Topic: neeeeeeeeeeeeewb

[clichecichlid]

hey folks,
i have a single tiger oscar, about 5 inches in length, as well as a
green severum about 3 inches in length, housed in a 66 gallon aquarium.

oscar had HITH the very day after i fed a goldfish that was slightly too
large for him to eat... or the O just didn't want to eat it. (removed
feeder fish immediately, although debris from carcass entered the system)
i am feeding the O cichlid pellet food, 25 percent water changes once a week.

used a treatment from "pisces pet emporium" in calgary alberta. HITH
started healing the next day. i know this could be contributed to the
youth of the fish, (fast growth) ...

anyways, couple questions. you think the 66 gallon is large enough for the lifespan of said 2 fish? (also have a pleco)

will oscar eat garlic chunks seperate from other food?
feeding guppies on occasion ok for diet? (what would a method be of keeping a disease-free feeder aquarium?)

any small schooling fish (if tank is large enough) that could grow large enough for oscar to maintain contentment?

is adding salt a good practice? (pet stores inform me that calgary's water quality is highly suitable for aquarium keepers, guess i could always purchase a nitrate tester couldn't i?)

many questions, so any response will be welcomed.
awesome site. way to address HITH with a wide array of information. well written.

thanks,

brent

[clichecichlid]

darn it anyways.

the O faq had many answers.
your opinions are still welcomed.

oh and what are "SD's"
and rainbow fish?

goodnight

[Gerry]

SD = Silver Dollars and these are used as dither fish for O's due to being to big to be eaten

rainbow fish are again used as dither fish, but you have to watch the size as some are to small.

I think your tank is a bit tight for your fish but doable if you have decent length and width and are willing to do the little extra water changes needed.

I wouldn't feed any type of live fish if I were you as they carry a risk of disease and of little nutritional value. Also believe it makes your fish more aggressive as they view fish as food.

Get a liquid test kit that does ammonia, nitrite and nitrate, a must know if you want to maintain good water.

I wouldn't add salt other than when needed as a treatment.

I don't think your fish had HITH as it came to quick and is healing to quick. More likely an injury as O's are a tad clumsy and most likely bumped into something chasing the feeder.

Glad the FAQ was of help and welcome to the site.

[Katt]

Welcome.

Look`s like Gerry has you covered. 

As for O`s eating just garlic chunks, I doubt it.  Best to mix in it`s food.

[Stormbringer]

hi and welcome to the site   
like Gerry i doubt it was hith as that takes a long while to appear and a long time to heal
have you saw the article on fish foods ?
if not heres a link to it , you could mix up some pure garlic juice with some of those foods or even make your own recipes up
http://www.worldcichlids.com/portal/index.php?option=com_smf&Itemid=42&topic=15676.0

[mrbigfish]

Welcome, I think the others have it all covered, but I will say it any ways. Feeders do more harm than good.

[clichecichlid]

thanks for the advice, and the welcomes!
i'll throw up a picture or two shortly.

dimensions of tank are: 48"L x 16"W x 20"H

i'll try out a couple dithers, and my WC sched is diligent, so hopefully it bodes well.

(stupid feeders)

[clichecichlid]

O ate some frozen peas today. thought that was pretty cool. he may have ravaged the green kale i had for the pleco as well...
speaking of, any pointers as to feeding the pleco?

i've heard turning of the filter, and throwing in the mass of premade food works. alas, my plec is much to weary of the O currently during daylight. i throw in algae wafers, and kale, and have some driftwood in there...

seeya

[Gerry]

Cucumber, courgettes for the plec 

[AquaCare]

Plecos? Zucchini. George will do anything for a chunk of zucchini...

[clichecichlid]

just raw or blanched?

[Gerry]

raw is fine 

[fnesr]

You can use a plastic clothes peg or something similar to anchor the zucchini or cucumber slices and then leave them over night so the pleco has a chance to get to it (wedge the end of peg under a rock or peg them strait to the glass at top of tank).

[johnl]

I'm a little late to the party everyone has you covered I'll just say welcome.

[altaaffe]

and I'll add a tuppence and say "Hiya" too.