by Barb Okla on Mon Nov 17, 2008 3:13 pm
I take it U have a wet/dry filter system?? or a canister.. Either one after 2 months needs to be cleaned out. NOW U dont' what to mess with the bio balls but U need to change out the filter media pad in them..
Most fugus/bacterial problems as what the parrots had, comes from bad filter maintenance which in return, fowles the water causing fugus/bacterial problems.. U can clean the tank, vac the gravel weekly, BUT if U do not clean the filter on the tank at the same time, ( NOT required on wet/dry/canister util by monthly) then it just goes bad again in days.. Try keeping the media pad in the filter U are using cleaner montly and see how eveyone does.. As the Oscars are messy eaters, this might be the key to fungus/other problems in your tank..
Oscars are the messyest eating cichlds U can have.. Others are needed to eat under them.. I had a midas who always waited under him and ate good..
Check your NITRATES and see where they are at.. Any over 60ppm will cause problems..
WATER changes are very important too..If U are not removing a certain Amount of at lest 30% , for the fish U have, anything less is going to cause problems.. That is 22.5 gal of water. I try to do 30 gal weekly.. With the Oscars U have, U might want to do that amount and see how they all do in two weeks time.. U can ajust this to the 20 gal weeky if eveyone does not seem to be having problems as NOW, and your nitrates are down to 40ppm.. Less is better with Nitrates but hard to do with the Oscars..
I have 2 75 gal tanks. They get 30 gal WATER changes PLUS the filters (2 400 Emperor's per tank) being cleaned WEEKLY.. IF I do not do this by the 10th day, I see problems with my cichlids..
Oscars do take spells of not eating to just chilling out. Yours might be doing this.. Normal.. Temp has a roll here to. so to cool, 74F (23.5c) and under, will slow them down, to warm, 78F (25.6c) and higher, and they get aggressive and or spawn if U have a pair.. I keep my tanks at 76F. (24c)