my oscars have lost there color!

[egb18c]

:? my oscars have lost there color. i went to the petstore to ask why(didnt know of this forum at the time) and they said i should by color inhancing flakes so i did. but is it to late? will they ever get there color back?

 

[Menagerie]

What are the water parameters (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH, temp)?? If you don't have water testign kits, buy some of the liquid tests, more pricey and much more reliable!

 

[TankGirl]

I agree this is most likely a water quality issue, rather than a dietary one.

Judging by your sig, you already know the oscars will require more space, but I am curious how big they are now. An Eclipse system is probably not going to have the amount of filtration oscars require, which means you might need to do twice weekly water changes to pick up the slack until they go into larger digs.

 

[Voodoo Chilli]

I agree with TankGirl on this one: it's almost certainly a water quality issue. How large are the oscars? Do you know what your pH, ammonia, and nitrite levels are?

 

[egb18c]

i will go pick up a test today and let you guys know.
2 of my oscars ar 6" and 2 are 2 1/2"
thanks for helping guys.

 

[egb18c]

i took a sample of water to petsmart and they said everything is fine but the nitrite or nitrate(cant remember wich one) was kinda high. but they said thats normal with oscars and i just need to do a 20% water change and that i should get a bigger tank for them.

 

[Menagerie]

nitrite or nitrate(cant remember wich one)

This is very important. NitrIte is poisonous to the fish and nitrAte is basically a plant fertilizer. Most fish are fine with nitrAtes up to 40-60ppm. NitrIte is another story--it is deadly. Do a 40% water change and buy yourself a Mater water test kit for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate (pH is a good one to have too) in liquid form.

 

[egb18c]

wich one of those is caused from waste? fish deposits,extra food,ect.. she said it was somewhat normal because oscars are messy.

 

[Terry]

If your Oscars have lost there colour then i would say that they are stressed and this is probably down to your water parameters being to high. With oscars you will always get a lot of waste.
Any pollutant in your tank is not good for your fish, but you must get rid of the ammonia and nitrites as menagerie said they are poisonous to your fish. Fish will tolarate the nitrites in lower quantities but even they will be harmful if very high, and after a while will inflame the fishes gills and make it hard for them to take the oxygen out of the water.

HTH

 

[techiegirl]

fresh water, 4oscars
soon to buy 75g or 100g w/ oscars

kind of OT, but I read your sig..
You will need a lot bigger tank for your O's than 75 or 100 if you plan on keeping all 4.
You could put 2 max in a 75 or 100 gal, but the recommendation from most O-people is one O in a 55, and 2 in a 125.
Unfortunately, no one tells you this when you buy them as little cute fishlets.
You and your O's will be much happier if you get them in the correct setup. Good luck!!

 

[TankGirl]

It could be either one, nitrite or nitrate, as high levels of either one would not be a shocker for an oscar tank. That is why it is so important to write down the test results, with the name of the test and the actual numbers, when the lfs tests for you. I say this all the time, but they will often just say "your water is fine" because there is a very low level of ammonia and nitrite, when actually this is not fine at all, but means the tank is not cycled, and there are actions that need to be taken.

So, take Menagerie's advice and get yourself a test kit and see what you are dealing with, but frequent partial water changes are probably very much in order here.