughout the tank as well as growing all over the two very large decorations and gravel. I spoke briefly with the owner about three weeks ago asking him if he new his tank was way too small for what he had in there. (It contained the O and a Gourami of some sort) The owner had "no idea". I brought my master kit in the following week to test his water because I noticed a white/grey patch starting on the tail fin. I can't remember exactly how it tested, what I do remember is there were definate Nitrites and the Nitrates were through the roof. The water temperature made the glass more then warm to the touch. His thermometer wasn't working - heck, my Beta's tank isn't even that warm! (he told me he uses only cold water for water changes)
Last Wednesday when I went to class the owner had removed the O and put him in another 30 gallon he had in storage. He had done this the day before and was doing another water change that day. I had to investigate. This poor fish could hardly keep upright. The owner hadn't even cleaned out the tank in storage he just filled it with about 10% of the original's tank's water and filled the rest with new...ugh.
Ok so I couldn't contain myself any longer - if I left the fish where it was, it was certain death so I had no choice, I took him.
I realize what I'm about to tell you isn't exactly the best thing to do but....well, I just did the best I could with what I had. I have a 36 gallon tank I'm setting up for a Lemon Tetra tank that is half way to being established and ready for fish. Also in my living room is a 75 gallon with four Fancy Goldfish. You guessed it, knowing the Oscar needed that 75 gallon tank more then my Fancies, I moved them into that 36g and put him in the 75g. What I did was not nice to my goldies but, well...carp are hardy right? Anyway, now that you have the details as to what this poor big fish has been through...here is his present situation.
He is alone in the 75gal tank with 3 soft plastice plants and gravel. I have 2 filters running, both Eheim Prof II, the 2026 and the 2028. There are two disk bubblers and my water is PH 7.2, Nitrites 0, Nitrates 0, Ammonia 0. Oxygen tests well too. (I do not know ALK etc) The tank contains Aquarium salt at the rate of 1 tbls per 5gals. O has not eaten since Tuesday (4 days). I bought him a heater for the tank and is sitting at 79/80. He doesn't acknowledge his regular freeze dried Tubifix worms (fm owner) or the frozen blood worms I bought him.
He has definate tail and fin rot. His eyes are covered in white, on one eye the white stuff is starting to "stick out", not the eye itself, just the white stuff. He has some kind of fungal infection over his body. He doesn't swim but when he attempts to he ends up falling and just laying wherever he lands. He can't stay upright on his own. (the base of his tail is actually broken - from the net I think)
So far I tried the Jungle tabs because I didn't have enough Maracyn or Maracyn 2 in my cabinet for the 75 gal. I bought the Melafix, Pimafix and Xtreme Garlic drops and have read so much I'm totally confused on what to do or how to treat this guy.
PS. I am supposed to give this fish back to it's owner when it's well but...I think my subconscious refuses to do this because I have named him "Blue"
