Koi Fish Information Centre

Hi Sheri,
Did the Ich start after you moved him from one tank to the other?
In the future, you can’t just move a fish without acclimating it slowly to the water parameters of the new tank. This is a stressor that can cause a fishes immune system to falter. It’s also something that seems to trigger an Ich outbreak especially with a drastic water temperature change. Here’s a very good article on the treatment of Ich, especially for cichlids. http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/ich.php
As far as preferred water parameters, they tend to prefer a softer water with a neutral pH but can acclimate to other water parameters… it’s just not good to move a fish from one type of water to another without an acclimation period… the greater the difference in water, the longer acclimation period. Here’s a few good profiles on Oscars for more info. http://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/species.php?id=531 http://badmanstropicalfish.com/profiles/profile16.html http://www.aquatic-hobbyist.com/profiles/freshwater/cichlids/oscar.html
With a pleco (if a common) and an oscar in the same tank, it should be a very BIG tank, well over 100G++, with plenty of filtration.
Lenny Vasbinder Fish Blog - http://GoldLenny.blogspot.com

Category: Philippines Internet Koi Society