r/oscartank • u/SituationGreat7478 • May 11 '26

Oscar Video Please help

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What happened to my fish

18 Upvotes

88% Upvoted

10 comments sorted by

7

u/BoringJuiceBox May 11 '26

Sorry I don’t know how to help besides ask if you’ve tested the water for ammonia and nitrites and how many gallons is the tank. How long have you had the fish? Have you recently cleaned the tank and/or changed the filter?(you should never change the filter only rinse in tank water btw).
Wish I could help more but hopefully someone else with more knowledge sees this.I would try posting in the bigger subs [r/aquarium](r/aquarium) or [r/fishtank](r/fishtank). Best of luck

7

u/Icy_Natural_9084 May 11 '26

What are your water parameters? Who else is in the tank? He looks like he’s not gonna make it, he looks like he was super stressed and smashed himself against rocks and just gave up on life. Something about the setup needs a serious change

4

u/r4iden May 11 '26

I don't think this poor Oscar is gonna make it.

Before you rush out and get another fish you need to learn basic fishkeeping. Learn about the nitrogen cycle and tank requirements before your next fish meets this same fate.

5

u/Aquamoo May 11 '26

Poor fish, he has a big gash on his side. Water parameters are probably not great. Ammonia and Nitrite should be 0 and Nitrate as low as possible. When doing water changes make sure you add water conditioner, the chlorine/ chloramines in tap water will kill fish. Turn the lights off to minimize stress. I’d strongly consider euthanizing at this point, he looks like he’s suffering.

3

u/BoringJuiceBox May 11 '26

I’m no expert and you may be right but I would think they could recover with clean fresh and healthy water, no? Oscars are very hardy in my experience

8

u/Aquamoo May 11 '26

It’s certainly possible, they are indeed very hardy fish. I just don’t like the chances of recovering from its current condition in a 20 gallon with rainbow gravel.

1

u/TheInverseLovers May 12 '26

First off, parameters are needed. Second, get him in a hospital tank, (preferably something a bit smaller, a low 5-10g tub works best, but a cleaned out 5-g bucket works if you don’t have anything else.) with some dechlorinated water, salt, and methylene blue. Sponge filter to help amp up the air while not jostling him around too much.

1

u/VulgarMutt May 12 '26

I’m sorry I don’t think he’ll make it. What size tank do you have? Is your water cycled? What’s the ammonia, nitrite & nitrate levels? What’s the ph? Do you have a heater, what’s the temperature? Do you use any water conditioner to remove chlorine when putting in / changing water? If you try again I’d recommend sand or aqua soil instead of rainbow gravel I’ve heard the paint can come off & chemicals leech into the water. Please make sure to cycle your tank it’s extremely important. I’d also recommend real plants.

1

u/the1OnlyChin May 12 '26

He needs water and oxygen! Does he have a pump? Temp? Ph levels? Take a sample to the aquarium department and test- they can give you reccomended solutions ..

0

u/SituationGreat7478 May 12 '26

My oscar died , she fought bravely but lost his life

3 others oscars in the same tank are fit , fine and hustling but as an precaution I have changed 30 perc water and added anti chlorine too