2 male tiger oscars cichlids help!!!

[DRMICHAEL20]

Hello,

i bought 2 male tiger oscars cichlids last night, i let them float on top of the aquarium for 20mins in the bag, but they were kinda fighting in the bag as well, then i let them go, but i noticed they sunk to the bottom together, they were swimming sideways, they wouldnt swim away from each other, and notice they were kinda where fighting in the tank. I called fishland where i purchased them he said that my ph level might be low, but i dont understand why it could be that because i have 2 electric yellow cichlids in there, and there just fine.

So my question is are they sick or are they injured from fighing in tank and in the bag.

Help

[Mzungu]

First of all, I know many people are probably thinking that it's not a great idea to have 2 oscars in a 10 gallon tank. Are you planning on getting a larger tank for them?

That being said, are they still on their sides this morning? Or are they doing better?

Without acclimating fish to the water in your aquarium, they're going to probably be pretty stressed out when you first put them in there, but should get better shortly. If they're not better this morning, there certainly could be something wrong with them, but without more information, I couldn't be sure. Can you spot any injuries on them, for instance? Have they lost their color? Are they breathing hard? Those are just some examples...let us know if you observe anything about them that seems different from when you bought them last night.

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[DRMICHAEL20]

I just got my water test, it came out to be good. When i went home for lunch i checked on them they are much better, and swimming more. And im most defantly getting a bigger tank soon, next week to be exact.

Thanks for the help! Really do appriciated.

[Mzungu]

Great! :)

How big of a tank are you getting?

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[armthehomeless]

Glad to hear that your oscars are fine.


In order to prevent that from happening again, you may want to try something different. Here is what I do for most fish:

• I put the fish (still in the bag) into the destination aquarium for 10-15 minutes with the light off.
• I then open the bag add a cup of aquarium water to the bag. Wait another 15 minutes.
• I then add another cup of aquarium water to the bag. Wait another 15 minutes.
• Lastly, I net out the fish and release them into the tank. I never put LFS water into one of my personal tanks.

Oscars are fun fish -- they can have quite a personality! They do need a rather large tank though.

[DRMICHAEL20]

great! :)

how big of a tank are you getting?

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im considering a 55 - 75 gallon tank

[DRMICHAEL20]

glad to hear that your oscars are fine.


In order to prevent that from happening again, you may want to try something different. Here is what i do for most fish:

• i put the fish (still in the bag) into the destination aquarium for 10-15 minutes with the light off.
• i then open the bag add a cup of aquarium water to the bag. Wait another 15 minutes.
• i then add another cup of aquarium water to the bag. Wait another 15 minutes.
• lastly, i net out the fish and release them into the tank. I never put lfs water into one of my personal tanks.

oscars are fun fish -- they can have quite a personality! They do need a rather large tank though.

hey thanks for the tip, i like your method. I will give it a try the next time

[DRMICHAEL20]

I got another question, from what people been telling, is it necessary to have a bigger filter for you tank? For example, you have a 10 gallon tank and you have a filter that filters up to 10 gallon, would it be better to use a 20 gallon filter? And does it apply to all sizes of tanks?

[TaTeR ToT]

Yes, their is no such thing as overfiltering.

Im running 2x eheim 2213 canisters and a 170gph sponge filter on a 25g and I don't think its adequate.

[d1c3r]

Yes, their is no such thing as overfiltering.

Im running 2x eheim 2213 canisters and a 170gph sponge filter on a 25g and I don't think its adequate.

well thats not entirely true, you could for instance, put a mag 12 in a 10 gallon, or have so much flow that your blowing your fish away

[armthehomeless]

I got another question, from what people been telling, is it necessary to have a bigger filter for you tank? For example, you have a 10 gallon tank and you have a filter that filters up to 10 gallon, would it be better to use a 20 gallon filter? And does it apply to all sizes of tanks?

Generally speaking, having a filter that is rated larger than the capacity of the aquarium is a good idea. Anything can be taken to the extreme, as dic3r mentioned. As long as your fish aren't struggling to swim, you're good.

[Zebvance]

Glad to hear your oscars are doing good! When you get the bigger tank you need to separate the electric yellows from the oscars, with in a few months the oscars will be big enough to make the yellow's a decent dinner.

[DRMICHAEL20]

What would you guys recommend feeding the oscars, what kind of live food should i give them? or what kind of frozen food should i give them, krill, shrimp? Im not giving them any live food yet, im just giving them pellets.

[Mzungu]

Just pellets. Live food isn't necessary, and will usually do more harm than good.

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[DRMICHAEL20]

Glad to hear your oscars are doing good! When you get the bigger tank you need to separate the electric yellows from the oscars, with in a few months the oscars will be big enough to make the yellow's a decent dinner.

thanks for the heads up