discoloration of freshwater oscar

Question
He has black coloring around his jaw backwards toward the gills, on his fins and body that has just recently occurred.  It almost looks like a fungus.  He spends a lot of time in the bottom air filter and is lack-a-dazical.  He has some spots on his head where it looks like he has rubbed off scales and this happened just yesterday.  My thought is that maybe it is ICH, but am not sure.  Can you help?

Answer
Hi Patsy,

Ich is characterized by small white spots on the fish. It starts on the fins and moves on to the body. (It looks like the fish was sprinkled with salt). From your description, it does not sound like Ich.

Without a picture, it is impossible to tell what your fish is sick with. Since you suspect that your fish has a fungus, it can be treated with an anti-fungal medication from your local fish store. Brands include Jungle Fungus Clear, Fungus Eliminator, Pimafix, and many others.
remember to remove the carbon from the filter during use.

The Black spots can be a sign of ammonia poisoning. (especially if the tank is 20 gallons or less) You can help by performing daily water changes of 10-20%. If you are going to use a fungal medication, I recommend doing a 50% water change first.

You can use this website to diagnose your fish's disease.

http://animal-world.com/encyclo/fresh/information/Diseases.htm

Good Luck, and Happy Fishkeeping!