possible fish rescue?

[wright4lfe]

a friend at work has a 5in tiger oscar and a 3in albino oscar in a 100 gallon tank with an eheim 2128 and an eheim 2260 as filtration. he has completely neglected the tank and fish and as a result the tiger oscar has lost the majority of its red/orange scales and looks just horrid to be honest. the albino oscar doesn't look much better. neither shows any signs of hith or any other diseases, but i still don't know if i want to take on the responsibility (he's going to sell it all to me for 200 bucks if i want it). i don't have room at my house (i ave 5 tanks in a 1400sq ft townhouse). i would keep the tank at my parents house (they already have a tank, 46gl bowfront) and are willing to take in this one. i am at my parents 2-4 times a week and my dad will be assisting me, so actually taking care of the fish isn't my main concern.

my main problem is this, will either fish regain their coloring with proper nutrition, water changes and general tank upkeep or are they going to stay looking relatively the same...? if they aren't i don't know what to do. the fish are pretty ugly and i don't have want my parents to have to deal with a couple of ugly (sorry for all the fish lovers, but these two look beat) fish in their home when their tank in the living room is beautiful.

and btw, i may buy all of the stuff anyway just because its an insane deal and the fish keeper in me can't pass it up...lol

 

[SerLunchbox]

Yes .. with proper care and a bit of luck they should regain their look and color. I did that with an angelfish that someone neglected majorly. It would still be alive today if my red tailed chark didn't eat a hole through him.I would get the tank and bring them back to health and then show your friend what a proper fish looks like.
People who neglect their fish just make me very angry ... angry indeed!

 

[wright4lfe]

thanks for the help, i think after this weekend and everything mellows out from the holidays i'm going to grab it all and set it up at my parents house.,

 

[BASSNMAN]

Go for it. Thats a great deal and oscars are tough. After you get some clean water on them, try some melafix. I have had great luck with it on skin problems.( the fish, not mine)

 

[QTOFFER]

Did the scales come off as a result of aggression ? You may have to divide the tank or give away one of the oscars if they just can't get along.

I would also suggest Melafix and frequent small water changes. Perhaps some aquarium salt also to help them osmoregulate until the scales grow back. If they survive, the oscars should regain their normal coloration. I have a blue acara that recovered from major scale loss and columnaris infection, and he looks as good as new except for a deformed tail fin.

 

[Rocket2001]

I just rescued a neglected Oscar

I just went through the exact same thing...I got a 55gal with and Oscar and Red Devil that had been neglected for about 1 1/2 years. there was algae all over the tank and about an inch of crud on the bottom of the tank. the filter was a fairly new Fluval 404 that had never had the media changed or cleaned...it was practically clogged shut. Nitrate levels were off the charts! the Red Devil was in rough shape...and the worst of it was his growth had been stunted and he was malformed..he lay on his side all the time and couldn't swim upright...After the move I decided to euthanize him and leave the tank to the oscar alone. I did daily water changes for two weeks then cut them down to every other day for a week and now I am at weekly water changes. The Oscar has been very resilient. I only noted his color had faded for a while...most likely due to the stress of the move and all the water changes. Now his bright red color has returned. My water parameters have been stable except a low KH but other than that Nitrates are at 40ppm, Ammo =0 and Nitrites= 0 pH= 7.2
Check out "My Gallery" for some pics and let me know how it goes

 

[wright4lfe]

thanks for all the advice and support. its amazing when i ask him if they fought or qhat they're like and he has no answers. i can't imagine buying a living thing and then just feeding it occasionally and not caring. just blows my mind.

i think i may be in for tank #6...lolol