Hello. I have been busy with work so hardly any time to look at the boards. It seems as if I always get on when I have a problem with Wolfgang. The help here is always great so here goes...

My fish about 2-3 days ago started gasping and hanging around near the filter outlet more than normal. He is eating but no longer acting aggressive and eating as much. His water parameters are Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0, Nitrate 20, and his PH is around 8.2. He is in a 75 gallon tank alone and his filtration is a Fluval FX5 along with a HOB Emperor 400. I give him regular water changes every 3 days and do about 20-30%. The tank has been fully cycled since May of 2009. The water temp. is between 78-80 degrees Fahrenheit. I feed him hikari brand Oscar Gold and mix it up with Oscar Grow pellets.

I just did a 30% water change this evening and also added a little salt to his tank. His behavior is pretty much the same. I am not able to post a pic at this time but he is gasping and it is as if his mouth is constantly open and his lips seem fatter or stretchy. Has anyone experienced this or have an idea what it could be? I checked all the picture and didn't have any luck. I will try and get a picture posted soon. Thanks in advance and hope everyone is doing well.

Matt

based on your info, nothing to make it gasp the breathing. are you sure it is
breath gasping.???? or just grunting like this.

www.youtube.com/v/gRXQbPTJHIs&color1...embedded&fs=1%22

He isn't doing what the oscar in the video looks to be doing. My fish seems to be breathing faster.

better check water parameters again....what type is your testing kit?
liquid or strips? breath gasping is a sign of water problem.

do you have air stone? at 80 deg F, you might have low oxygen dissolve
in water. you can create agitation by rippling the discharge of your
pump or installing air stone.

I do not have an air stone. Tested water again and my parameters are the same. The testing kit is a liquid type by Aquarium Pharmaceuticals. He ate this morning but much slower. It's as if he is sluggish and his mouth is swollen. He wasn't gasping hard at all before I left for work. I keep the water level on the tank a little low and let the Emperor 400 stir it up a bit and I thought that was enough for O2. Thanks

Does the heavy breathing subside slightly after a water change? Have you tested your tap water for pH? Where the water comes back into your tank from the filters, is it causing plenty of surface agitation? Is there any swelling in the abdomen?

There have been changes with Wolfgang. The heavy breathing is pretty steady but seems to slow down when he is at the bottom. My water conditions are fine and the emperor 400 is agitating the water a lot because I don't fill the tank up all the way.

He recently stopped eating and now appears to be worse. The thing he is doing with his mouth is really hard to describe but I will try it. While gasping, his mouth is mostly always open and if you look closely it is as if it's turning inside out.. and it's almost as if a little balloon inside of his mouth inflating and deflating and it's about width of a fingernail. It might be part of his mouth. His mouth/jaw also open and close rapidly very randomly.. as if he is choking and it only does that for a couple seconds. I went to a pet store the other night and they sold me this treatment called Melafix. This is the second day of trying it. Any advice would be appreciated because while he looks terrible, he still recognizes me and looks at me as if he wants my help. Thanks

Heavy breathing like this isnt good, I dont worry you but the outcome can be bad

Your oscar is healthy and water is good. One day the oscar starts breathing heavy, then after a few days he stops eating and after a week or so the oscar dies. This has happened to me once and i have heard this a few times.

All you can do is keep your water good and cross your fingers

mrmatt1974 wrote:

in most cases, when you medicate the tank, fish/es will stop or refuse eating for a while.
once they start eating, it shows that medication are effective and fish/es had recovered.

This morning Wolfgang seemed hungry so I gave him some Hikari pellets. He ate about 7 of them but left a couple floating in the water which he never does. Nothing has really changed with his condition. Hopefully he is slowly recovering and I'm still using the Melafix.

taking a few pellets is a positive sign already. yeah, Melafix will make your fish
refuse foods for a while. just keep checking the water quality. medication will be
ineffective if you do not have good water quality.

Its a very good sign that your fish is eating, keep tempting him with food he likes