Is my Oscar going to die???

Good morning all TASA members.

I noticed yesterday that my Red Tiger Oscar's (Ozzy) tummy is extremely fat. He is still very small. About 8cm in lenght. I watched him since I got home at 17:00 till about 22:30.
He seems fine. He eats and swims normally, but his tummy is round and it seems like it's going to explode. I noticed that in the time that I watched him that he did not deficate at all. Where his anus is, there is a white spot. I don't know if the last info will help anybody to recognise any symptoms.

Can somebody please help me in this regard?

I am very worried. He is a very pretty fish.

Thank you for your time. Have a nice day.

 

Oscar Fish Has Swollen Abdomen

Got this of the net for you




This is a problem that seems to crop up more often than not. Because a bloated, swollen abdomen is a symptom, not a disease, it can be extremely difficult to treat.
Unfortunately, in many cases, Oscars that develop severely swollen abdomens do not survive. By the time the symptoms have shown themselves, it is too late for the fish. There are various reasons why a fish will develop these symptoms. In some cases, there is a genetic problem with the fish. The fish may well be okay for the first few years, then it starts developing problems in the abdominal area. There wouldn't be any cure for this condition.

Fish can develop tumours which will cause swelling in the abdomen. Unfortunately, the only treatment for this is surgery which would probably be futile as the fish would probably not survive.

Internal bacteria or viral infections in fish can often result in them having a swollen abdomen/body. Quite often the eyes bulge and the scales are raised. This is sometimes referred to as "dropsy" This is an extremely serious condition. Remember that dropsy isn't an actual disease, it is actually a symptom of something more serious that is wrong with the fish. For this reason, it is very difficult to treat. If caught early, antibiotics might help. However, off-the-shelf may medication not work, you may have to seek professional advice and have injections administered. Again, the chances of this resulting in a cure are quite slim.

If your fish develops a balloon shaped abdomen that is soft and not hard like a tumour, this could possibly be internal organ disease which can result in fluid buildup in the abdominal cavity. There is no cure for this.

Occasionally, a severe blockage in the intestine, or constipation can cause a fish's abdomen to swell. Constipation can be very serious, often fatal if the intestine is totally blocked. If you think your fish is not passing any waste, then it may be worth treating it for constipation. Firstly, change its diet, do some research and find out what your fish should be eating. Have you been feeding it the wrong kind of food? If a change in diet doesn't make any difference, you could try soaking its food in medication. Some recognised products include Castor oil, glycerol, and medicinal paraffin oil. Try to use foods that so cop these medications, flake food works well as it absorbs the medication. I promise no guarantees that these treatments will work and cure the constipation.


If you notice your Oscar has developed a swollen stomach in a short space of time, it just may be that he has eaten too much. Oscars are very gluttonous and they will eat as much as they possibly can which can result in a swollen abdomen. If the fish is showing no other signs of ill-health such as refusing food, cease feeding and see if the swollen stomach reduces in size. If it does, reduce the amount of food you give the fish and keep observing it to see if it happens again.

I'll be blatantly honest with you, if your Oscar develops a severely bloated abdomen and stops eating, the chances are it will die. In many cases, it can take days, sometimes weeks for this to happen. In cases like this, the kindest thing you can do for the fish is to humanely kill it using either clove oil, or an overdose of anaesthetic.

 

Hi Lappies

When my bettas get bloat I stop feeding them their normal food and feed them
boiled pea.
After a day or two it would start clearing up.
Most fish can go 4 days without food easily.

Gerhard

 

Thank you Go-Big and Vis for the info. I'll have him under observation for a day or two and then start some medication.

I appreciate your info and advise very much.

I'm relieved because I thought it's the beginning of an illness that can spread to the rest of my fish in the tank. I expected the worst.

 

Oscars usually over eats and then eats some more if there is more food available, are you sure it is not just because of heavy feeding ?

 

I feed them in the moring at about 5:45 before I leave for work and again when I get home between 17:00 and 18:00.

I don't feed them very much. In the morning I feed them Pellets and in the afternoon they get bloodworms and very little ox-heart.

I don't think that I overfeed my fish because I give them an amount of food that they finish within two minutes.

I will cut down on the feeding and then give feedback.

Thank you everybody for your caring and advise.

Lappies

 

Which brand of frozen food do you use? There are certain brands that contain parasites that could be causing the problem.

 

I'm not sure what the name is, but it's the brand that I've been using for 3years and got from the same LPS.

It's frozen in a chocolate-like block with small squares blocks. The packaging is blue and red.

 

Capcom? Has a see-through Discus on the front?

 

Yes, that is the frozen blood worms that I feed my fish.

Can buy them at almost all LFS's.