Nemo is sick (Oscar)

Question
We recently moved to S. Carolina from Michigan in Feb. Nemo made the move great and seemed to be doing fine. He stopped eating almost 2 weeks ago. I have treated him for parasites, ick and fungus, completely cleaned his rocks and tank. He is about 12" in a 55 gallon tank and lives alone. He was left at my inlaws but they have been out of town for almost a month and we would go over and feed him. A few days ago I moved him back to our house. Being in SC, we are afraid he may have eaten a bug or lizard, that poss got into his tank. He has a white bloch on his eye and I am not sure what the HITH looks like. He has a Magnum 350 on his tank and i change his water frequently. He usually will eat miller bugs when i catch them for him and he will not wat them, his worms, any food I normally feed him. Do you think hes sick or just mad for being left alone. He is very spoiled and use to alot of attention. Any suggestions?

Answer
Hi Cindy,
  When you treated him for parasites, ick and fungus, did he actually have those things?  You have to very careful with fish medicines. They are very powerful and most of them can really hurt a fish (and make them stop eating) as much as make a fish better.  Only use a medicine if you know the fish has that thing. For example, never treat for ick "just in case".  

  Eating a bug or a lizard won't generally hurt an oscar, unless the bug was toxic.  

  The white blotch on the eye is interesting.  It usually indicates physical damage to the eye, such as being bitten by another fish.  But you say that he is alone so that can't be it.  It could also be caused by bashing into a rock or something sharp.  It should heal relatively quickly if that is the case.    

  The other possibility is that the white cloudiness is caused by some irritant in the water.  In that case, it would most likely show up on both eyes.  Look carefully at the other eye to see if it looks okay.

  Oscars do occassionaly just stop eating for a week or two with no long term bad effects and a 12" fish can go a long time (many weeks) with no food at all.  

  It is VERY possible that he is just upset at the move and everything.  Oscars are very sensitive to their surroundings and their people and they get disturbed when things change on them.   He will get over it but it just takes time.

  In the meantime, be very sure that no uneaten food stays in the tank to foul the water.

-- Ron
  rcoleman@cichlidresearch.com
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