Last night, I rescued 2 very sick oscars from a tank that looked like this...

...and was way overcrowded with fish. 55g tank with untreated/unheated water and holding 3 9" oscars (the 3rd died on the way home), 2 placos, 2 golfish, 2 pond brim, and 7 small catfish. I 2 established cichlid tanks at home and put the sick oscars in one of my 75g tanks (moving the currently residing cichlid to the other tank). We've had cichlids for years and our water levels are all good. I gave the rescue oscars stress coat upon arrival. They were lethargic, only laying on the bottom of the tank on their sides with bodies arched, and not wanting to swim. They have ick so bad that by morning the front glass of the tank looked like this...

There are also long hair-like worms on the glass and floating through the water, and I'm not sure what that is.

Both oscars have hole in the head. One so bad that it goes all the way through the top of his head with a thin layer of -skin?- at the bottom of the hole like it's trying to heal. That oscar also has a hole at the bottom of his eye.

They have ratty, discolored fins (especially the dorsal fin). And one has a swollen bottom fin. I gave them Ick-Away this morning and both seem to be doing progressively better throughout today. They are now periodically swimming through the tank and have started eating recently. Is there anything else I should be doing besides partial water changes, fungus meds, and ick meds? What are those worms? Any suggestions on any of this to save/heal these fish? Also, can I keep both of these oscars (one 6" and one 9") in the same 75g tank together or is that overcrowding? They seem to be good friends and I hate to separate them. I've had cichlids for a long time, but I'm surely no fish doctor. Thanks.

*Note: their current water is green because of the fungus meds and Ick-Away that was added to the water, not because the tank needs cleaning.

firstly good save and welcome to the site.....

now on to your problems. imho i think you should concentrate on the ick first and do what is needed to eliminate this asap. after you have the ick under control and the risk of infection is minimized then you should start the hith treatment. the severity of the the hith is bad but as of yet not terminal and i think that pristine water should be all that is needed to remedy it.

as for the white worms on the glass it looks to me like planeria and is usually caused by poor maintenance and overfeeding. it is not harmfull to your fish and it will also be taken care of with the water changes used to treat the hith.

from the pics you posted the oscars seem a little on the thin side. a varied diet with a top quality pellet as a staple should be fed to them to get help and get them healthy again.

Thank you for such a quick reply. I'm loving this site already Any ideas on the swollen fin? And are they too big to keep in a 75g tank together or should I separate them after I get them healthy again?

I had assumed that the planeria came in with the rescue fish, but it seems they are due to me overfeeding the fish that used to reside in that tank.

Thanks so much for the speedy and extremely helpful reply.

The Oscars are lucky to have you. The fact that they have started eating is a good sign. You'll probably find that once your water is in good condition, things should start getting a lot better. Unfortunately, two Oscars is a little too much for a 75 gallon tank, but for the time being, if you keep on top of water changes, they should be okay, but not long-term.

Anyway, Cris is helping you out so I will leave you in his capable hands as he knows what he's talking about

The world needs more people like you tankmonster, your a right on legend.

Good luck with those poor fish!

Hope you get things sorted with the two poor oscars,great for recscue!

Excellent rescue dude, good luck.

HI KEEP UP THE GOOD YOUR GOOD WORK GREAT RESCUE

What was the story with the original owner? How did it get like that?

Unfortunately, the original owner was my own sister. She bought them when they were small and, as it usually goes, they grew. She doesn't want big fish, so she said she was going to leave the tank like that until they died so she could go out and get smaller fish. My opinion, she doesn't belong owning any animals. Anyhow, I had gone to visit her for the first time in months. I cut the tank light on and that first picture up there is what I saw. I convinced her to let me take them home. I'm happy to say they are doing quite well right now. The first night was rough and it really didn't seem like they were going to make it. They are now swimming, eating, and rearranging the tank to their liking. We are treating them for white spot and fungus. I have them on a diet of worms in the morning and Tetra Tropical Flakes at night so that they can have the extra vitamins and nutrients they need to heal and fatten up. Our main problem right now would be getting rid of the white spot. We are on day 2 of treatment and the protozoans are covering the tank and fish. I'm open to any ideas on best meds/way to treat this, because it really worries me.

necromancer4 wrote:


X2

Your fish will be fine in the 75g if you are prepared to put the tank maintainence in, and be warned it will be a lot and regular

Once you have cured the white spot and any infections then it is daily water changes until the HITH is healed

tankmonster wrote:


Turn your heater in the tank up to 86 degrees and add one tsb of pure salt per 5 gals and your ick will be gone in 2-3 days...

Please give this a shot! Also make sure you have an airstone in your tank.
I sure hope this helps!