HELP!! Oscar not eating.

[Cheri G]

My Oscar tried to eat the catfish in my tank but it was to big and was stick in his mouth. A few hours later he dislodged it and has not eaten since. He started to get "Ick" I have treated that and continue to do frequent water changes. How long can he go without eating. I had been feeding him feeders and have since stopped after reading how many parasites they can carry, so I offer just his "Hikari "Pellets but he does not touch them like he used to. I do not know what else to do.....

 

[Andy Sager]

My Oscar tried to eat the catfish in my tank but it was to big and was stick in his mouth. A few hours later he dislodged it and has not eaten since. He started to get "Ick" I have treated that and continue to do frequent water changes. How long can he go without eating. I had been feeding him feeders and have since stopped after reading how many parasites they can carry, so I offer just his "Hikari "Pellets but he does not touch them like he used to. I do not know what else to do.....

Without seeing pictures of the fish to rule out bloating or other physical issues, most likely the catfish stung the inside of his mouth which is why he's not eating. Check the catfish to see if any spines are missing and if so, you will need to inspect the inside of the Oscar's mouth for the pieces. If there are spines in there, they need to be removed. If you are unable to do this, you will need to locate a Veterinarian that deals with fish so that they can anesthetise the fish and remove the spines. Then an antibiotic will most likely be needed to protect against any infection. If you don't see any missing spines, there's not much more that you can do past making sure the fish has clean water all the time to prevent any infection from any wound that may be inside the mouth. You can also add aquarium salt at a rate of 1 tablespoon per 3 gallons of actual water. If the Oscar is in a large tank, moving him to a smaller hospital tank can help reduce costs of treatments. Raise the temperature to 84-86 degrees and make sure you increase the aeration while the water is at the higher temp.

Ick is a sign of stress so it's not that unusual for the fish to get it after a traumatic experience of a sting but if was caused by some other stress, that needs to be addressed if the fish is to heal. Check water temp, water parameters and aeration.