[Oscar104]

Please help. My baby Oscar (yes very original) needs help and the Vet can't come for a week. On Friday I noticed 'a white fuzz speck' on his body at the fin and today (Tuesday) it is an open wound. The pic where you see more white is Tuesday morning and the open fleshy wound is Tuesday evening. The water conditions are ok. Does anyone have suggestions to help him to hold on/improve before Monday? I am really freaking out.

Background: I know nothing about fish and I just acquired care taking responsibilities when he was left at work and no one looked after him. When I acquired him several months ago he had a terrible eye infection and had been living in terrible water conditions and a pH = 4!!!!!(these conditions could have been like this for 6+ months - he was in a different building so I never saw him until I changed buildings). I was able to get the water stable and healthy and with a special antibiotic diet his eye cleared up fantastically. So move forward 4 months and this new problem has developed.

Tank - ~80 gallons, he used to eat guppies but since his near death experience he no longer eats guppies. He is the only cichild and there are usually 6-12 guppies in the tank with him. He is probably 8 inches long and 5 inches or so 'tall'. For the past 2 months we have had a service come in 2x a month for ~20% water change.

 

[Old Newbie]

That looks like a wound with possibly some fungus growing on it. Are there any jagged rocks in the tank he might have hurt himself on? I've only had one Oscar in my life, about 40 years ago, and he would hurt himself regularly trying to move big rocks. I would say that 20% water change every 2 weeks is probably not enough to keep nitrates down and high nitrates can contribute to fungal growth. Do you have a water test kit? If not I would get one; when nitrates get above 20 parts per million change 50% of the water. You can treat for fungus with something like SeaChem KanaPlex or API Fungus Cure; that is a pretty big tank to treat and will cost a bit.

 

[Oscar104]

Thanks - There is one piece of coral that could be the culprit but he really is pretty docile for an Oscar and I have never seen him really pay any attention to it (I have removed it just in case now). I just did a Strip test: GH 120, KH 40 (too high), pH 6 (too low), NO2- 0, NO3- ~80 (too high). So it does seem that things have shifted a bit. I have done a 20% water change this morning (plus the vet had recommended some salt to help) and will go to the pet store today to get stuff to help increase the pH and decrease the NO3- and get fresh filters. I hope that his past experienced has toughened him up (he survived in much worse) and I will do more frequent water changes this week (and the rest if his long life). I am fine with the expense I just want to make sure I get the right thing (or at least don't make it worse).

 

[thornsja19]

If your nitrates are that high a 20% change isn't going to do much for you. And 20% every other week definitely isn't enough either. Up it to about 50% weekly. Will keep the water cleaner which makes disease outbreak less likely and helps them get over what they already have faster.

 

[Oscar6]

Don't be adding chemicals to adjust ph. It's low because water is toxic. Don't do too much water change at once. Clean water is critical for your fish, but it has been living in bad water and too much clean too soon will kill him. %25 daily for a week. Then %50 daily for another week. No meds until water is clean. Meaning a constant nitrate reading of under 20ppm. Going forward, should the fish recover and survive, as much water change as it takes to keep nitrate at 10. In 80g this likely means %75 every 3-4 days. I question this service you are using. If they think those skimpy water changes are suffice for an Oscar, they really have no knowledge of cichlid care. Stop feeding guppies. Limited nutrition on them. A quality pellet should be the Oscars staple diet. Diet is secondary for now. Clean water is the goal, but take it slow. Lotsa good knowledgeable fishkeepers here. We will help you. I myself have been keeping Oscars over 50 yrs. Now, get to it, change that water!

 

[Oscar6]

Wow I replied to a 3 yr old thread. Should pay more attention. I'm still right though, I'll take solace in that lol

 

[Auballagh]

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