o.k on saturday i got an oscar from a friend of mine who is never home to take care of it. so i set up the tank and bought 10 small gold fish for a dollar as i was told he would eat them all in a day.. he is 1 year old and 8 or 9 inches long. i have him in a 55 gallong tank with 2 filters dual oxygen and the water temp is at 78 degrees... he was fine untill today when a lil while ago i noticed that there are only 2 gold gish left and my oscar is laying close to the bottom of the tank almost at a 45 degree angle.....

can some one explain whats going on,., i heard oscars can get very depressed but all the fish i ever had that did this had to be flushed down the toilet... at first he swam around and was fighting his reflection and now he just lays there on a angle...?

i would try googling fish diseases and try to find one with the symptoms he is showing...

do you have a PH level test kit? http://www.oscarfishlover.com/content/view/34/85/

and you dont need to feed him all ten fish at once.

I use to only give them a few at a time.

Raise the water temp a bit.

X2 on the PH kit. Also get some aqaurium salt, most pet stores will have it even Wal-Marts pet department should. Follow the directions in adding it in.

is the water primed?

has it been cycling for a few days or even weeks developing its own natural eco system? or is this water fresh out of the tap?

You may have heavy metals in teh water. I cannot use my tap water in the fishtank without adding a heavy metal neutralizer, or the fish will start dying rapidly

Hmmm, good point, I should have caught that one. Yes , get some tap water conditioner, the stuff I use comes in a little 2 ounce bottle. I think it'* by "Doctor Fish" or "Fish Doctor" but there are a few brands out there. Like Toaste said it'll neutralize the heavy metals in the water.

I would suggest going to www.fishprofiles.com I got a lot of information from there for my saltwater tank.

it is fresh out the tap.. what do you mena primed.? and whats the name of the heavy metal neutralizer.? thanks for all your help.. he is moving around again by=ut he still temnds to go sit sideways sometimes still..........

ouch.. fresh water out of the tap is a no no for fish..

water should cycle (empty tank no fish) for at least a week usually 2 before putting fish in tank.. water from tap full of chlorine and other crap bad for fish..
there is a bottle of tap water conditioner available from pet store.. that (primes) the water.
its natural bacteria and stuff gets it ready to add the fish (priming)
i hope you dont lose him..

i used to have cichlids,,