Need Help w/ Oscar (Tiger)?

Question

I've had him for about a week now and he has a cloudy eye. I recently noticed this.. He looks a little pale also.. He's not swimming as much, but he will sometimes. He is still somewhat eating. He's not swimming all that well but will get up from time to time. His breathing is not rapid...I have been observing him all day and I feel bad. He seems lifeless but if there is anything I can do..I'll try my best..I bought something called Ammonia Clear but I didn't put it in..He does sit up from time to time also... I did a small cycle change, it's been a few hours and his left eye (cloudy eye) hasn't clear.

I have a 10 gallon tank.,I know it is small but I have another tank that I haven't set up yet that should be big enough for him..but I am housing him in this one for now...

I don't know the levels on the tank but it looks clean, smells clean..I'm guessing that doesn't matter.

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

Lets see, you have him in a 10gal tank, you don't know the water quality, and you have no idea if the tank is even cycled or not?

And you are surprised that it's getting sick???

As an emergency measure, step up the water changes to 50% per day. Get a water test kit, learn about the cycle, and get the bigger tank set up up, like yesterday.

You can't just "wing it" throw an Oscar into a tiny uncycled tank like you can a betta. Well not if you expect it to live anyway.

There are medications you can buy to treat the eye infection, but you need to fix the water quality issues first.

http://www.fishlore.com/NitrogenCycle.htm
http://www.fishlore.com/Profiles-Oscar.htm
http://www.fishlore.com/Beginners.htm

Ian

Edit: Yup, uncycled tank, the water is toxic by now due to the waste that an Oscar will be producing. The filter is useless until it cycles, and that can take up to 6 weeks.

Enemy of One · Answer

An oscar in a 10 gallon tank?
You know they are high waste producers, messy eaters and have a fast growth rate, right?
Your oscar can get almost as big as a 10 gallon tank.
You've got it in a death trap right now.
Why would you buy a fish, especially an oscar if you weren't prepared for it?
You should feel bad, you're killing it!
Oscars are wonderful fish and do not deserve to be treated badly. 
Take the poor thing back from where you got it from, buy a 75 gallon tank then go on google type "how to cycle a fish tank" www.oscarfishlover.com will come up go to that website and read about fishless cycling. 
You should also get double filtration, an ammonia, nitrite and nitrate liquid test kit. 
Looks can be deceiving, you can't see ammonia, you can't see nitrates or nitrites. 
Please return the oscar cichlid until you can meet the proper requirements.

Zack · Answer

i completely agree with enemy of one and ian, so no test kit, and no cycle, no wonder he has a cloudy eye, i would if i was swimming in my own waste just unable to escape, plus there are reports of oscars getting up to 18 inches, and a standard 10 gallon is 20 inches long, so let me guess your "bigger" tank is 20-40 gallons? or do you not have one at all? why dont you more your oscar into the "bigger" tank now? there is no reason to put it in a ten if you have bigger it does not make sense! anyways for your sickly oscar, it is most likely popeye, remove carbon from filter and start the ammonia clearer, carbn is usually the main source of popeye, but get the oscar out of that tank, you may get this alot but it will only die if you dont return or do something about it.......

Need Help w/ Oscar (Tiger)?

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