I have two Oscars approximately 1-1/2 years old, 12" long -- Bonnie will not eat the cyclid food, stopped eating worms, will not eat feeder fish -- Cylde will eat the nightcrawlers and oscar noodles. Water keeps turning green -- empty more than 1/2 of the 150 gallon tank (a job by hand) and change filters, etc -- add drops -- within a week the water is cloudy and green again. Worried about Bonnie. Does this sound like a problem most encounter or is it major?! How to correct? Thx!

green water is normal with high nitrates. have you tested for nitrates? it could also be because of the position the tank is in. if its by a window with a lot of light or light left on for long periods this could cause the same green water as could a Bactria bloom. if its a bactiria bloom you can buy a treatment from a fish shop.

how long has the fish stopped feeding? is it eating anything or stopped altogether?

Thank you. Has not been eating regularly for about a week. Not at all for two days. Will take a worm or a piece of fruit in and spit it out. Usually takes the hard noodles from my hand but has stopped doing that. Continues to interact with her tank mate -- moving things around and biting at eachother, as normal. Neither one of them will eat a feeder fish any more. They "appear" to be healthy -- but she has to start eating. Anything they can't refuse? What do I need to test nitrates in h20 -- I've never had anything like this happen before.

in the wild these fish can go for months without food. all you can do is keep trying. keep your water perfect, and dont give up on it, sooner or later it will come around. as long as its acting normally with the other fish i wouldnt lose hope. my big girl went off her food for over 2 weeks and had me scared to death, then i notice it started digging spawning pits with the other oscar, and eventually it came around and started eating again. keep trying and dont give up just yet, there is still hope!

every fish owner should own a full water testing kit. at £25-$50. there is no other way to know if your water conditions are good or bad. most if not all fish stores/pet shops will sell a kit. liquid kits are best and most members recommend aquarium pharmaceuticals.

as for feeding a few days isn't much to get to worried about. a oscar in good health can last many wks without food. 1 small feeder can last a oscar a few days and i don't recommend feeding daily when your oscars reach full size adults. every 2 days is fine if they eat well. feeders are not very good food and should only be a small part if at all has a diet for your fish. a lot of members have had problems with oscars that just stop feeding altogether. some have lost there fish sadly and to be honest we are none the wiser why it happens sometimes. as your fish is still eating this may not be the case but I would definitely recommend testing your water for nitrates as a starting point. a mixed diet with pellets as 60% staple diet would be a better oscar diet. i personally don't recommend feeders as they are poor nutrition and can introduce infection to your fish.

marcus wrote:



x2!

X3

For starters I am glad that you have a great size tank.
I was wondering if you could fill me in on how often you do a water change, as well as what filter system you are using.
Also, do the fish look 'normal'?

Thx, I plan on getting a full water test kit!!! Can't deal with possibility of losing these fish.

Great news! I was so worried -- I've learned a lot today.

Jadar wrote:


just reread your first post. i would also recommend you look into syphoning as a way of emptying your tank. no human can do wkly water changes on a 150g by hand you will will end up going mad or arms like pop eye a length of hose pipe is all thats needed to drain some water off. buy some garden hose to reach a drain/toilet/sink in your house thats at a lower level than the tank. place one end in the tank the other end at the drain and then suck. the water will continue to flow as gravity pulls it. no more buckets

welcome aboard... the guys got you covered.

Jadar wrote:

having them for 1 1/2 years is good accomplishment already.... having a decent tank size
help you cope with the water issue ...

how did you change filters? did you replace all media in you filters...
what kind or type of filtration do you have.???