IZZY
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The new rescued Oscar..I wen't to the pet store the other day and saw a 3/4" oscar in with a tank full of 4" african cichlids. He was chewed up pretty bad  didn't have much for fins left. Right then my hubbie knew we were going to be bringing another oscar home  I could'nt help it, we both have a soft spot for oscars, and this guy was hiding in the grass in the top corner of the tank, looking at me with his big puppydog eyes...like he was saying please take me! There was no way I was leaving without him...we tried to get a deal on him as we didn't even know if he was going to make the night, but they would'nt budge Sooo, needless to say, I paid full price for a half dead oscarling
I didn't have a tank set up for him, but I sure was a busy woman when I got home  I always keep extra media and gravel in the running tanks I have, so I didn't have to worry about cycling this tank. In no time I had it set up and nicely salted to heal his wounds.
He made tha night and made a complete glutten of himself the next day.
The kids named him Gimpy because he was pretty messed up, he seems to be doing good, and does lots of the typical oscar sulking
What I don't understand is that he eats what ever I put in there, including the bottom feeder tablet for the pleco, which is WAY too much food for his tiny little belly. I have to find better ways of hiding the tablets, Gimpys belly gets so big that he looks like his belly going to tear, then he lays at the bottom, till he poops (and they are not small at all!) When he poops, it looks like part of his innerds are comming out with it That's gotta hurt! He is so small that he can get in everywhere I stash the pleco food. I have now resorted to putting flakes in there, the oscar doesn't like them (he prefers pellets) so that the pleco doesn't go without.
He is my 7th oscar, and I have not have this happen before, when the other ones get full the spit out the food and make a mess. I'm thinking that in the tank he was in he never got food cecause the other fish were big, fast, and Gimpy was as far from the top of the totem pole as he could get, and now he thinks he better eat everything in sight.
Other than that, he is flourishing, his fins have grown back 95% and he is VERY friendly, rushing to the front of the tankas soon as he sees me walk into the room 
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McBunz
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He is going to look like a blow fish if he keeps that up. 
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IZZY
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pretty much I do worry about him, he's so cute, poor little guy. I'm thinking it will be about another two weeks til I know if he's in the clear with his health, ...I'm putting him on rations
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IZZY
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I'm starting to think he's not sulking anymore, he has been lying on the bottom for about 3 hours this morning, and he won't budge for food
I've only had him for a week tuesday, si it's possible that he picked up a parasite at the lfs ( I'm thinking internal, as there are no signs on the outside) I wasn't sure if he was going to make the night when I brought him home, if he dies, it won't be from his injuries as they have pretty much healed up. I have his tank salted, but sometimes you just can't save the sick ones
All I can do now is hope for the best
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Joyce
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Awh .. well I hope he makes it !! Good Luck with him
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Betty B
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Poor guy. He has had a tough start to life.
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IZZY
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WEEEEELLLL, I think this little guy is playing me for a fool, After I posted this, I wen't downstairs to hang out with him and see if I could see anything wrong with him, and he shot up to the top of the tank as soon as he saw me  He did spend 3 full hours sulking...which is a heck of a lot longer than any other oscar I've seen. Sulking is their way of pouting, but you can usually play their game by giving them something something to eat, and suddenly they forget what they are sulking about( and they usually sulk about not getting the tasty treats and getting pellets instead)
I've switched him to flakes to see if it was the pellets that were giving him the trouble....can fish have food alergies  
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McBunz
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Maybe he is just lonely.. throw him a couple of guppies for room mates.
If he doesn't like their company he can always eat them for a snack.. 
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Joyce
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 Good Thinking Adie .. Multi Purpose !!
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IZZY
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Sher
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Sounds like when he's on the bottom, he's needing some Pepto Bismol for his indigestion. What a little glutton! He's trying to make up for lost time. One of our rescued Dachshunds, Hugo, ate that way ..... inhaled the food before the bowl hit the floor, and he'd hop up and down in front like a low rider, making a rasping noise while I prepared all the food ( I had 5 Dachsies at the time, so it took a few minutes to get all the bowls ready ). He was one of 6 adult Dachshunds in his former home, and I think the owner just threw the food in the middle of the floor and the dogs all went after it, whomever got some, got some. That's how he acted, anyway.
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IZZY
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Sure seems like it...he seems good to go now...only sulks when he thinks he should be getting a frozen tasty treat
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Carlson
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| IZZY wrote: | | Sure seems like it...he seems good to go now...only sulks when he thinks he should be getting a frozen tasty treat |
Does he eat frozen calf liver, a friend from my work said their Oscar loves calf liver cut small. and he is a big guy.
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IZZY
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Not yet...but it's comming
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