HELPPPP OSCAR FIsH!!!?

Question

i cleaned out my new tank with bleach. Then i used viniger to wash it away. I rinsed it with water hose for about 10 minutes. Then i brung it back insde put water in it then i put some dechlorinitzer in it. I put some minnows in the tank to see if it was safe. They seemed to do fine so then i put my two oscars in there. Now there on the bottom of the tank on its side or on the top floating. On occasions they are swimming around. Are they going to die?

Answer 1

you did not cycle the tank and never wash it out with bleach ever,
you are probably going to loose them unless you have a cycled tank you can put them in.

Answer 2

You will have to cycle the entire system again,and learn how to clean a tank without killing the Nitrifying bacteria. Your Oscars are in danger of ammonia poisoning. Never bleach a cycled tank!
If you wish to save the fish,reduce the feedings to one very small feeding per day,don't worry you won't starve the fish.
Next begin monitoring the ammonia levels(they will be OK for a while,maybe two weeks), then they will start to rise.You must balance the ammonia levels so there is enough ammonia to feed the new bacteria colonies,and not so much that it kills your Oscars. When you see the ammonia levels start to go down(this will take several weeks,maybe 5 or 6),then you begin to monitor Nitrites,again these maybe OK for a while,but then they too will begin to rise. It's the same problem again,keep enough Nitrite in the water so the bacteria will grow,but not so much that it kills your fish. This colony will also require several weeks to grow. If you can't do this process,then the answer to your last question is yes.
The way to control the ammonia and Nitrite levels while this process goes on is by water changes. Small ones, very close together,no larger than 20%,and frequently enough to avoid ammonia poisoning. This may require daily changes when the toxins are at the highest concentrations. Don't get behind, or you will kill your fish.
Also, do a bunch of research into proper aquarium maintenance. Water changes are the secret of good water quality, but they must be done correctly.

Answer 3

I would add a bit more dechlorinator to the water, as it should have removed the bleach to begin with (for the most part anyway....after I had given it more thought). There are proper steps to take if you use bleach in a tank. IF you decide to use bleach, this is what I do and have never had a problem, and you will find similar explanations if you look around the web. After I rinse the tank/ornament VERY well, I use dechlorinator DOUBLE strength and let it sit in it. After it sits in that, you are supposed to take it out and let it dry in the sun so that any remaining bleach is evaporated. After it's dry, rinse it out real well again, and then you can fill with dechlorinated water. You really should have looked it up prior to doing it. Unfortunately you are learning a lesson the hard way, and that's a shame, I really hope they pull out of it.

Despite what anyone says, it is perfectly safe to use bleach IF it's done the right way, and if it's absolutely necessary. I have provided links below to back up this statement. Adding aquarium salt to help stimulate their slime coat and help with gill function wouldn't hurt either. If you don't have aquarium salt on hand, you could use UNiodized table salt (if the salt box does not say "Iodized Salt", it's uniodized. Just read the label and make sure. It's 1 tablespoon for each 5 gallons of water. There is something they sell in the fish stores called Methylene Blue that you could give them a bath in, which MAY help, unless it's too late.

It IS true that Oscars are very wimpy and do "get depressed" and fret when things change. They like things the way "THEY" like them, and when you change things on them they can definately sulk. They are wimpy, but they are awesome because of their personalities.

In the future and as you will see in the articles below, you need to make sure you purchase dechlorinators that remove both chlorine and chloramines. I use Prime myself, it is an awesome product and you can read about it in the links below (it tells you about different ones, it's an awesome informative article, both of them are AND the whoe entire website).

Good luck, and I'm sorry. ;o)

Answer 4

Tanks should never be cleaned out so throughly, and if they are maintained properly never need to be. It's stressful and dangerous to the fish. If you do have no choice, don't use bleach - it's completely unneccessary and a risk to your fish.

You should test for Ammonia and Nitrites. If you measure either of them, you'd better do water changes immediately to get them down, and then go to the store and ask them for some mature filter foam or gravel from their tank system - then bring this home (keeping it wet) and put it into your filter - it will repair your damaged biological filtration.

If everything tests fine, then the chances are they are either shocked from the drastic change in the tank or are sufficating from chlorine poisoning (in which case they wouldn't last very long, but you should do water changes to get it out) or the fish are simply upset from the change (which is pretty much standard for Oscars, they're the wimpiest fish around) in which case they'll get over it themselves soon enough if you leave them alone.

Answer 5

What is it with americans using bleach and vinegar to clean their fish tanks?

No one here does it, in fact the idea is lunatic to us.

Depending on how long they have been like this, I'm not actually sure the bleach is the cause. More likly the 100% water change is. Fish can not go str8 into a clean tank like that, and large pisvores are delicate when in new water. A chemical crash seems to be the cause.

You need to allow things to settle down and death is dependant on how far gone they are

Answer 6

Sounds like they are being slowly poisoned. NEVER wash you tank out with bleach. If you have a spare tank i suggest you put them in there and clean your current one again and leave it empty of fish for a few days giving the water chance to settle.

Answer 7

wow,never use any chemicals to clean a tank.How long were the minnows in there?Have you tested the water.You need to let the tank cycle,2 to 4 weeks usually,before you add fish.Once the tank is cycled,you have to check water with a test kit,and you have fish in it,NEVER clean it totally out.Do 10% water changes weekly,clean the gravel with a gravel cleaner,but never clean more than 30% of it at one time,and there are magnet cleaners for the glass.If you do all of these things,there wont be a reason to clean the entire tank at once.

Good luck with your oscars,I hope they make it!

Answer 8

they are dying ! (sorry) but you should have not cleaned your tank with bleach or vinigar !

good luck

i would put them in a new tank with fresh water

Answer 9

i jst got to say it

I WARNED YOU

thanks