Wobbly Thudding Oscar?

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Wobbly Thudding Oscar?

Postby FatherNSon on Fri May 28, 2004 7:20 am

The male of my two oscars has started wobbling a bit when he swims and is laying down most of the time now.

When he does get up to swim to take food from my hand or bug the female, he wobbles a lot, he has to use his tail fin excessively to move him along and his pectorals dont help him much.

Also if he stops he will float to the bottom of the tank and land with a thud.

Now is this a problem with his swim baldder thats on its way out? or some other kind of problem?

FnS
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Wobbly Thudding Oscar?

Postby Fuzzy on Fri May 28, 2004 2:23 pm

Not sure what it is , how long has it been bothering him. Found this too>>>>>Sitting on the Bottom- Fish that sit on the tank bottom are divided into two categories.

Class A - Sinkers who have to struggle to swim to the midwater or the tank surface. These fish have a swimbladder problem, sometimes due to a bacterial infection, sometimes due to defects in air bladder filling and some are autopsied to find water in the airsac instead of air. Electrocution can cause this system as well.

Class B - Sinkers which swim fine when disturbed. These fish usually feature a massive fluke burden and are being weakened by the flukes. They rest on the bottom, which further assists the flukes in becoming numerous on the skin and gills. The fish will eventually die. A dose of Healthguard or Fluke Tabs is usually rapidly effective to these fish. You can also perk them up with salt.
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Wobbly Thudding Oscar?

Postby FatherNSon on Fri May 28, 2004 8:23 pm

Heopfully its a.

Ive upped the temperature to 82, done a 40% water change, removed chlorine, added some stress zyme, also added some interpet number 9 so hopefully i should see an improvement in the next couple of days, if not ill be going to get some swim bladder stuff

oh and also its only been bothering him 2 days.
Last edited by FatherNSon on Fri May 28, 2004 8:32 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Wobbly Thudding Oscar?

Postby Fuzzy on Sat May 29, 2004 8:32 am

Most swimbladder problems are related to a bacterial infection, so I hope it is just constapation. You might try feeding some peas, to help out that problem, or just to eliminate it as a cause of the swiming issue. Clamping of the fins indicatse discomfort and is a general sign of something wrong, so don't wait to long for signs of improvment.
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Wobbly Thudding Oscar?

Postby FatherNSon on Sun May 30, 2004 7:10 am

i havent, last night he started thudding to the ground a lot so my dad reinstalled the carbon into the tank to get rid of the number 9 stuff, we've been out again to get some swim bladder stuff and have done another water change and got this new stuff in and removed the carbon, its a bit risky cause you're not supposed to mix the two medications but hopefully the caron got it all.
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Wobbly Thudding Oscar?

Postby Fuzzy on Sun May 30, 2004 8:31 am

I think if you have not done so already, its time to move him to a hospital tank. I will add this little in to, when I had a comunity tank, I had trouble with swimbladders.As soon as you notice signs of swimbladder do a complete water change, taking care not to stress the fish by having the water temp as close to his bowl as possible, and using something as a cup so you don't have to net your fish.
After your water change you should not feed your fish any food for two days. On the third day feed your fish a fresh pea. Frozen peas thawed, popped out of the skin, and cut into bite size pieces. And then do another water change so that any uneaten peas do not contaminate your water....
If you do partials, or have a tank, do a significant change when you suspect swimbladder disease and then follow this treatment.
If you don't use aquarium salt this is a good addition to most tanks. The recommended dose is one teaspoon per gallon, or one tablespoon per five gallons. If you have never added salt and you are unsure; you may want to first acclimate him at only 1/2 tsp per gallon.
If this seems to be a frequent problem you may consider feeding less. Your water quality could indicate more frequent water changes, or in my case I break up the food for this one particular betta. It seems easier for him to digest. All my fish seem to love the peas and it may be of great benifit to feed a pea once a week.
If you suspect that there is bacteria causing the symptoms of swimbladder perhaps antibotics may be needed.
I recommend the pea "trick" first as it will at least correct the swimbladder symptoms that bacteria or bad water quality could be causing.
Last edited by Fuzzy on Sun May 30, 2004 8:50 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Wobbly Thudding Oscar?

Postby FatherNSon on Sun May 30, 2004 4:47 pm

This isnt a community tank, at the moment there is just 2 oscars and 1 pleco in there. the other oscar and pleco aren't suffering from it at all.

He doesn't look stressed at all, he is swimming about happily but still floating to the bottom, he has regained his colour and is happily laying at the bottom when he thuds down.

he is also eating well, and doesn't look fat at all. he is also not clamping up his fins, this is very odd indeed!

and we dont have a hospital tank unfortunately but i guess i might use my 5th tank for one when i get the money to get pumps and such for it!
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Wobbly Thudding Oscar?

Postby Fuzzy on Sun May 30, 2004 5:38 pm

From your last post sounds like constapation to me, either that or he has begun to recover. I knew you didn't have a comunity tank, that was a post I got when I had one, and my beta had swimbladder trouble.
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Wobbly Thudding Oscar?

Postby FatherNSon on Mon Jun 07, 2004 4:13 pm

Nothing has changed, i have aqualibrium salt in the water and have been giving regular interpet #13 treatments every 4 days and his situation has not gotten better nor worse.

is there anything else you guys can think of? ive tried peas and stuff and bicarb to see if it is constapation but that didnt work either.

I wanna get him sorted cause it looks like the female is getting ready to spawn!
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Wobbly Thudding Oscar?

Postby FatherNSon on Thu Jun 17, 2004 5:58 am

Well never mind now.

About 5 minutes ago my oscar (Daddy as i called him) died, my father tried moving him into his tank cause it is full of octozin but it was too late, he slowly gave up and let himself slip away.

I have given him a burial site for the most honoured of our family pets, i am really sad and am contemplating giving up the fish keeping hobby.

Thanks. FnS
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Wobbly Thudding Oscar?

Postby Fuzzy on Thu Jun 17, 2004 6:25 am

Sorry to here that. You can only try your best, and learn from what has happened, and try to prevent it in the future.
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