Eggs???

Question
I've got a normal 10gallon fish tank. It has an Oscar, sucker fish, two Pacus, and a little yellow spotted puffer fish. I'm not sure what it is, but there is an egg sack looking deal in my stump hide out thingy in my tank. Sorry about my loose terms, but I'm having a hard time elaborating. Do you have any idea what this could be? My Oscar and sucker fish seem to be almost protecting it. They just sit by it all day everyday. The sucker fish swoops up to the surface every now and then.

Answer
Dear Patrick,
The egg sack looking thing could be a fungus patch due to uneaten food being hidden in crevices. Or it could indeed be a small patch of snail eggs which are very common in aquariums. Ramshorn snails lay a small jelly-like patch of eggs anywhere in the aquarium. You can usually see the extremely tiny eggs inside the jelly-like patch if you can get it into the light.
Without seeing the mysterious 'egg sack' I can only briefly guess as to what it really is. The best thing I can advise is I would remove it out of the stump hideaway and make sure to do a thorough gravel vacumming with a aquarium siphon hose. A good water change of at least 50% is best also. Make sure uneaten food is not settling in the crevices in your aquarium. The current fish you keep are known to be very messy eaters.

I must warn you about the current setup of your aquarium. A  10 gallon aquarium could not support any of your fish long-term. I'm sorry to say this to you but your fish will be so terribly cramped and uncomfortable in your 10gallon and all will become stunted and very sickly due the resulting polluted water. I am not trying to criticize or blame, but please try to get your fish into a better enviroment as soon as possible. Oscars are beautiful and exremely interesting fish that will reach 12" inches or more. I own an oscar who is even too big for a 55gallon aquarium. The sucker fish you mentioned may likely be a Common Plecostomus (you can see pictures here to confirm-
http://www.fishlore.com/Profiles-Pleco.htm

The two pacus may be the worse off of them all. Pacus grow well over 12 inches and I have personally seen many who are 18+ inches. Pacus are known to even grow bigger to 3 feet and larger and I have observed many who are nearing that size.
The somewhat less common Black pacu has reached sizes of 30" inches and more. Overall, a Pacu needs a immense aquarium. A 200 gallon aquarium is good but it will not be able to hold much more fish than just the two you have, and even then the pacus may increase their height and length and require an even bigger aquarium.
It really is sad how many pacus are sold at almost every petstore, many people may not even know how large these amazon fish can really reach. Pacus require a commitment probably unlike any other fish in order for them to thrive and live a healthy and happy long life.

Again, I am not criticizing you, only letting you know, that the little yellow spotted puffer may also really be a Brackish water puffer. Brackish means part saltwater and part freshwater. There are many puffers who are brackish water and really do best in a aquarium setup just for them. For more info on this, please visit-
"http://www.pufferresources.net/forum/"
        
For now, make sure you are cleaning your aquarium enough to keep the water healthy for the big polluters you have currently.
It would be best to change 50% of the water along with gravel vacummings every other day or at least three times a week to ensure the water remains pure enough. Even then, if the fish are large it may not be enough. A good upgrade is best for your fish. A 55gallon aquarium would be best for a while, but even then the fish will be growing and will become severely crowded in a few short months.

Please try to upgrade your fishes home, I don't mean to tell you what to do, but it's a sad fact that far too many large fish likes oscars and pacus are never kept the way they should be and many die at an alarmingly short lifespan due to the improper care and environment they are given. *I only want to try to prevent this sad ending for your fish and I am here to help all I can if you have anymore questions on your fish or aquarium.

Feel free to write again.

Best wishes!
Karen~