red oscar

Question
i have a red and black oscar he about 3 years old for the last three hes been laying on hes side on hes fin at the button its a white spot i dont know if he rub it up against the hard things in the tank or its just white and he is losting balance he cant stay at the buttom of the tank any more with the other oscar please heip me whats wrong with him

Answer
Hi Meek091,

Oscars are very big poopers.  They require at least 25 gallons of water apiece to poop in.  

I don't know the size of your tank or the tank's specifications yet, but what you are describing is known as Ammonia poisoning.  

The sore is the first indication of high ammonia and then laying on the side, and losing balance are other symptoms.

The water is toxic.

Please change out 25% of the water today.  Tomorrow, change another 25% of the water.  Every day, change 25% of the water til Sunday of this week.  Then, change 25% on Wednesday and 25% on the next sunday.

Maintain regular monthly water changes of 25% after that, as usual.

Water should ideally be changed bi-weekly, but most people get away with a monthly change.

If you're running a canister filter, this is why your fish are having issues...my guess is you bought it under the assumption that it will never need changing, or that it needs changing less often than a HOB filter.  Well, partially true...you can go a month to two months without cleaning the media, but canisters need changed monthly/bi-monthly.  Media needs changed and washed out and the canister opened and de-toxed.

In a canister filter, what happens is they are a biological filtration unit.  They are ideal when used properly, but that is rare.

The build-up of beneficial bacteria and a nitrogen cycling process is what usually keeps waste in the canister and feeds clean water back into the tank, but as the canister ages, biological chemicals that were, at first, helpful, become toxic in levels.  Eventually, there's nowhere for them to go (the canister is full) and they begin feeding back into the tank.

If your water has any yellow coloring, it's ammonia.

Now, to treat the fin, let's get the water parameters taken care of, first.  That might clear it up.  What you want to watch for, while he recouperates, is a fin that gets white fluff on it, bacteria, and if the white patch spreads, then we need to dose him in a hospital tank, with salt.

I suggest in that case the following:

Get a hospital tank set up.  Add 2 teaspoons of Marine Salt per gallon.  Heat it to 80F.  Heavily filter it so he's got plenty of fresh water and movement of water.

Watch the fish.  The fungus should clear up within 72 hours...or be cured in 72 hours, clearing up as time heals the wound.

I hope you feel free to write me back anytime.

Happy fish-keeping.

Renee