What happened to my oscars?

Question

I had three big oscars (agressive fish) I left for three weeks went out of town to visit a sick cousin my sister was to feed them...I came back their skin was peelin' off flowing in the water...were they eating each other?

Answer 1

Could have been.
Or they got some kind of sickness like ICK .
Call a pet store and ask them. They would know better than me.

Answer 2

Oscars are territorial and don't take to the company of others very well in the confines of a fish tank. They are pairing fish and if kept in numbers more then one they should be kept in these compatible pairs. If you have a pair, then the third Oscar will end up killed. If you don't have a pair, then you'll find all 3 will fight amongst each other, and the bigger they get, the fiercer the fighting will become. If the tank is too small (under 75 gallons for a pair) then this will also amplify the violence.

At this point there's a lot of guesswork involved, and while it could be disease as mentioned, it could just as easily be a problem of behavior. I know that the most common disease these fish get from poor conditions is Hole-In-The-Head, and this is where the skin rots away, but it doesn't peel off like you have described.

Keep in mind that Oscars should be mixed carefully, kept in clean water, and fed a good diet. And if your tank is not big enough, you should reconsider more appropriate types of fish.

Answer 3

Oscars surprisingly susceptible to poor water conditions.
Is their tank big enough? They should have at least a 50 gal tank each or a 150gal for the 3 of them.
Do you clean the water frequently? Oscars need clean water or they will get sick. You should be replacing 20-50% of the water - with a gravel vacuum - every week.
Are you feeding properly? Oscars are voracious fish and will not turn down any meal, but they need a balanced diet. Feeding only beef heart, or only feeder fish, etc, can result in malnutrition, fatty liver disease, etc.
Did your sister clean the tank? If the tank was not an adequate size, 3 tanks is a long time to go without being cleaned. Oscars produce a lot of ammonia.

If their tank was of adequate size, they are properly fed and their tank is properly cleaned weekly, I can only suggest that it might be a bacterial infection of some sort. You should put some aquarium salt in the water, 1tbsp per 5 gallons (disolve it first in a cup of dechlor water). And treat with Maracyn-2. Be sure to do frequent (2-4 times per week) water changes for the next few weeks.

Good luck with your Oscars!

Answer 4

Did you instruct your sister how often and how much water to take out for partial water changes? And testing the water? Oscars are tough but like any other fish they have to filter that nasty water through their gills and it enters their bloodstream. Also for someone not knowing how to keep fish, they can be over fed or under fed. Water will evaporate and needs to be topped off or your water will become super concentrated with toxins. And possibly lethal if not kept in check.

Answer 5

NO theye not eating eachother. Your Oscars might be sick , they might have Ich or Velvet desease. Oscars Often get this due to water conditions , especially if your aquarium water is cloudy.
You can use mythelene Blue to cure then and keep the water clean.

Answer 6

It could be a variety of things. Were they fighting? Did your sister do any water changes while you were gone? What are there any white specks (ICK) or fluffy spots (Body Fungus) on their skin?
Go to the LFS and purchase medications for the above mentioned diseases. Good luck.

Answer 7

oscars don't ever eat each other.. oscars are very delicate to any change in water conditions they are kept in.. it must be a fungal infection or may be the water has too much ammonia.. try changing 1/3 of the water if it is because of the water condition.. if its fungal.. each fungal infection has a specific treatment..

Answer 8

no, it's a sign that they are not healthy.

probably due to lack of food or un-clean water.