Help My Baby Oscar

Question
My Oscar was doing great - We tried feeding him Oscar Grow but he wouldnt eat it, so we tried meal worms - which he liked. One night we ran out of food (that he would actually eat) so I tried a worm out of the yard. He LOVED it - so I would just give him a worm every day - then all of a sudden he quit eating, laying on the bottom of the tank(all the time, breathing hard)swims in circles and then runs into the side of the tank. It seems like he tries to swim but then just goes in circles or does spins. I feel so bad for him, my husband told me that it was probably from the worms - I Felt Horrible - So I went and bought some Anti-Parasitic Medication for him though I just started it a couple of hours ago. Could you tell me what his problem is and how to prevent this from happening again? Besides feeding him earth worms - cause I wont do that again... :(

Answer
Hi Aly;

Earthworms really should not have caused a problem. They are a good food. It may have caused constipation though, especially if he ate a lot of them. Just stop feeding him for 3 or 4 days and it will probably clear up. He won't starve. Healthy fish can go for two weeks with no food at all and it is healthy for him to "fast" after a problem like this. After the fasting, feed him peeled cooked green peas for a couple of days before you start back with his regular diet again. Peas act as a laxative. They are a good food to offer a couple of times a week in order to keep him "regular".

Is the tank fairly new, set up less than 8 weeks? If so, it's possible it is going through the Break-in Period and that's causing him stress too. Have the ammonia and nitrite levels tested. If either are elevated it will also cause him to feel sick. Make a partial water change of 25% every day that there is ammonia or nitrite elevated. You can even do them every day for a few days if it is severe.

I hope he gets better soon...

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins