whats wrong with my new tiger oscer fish?

Question

I just got 2 tiger oscers from the pet store and they are both huddled together at the bottom of the tank,i put them in and they just kind of sunk to the bottom and havent moved for like an hour,they arent hiding or anything.There eyes and gills are moving but thats it.they were swiming around everywhere at the petstore.Whats wrong with them?and do oscers breath oxegen thats in the water or do they breath by sticking there noses out of the water like all the other fish ive had?

Answer 1

pH usually isn't the major cause of this type of behaviour in new fish. If your petstore is in your local area, then they are likely using the same water as you. Oscars are hardy and should acclimate readily to a different pH.

Are they the only fish in the tank, and did you cycle your tank first? "New tank syndrome" occurs when you put fish into an uncycled tank. In an uncycled tank there aren't nitrifying bacteria which convert toxic ammoni and nitrites into less toxic nitrates, so your fish feel quite sick. These bacteria need time to accumulate. Try to find some Bio-Spira, it is the live bacteria. If you cannot find any, change 20% of the water once every few days to keep the ammonia levels down, and be sure to have effect hang off the back or canister filtration (undergravel filtration is pretty useless).

How big is your tank? Please know that 2 oscars will need at least a 100 gallon tank as adults. They also need a varied diet consisting mainly of cichlid pellets, but also night crawlers, insects, shrimp, feeder fish, beef heart, etc.

Make sure you have some stuff on the tank like plastic plants and rocks / driftwood so they have something to hide behind.

Oscars get their oxygen from the water, as do most fish (bettas are the exception). Do you have an air pump? They are 15$ and will really help your fish get the oxygen they need.

Be sure to keep up with weekly water changes - more, for the next few weeks, because the ammonia and nitrites will be high and you need to get rid of them as much as you can without overly stressing your fish.

Answer 2

I have an oscar and have had it for over 2 years now.The Oscar does the same thing. Sometimes I will come home and he will be sitting on the bottom. The first time I saw it, I thought he was dead. I have heard that they are extremely smart for a fish...like the dog of the fish world. Because of this, they can get lonely or bored. There should be enough in the tank to keep them entertained.

You do have 2 of them, so loneliness would not be the problem. Make sure that the water quality is good and that the temperature is correct. Do not over feed your fish, because this negatively effects the water quality. I was told to feed my fish every other day.

I have fed my fish as infrequently as once a week. I do not recommend that, but every other day is probably best.

Well, good luck.

Answer 3

I would say that they have to get used to the new environment and very different water conditions and temperature. It doesn't sound like you floated the bag of fish in the tank for at least an hour before you let them loose. Since the water at the pet shop is probably perfect, you have to be very careful when you first get them. I hope they got better after awhile. The fish breathe through their gills mostly, but if the water doesn't have enough oxygen or they feel like getting an extra helping of air, they will take a gulp at the surface.

Answer 4

Assuming all other fish introduction procedures were correct;
*Float your bag for 10 minutes:
*After 10 Minutes open your bag and add some water
* After 10 more minutes add more water
*Then after 30 minutes gently remove your fish with out introducing the water from the bag into your tank.

You want to add a stress reliever such as Stress Coat, Novaqua, Start Right, or Prime. It is important that what ever one you choose that it adds electrolytes to the water, this does more for slime coat generation than blobs o slime that float off uselessly in the water (this is why I prefer the conditioners that naturally stimulate slime coats such as Prime or Start Right).

As to oxygen the Oscars get this from the water, that is why dissolved oxygen content is important, but this does not appear to be a problem based on the symptoms.

Small amounts of salt, calcium and magnesium can also help stimulate your fish (the salt at 1 tablespoon per 5 gallons), the calcium and magnesium can be added via a Wonder Shell or even by using marine salt instead of plain aquarium salt.

Finally, and quite possibly, there is nothing at all wrong with your Oscars, I have seen this behavior in them many times in my service route. Oscars are extremely intelligent fish and are prone to "pout" when unhappy, and being taken from the home they knew, certainly qualifies there.

For more basic aquarium information, see this article "Basic Aquarium Principles"
http://www.americanaquariumproducts.com/Basic_Aquarium_Principles.html

Answer 5

Oscars get their oxygen from the water.

The most likely problem is pH. The pH in your tank may be very different from what the fish had at the pet store. You normally don't want to do more than a .2 change in a 24 hour period.

Check the pH in your tank and call the pet store to ask what pH they keep their tanks at. You might need to buy a buffer like Proper pH (comes in several different pH levels) to get them a little closer to where they are and slowly adjust them. If your water has an unusually low or high pH, you may need to use the buffer for a long time.

Answer 6

it's stress from moving from one tank to another. USe some stress coat and turn out the lights. When they become accustomed to the water and are able to relax, they should come out of it. It happens when the water quality is different at the pet store than at home. Rapid shifts in water quality can harm a fish. It's normal for oscars to show signs of stress in this fashion. Oscar's breath through gills.

Answer 7

did u float them in the water first?(in the bag u brought them home in) You're supposed to do that so that they get used to the water temperature. If not they can go into shock.