Oscar has eatin a largeish stone!?

Question
I have an adult oscar, 12-14 in long. As gravel for his tank I've put in river rocks, from gravel size to about half dollar. Over the last 2 weeks he(or she) has been digging like a gofer to get to the bottom of the tank. On one of these digging adventures he somehow has swallowed a quater-sized stone. At this point the stone appers to be in his stomache, just behind the lower set of fins. At this point I don't know if he can pass it or if he may need profesional attention. Calling a vet and several pet shops everyone has told me that he well eventully pass this stone, but after a week of waiting he's stopped eating and just kinda sits at the bottom of them tank. I'm worried that this may end-up seriously hurting or killing him. Any advise/tips will be greatly helpful.

Thanks, Dave

Answer
Hi Dave,
 That is a tough one.  I think you are basically going to have to wait it out.  The odds of successfully doing surgery to remove it and then sewing him back up are very low and I don't know if you could even find a vet willing to try.  

-- Ron
  rcoleman@cichlidresearch.com
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