Help with my Oscar

[kank]

Hello guys am new to this forum but am seriously into deep trouble with my oscar fish.it has stopped moving and keeps lying in a corner of the tank.it doesnt even eat properly.
Actually the mate of this fish died about 4months ago and then i bought some smaller oscars but as this one used to fight with the smaller ones and since then i divided the tank with a divider.but they could see each other.but recently i have got a new tank and moved the bigger one into the new tank.but rather than being happy,it acts like being a loner and has stopped eating.
i used to feed it with dry foods (humpry head) and prawns.
how to make him act natural?
ohh yes i dont see any changes among the smaller oscars maybe because they are still in a group of five.
my older tank is around 50.5 U.S. gallons,while the newer one is about 18.7 U.S. gallons.Also i am attaching some pics of my bigger oscar.
please help me.

[Brhino]

How long ago did you move the oscar? They're known to sulk for a few days when you've made serious changes to their environment.

But... did you say the new tank is less than 20 gallons? That's way too small for an oscar! Also, did you cycle the tank, or move a filter over, or anything? Have you checked your water parameters? An oscar in a tank that size without a cycled filter could turn the water toxic very quickly.

[Cermet]

Brhino is correct (rather small tank and is it cycled?). Also, new fish can carry illnesses that an older fish can't handle. Could be water - filters crash, tap changes - so what are the water parameters? Need to measure those asap. Good luck.

[kank]

Thanks guys...yes i filled the tank with fresh water from the tap.i moved him about two days before.
sorry i dont know how to check the water conditions :(
my tank has three filter and am posting pics of those please tell me what to do.
i agree that the tank is smaller but its the only fish out there till now and i guess got good amount of space to roam about.maybe i am wrong because i am an amateur.
please correct me.

and you will see that the artificial plants are in one corner of the tank and he moved them..maybe he doesnt like them at all...and he moves around the tank when all the lights are switched off :)

[MCHRKiller]

Neither of your tanks is really large enough to house 1 oscar for life muchless the 6 fish you are keeping. The new tank is far too small, and I assume you did not fishless cycle it to begin with? What are your water parameters?

It is not uncommon for newly moved Oscar fish to sulk on the bottom like that...however I am going on a limb and saying that water parameters are also to blame.

[kank]

can you tell me the perfect water conditions please so that i can check it back.
i dont know what do you mean by water conditions :(
what parameters should i check in the water?
please tell me

[Brhino]

Short term:

It's likely that the water is toxic. You need a way to test it. Best would be to get a test kit, because you're going to want to test it frequently in the coming weeks. If you can't do that, most fish stores will test it for you. You want to test for ammonia and nitrite. You're going to need to do large, frequent water changes to keep those below 0.25-0.50 ppm (parts per million). Make sure you are always adding a dechlorinator whenever you add new water to the tank.

Long term:

This small tank is going to make it very difficult to keep a healthy oscar initially, and impossible in the long term. 5 oscars in a 50 gallon tank will not work either once they get older. Oscars grow large, and they grow fast. You're either going to need a truly massive tank, or multiple large tanks, or it's going to be impossible for you to keep all your fish alive and well. A better option would probably be to find new homes for most of them.

[MCHRKiller]

The water conditions I am referring to are your tank's level of Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate. You will need test kits to check the water for these levels...they are part of the nitrogen cycle within the tank. The nitrogen cycle is the breakdown of waste(poop, pee, excess food etc) by bacteria converted first into Ammonia which is the most toxic, then into a slightly less toxic Nitrite, and finally into Nitrate. Nitrate in a FW system is typically only removed via waterchanges and live plant useage. A healthy tank will have no traces of Ammonia or Nitrite and your level of Nitrate will be below 20ppm.


I do agree, it would be best to return your 5 small Oscars and move the larger one back to the 50G. For your 18G tank it would be best to stick with small fish growing to no more than 2-3". Oscars can hit 16" and have a true mass...think of a football with fins and you are not far off on how large they will grow.

[kank]

i am sorry to say never heard of this before
thanks guys but i still have a doubt in my mind....maybe the nearby store i know even doesnt support or rather knows all these what you are saying :(
i know it sounds annoying but its true.
what kit are you referring to?
what do i need to do with it?
what should i tell the shop-owner to give me?
any names for the kit?any pictures of it?
please share it if you can...i feel i am in big trouble with these fishes now :I

i am sure the shop keeper is unaware of all these because he is the person who gave me two oscars initially for my 50 gallon tank.out of two i am having one right now and this is the one which i shifted to the new tank.
i was surprised by the growth and nature of the species and next time i bought 5 more (though this time not from him)....
and i became aware of forums like this just before 4 months and also others told me that its quite impossible to keep all these fishes together but still i am trying hard to do so and till now they seemed ok by GOD's GRACE ;)

i hope you guys understand my situation.

[MCHRKiller]

It is important to remember that fish stores are in the business of making money. Most will sell you anything and tell you anything you want to hear to get you to open up your wallet. The test kits involve taking a sample of your aquarium's water and putting some chemicals in it which will turn it a color to give you a reading on the specific water level you are testing for. It is very simple to use and you can buy them online or from big box stores like Petsmart or Petco.
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If possible I would suggest returning all but 1 of your Oscars and give it the 50G tank to itself. The tank will last the fish for around a year until it hits around 12" which you could then easily upgrade the fish to a 75G tank which would do it for the entirety of its life. Your 18G tank is simply not suited for large fish, and it is rather appalling a store would sell you that many fish for tanks in that size range. To house 6 Oscar fish you would need either 6x75 gallon tanks or one tank of around 250gallons. As you can see that is alot of fish for anyone to try to house.

[kank]

yepp cant even dream of a tank of 250 gallons :DDD
better i return them :)
i will try to find out whether this kit available here or not..maybe i will have to go online shopping :)
thanks for the help
i try to keep this thread updated :)

[MCHRKiller]

Any aquarium test kit will do to test for Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate...not knowing your area specific brands and prices will vary. Around here that API Freshwater Master Test Kit will cost around $25-30 in most stores and you can find them for around $20 online. It is a pretty common kit and will test for all of the levels you need,

[Cermet]

By the way, you are not the only one who hadn't heard of cycling a tank - I knew fully about the nitrogen cycle and that filters did this (via bacteria in the filter media) but knew zero of how it developed and especially how long it took. I had ten young discus in a 75 gal and climbing ammonia before people here explained to me what I had done wrong, what to do to correct it and what to do to help the fish (big water changes every day to get ammonia under 0.25 parts per million or ppm; add salt if nitrites got high, and extra air in the form of an air stone and/or wand - also, lower the temp some (if possible).)
Don't feel bad - we all need to learn (sometimes the hard way ... .):hmm3grin2orange: