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Posts: 5
From:Washington, DC
Registered: Jan 2004

posted 01-29-2004 09:39 AM         

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My girlfriend has a 1 yr. old Tiger Oscar in a 30 gal tank. I think that this tank is to small, what do you think? What causes her Oscar to hit the top of the tank so much? Also, he has white spots on his sides and close to the eye area which is probably ick. How long does this take to clear up after medication has been added to the water? What causes ick anyway? Is it change in the water temperature (hot or cold)? This Tiger Oscar seems to like a lot of attention, is this true of the Oscar?

[This message has been edited by adore (edited 01-29-2004).]

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From:New York, Ny USA
Registered: Jan 2004

posted 01-29-2004 02:17 PM         

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im not gonna lie 2 u. everyone has told me i am crazy but i have a 6 yr old oscar who is full grown living in a 10 Gallon tank!!!!!!!! It will not grow as big and will not hit it's full potential in a smaller tank. you should be fine with that.

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posted 01-29-2004 02:43 PM         

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Thank you for the information Joey Dirt. Can someone answer the other questions for me? Also, can the Oscar die from the disease ick?

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From:Waterville, Ny USA
Registered: Feb 2004

posted 02-01-2004 05:35 PM         

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Ick is usually caused by stress or water quality. She needs a bigger tank 55 atleast...here is an easy way to explain...how would you like to live in a box that you have to "go potty" in, eat in, and breathe in? The bigger the better. A 55 at the least. To treat: there are several ways. Do a 25% water change and treat with 1 teaspoon per 5 gallons of water with aquarium salt and raise the temp to 85 degrees. Or use a commercial ick cure and follow instructions...be sure to remove the carbon from the filter (not the filter itself, just the carbon). Good luck

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posted 02-01-2004 09:25 PM         

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good info Angel Girl. I'd like to add a comment or observation. Do those white spots appear salt-like? As if he was sprinkled with fine grains of salt? Or do they appear to be holes?

The reason I'm asking is that a 30 gallon tank is horribly small for a 1 yr old oscar. At this age the fish should be hitting the 8"-9" mark at a minimum. What Joey Dirt told you is absolutely false. A fish will not grow to the confines of their tank. At best they will become stunted and suffer from HITH or other ailments due to the poor water quality. Small tanks are too difficult to maintain as far as water quality goes. You'll find your changing water every 3 days (along with vacuuming) just to keep the nitrates to a minimum.

What type of filtration are you running on that tank?

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From:Washington, DC
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posted 02-02-2004 06:17 AM         

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Thanks for all the good information. I thought the tank was rather small and my girlfriend says that eventually she will purchase a bigger tank. To answer your question about the spots, they look more like holes and there are some spots too! She called the pet store and they suggested something that started with the letter "M" (I can't remember the correct spelling)
We have really gotten use to this little guy and we don't want anything to happen to our Oscar. I will as her which tile of filtration she is running on the tank. Thanks again and I will keep you all informed about "Tiger" as we call him....

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posted 02-02-2004 09:47 AM         

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The medicine I assume was metronidazole. It's used to cure hexamita which some people mistakingly assume is the root cause of HITH or Hole in the Head. It's a common ailment among cichlids which is a result of poor water (high ammonia and/or nitrates) and vitamin deficiencies. I'm assuming this case was caused by the water quality due to the relatively small size of the tank. Metro is a good way to kill hexamita - IF it was actually a causal factor but it's most likely not - and isn't in 7 out of 10 cases. hexamita is an opportunistic parasite that appears only 'after' HITH has manifested on your fish.

Perform HEAVY water changes every other day to keep the nitates under 20ppm. Supplement the O's diet with vitamin soaked pellets. You can also add 1 TBS salt per 5 gallons and boost the temp up a bit - if you do this be sure to increase aeration as the water holds less oxygen at higher temps.

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posted 02-02-2004 09:47 AM         

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edited - browser prob - multiple post

[This message has been edited by dvross (edited 02-02-2004).]

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posted 02-02-2004 09:49 AM         

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edited - browser prob - multiple post

[This message has been edited by dvross (edited 02-02-2004).]

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posted 02-02-2004 09:54 AM         

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edited - browser prob - multiple post

[This message has been edited by dvross (edited 02-02-2004).]

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posted 02-02-2004 09:55 AM         

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edited - browser prob - multiple post

[This message has been edited by dvross (edited 02-02-2004).]

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From:Washington, DC
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posted 02-02-2004 11:02 AM         

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Thank you so much for all of the wonderful information. I will pass this on to my girlfriend immediately>>>> THANKS!

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From:long valley, nj, usa
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posted 02-02-2004 07:54 PM         

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joey dirt, that tank is unsuitable.

[This message has been edited by mewantfood316 (edited 02-02-2004).]

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From:El Paso, Texas
Registered: Oct 2002

posted 02-02-2004 10:26 PM         

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A thirty gallon is way too small for an oscar and until you upgrade the tank, there will always be problems with the fish. There is really no medicine that can cure the white spot, (probably not ick, but a fungus).
Get at least a 55 gallon. Sell the thirty and get something that you can enjoy.
The bigger the tank, the less work it takes to keep it clean!
Good luck.

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posted 02-03-2004 07:33 AM         

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I really appreciate all of the responses I have had to my many questions and I believe that my girlfriend will have problems with that fish until she gets a bigger tank.

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