# Found my oscar dead this morning....



## heylady (Oct 14, 2004)

I just don't get it. Yesterday he seemed to be breathing a bit harder than normal. I did a 50% water change (knee jerk reaction). He looked like he was breathing easier after that. I made sure there was plenty of surface agitation too. The pleco and the snails in the tank are fine, were fine, still are fine. But this morning I found my Irwin dead.   

Even hubby was upset 

I just don't get it. Nothing new was added to his tank. None of my other tanks have sick fish so no chance of cross contamination. He ate well, color was good, activity normal just that little bit of breathing hard. Nobody's done anything in the house that could somehow contaminate the water (I've been down - had surgery last week so no activity to speak of).

RIP Irwin!


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## heylady (Oct 14, 2004)

Hubby thinks that Irwin may have eaten a large snail or even a piece of gravel. I know that there have been times when Irwy would eat something on the bottom and grab up some gravel too but he always spit the gravel out. 
Would eating gravel or a snail do this??


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## BlackShark11k (Feb 16, 2007)

Sorry for your loss! Never heard of oscars eating gravel or snails, just picking it up. Maybe he accidently swallowed some?


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## Big Vine (Feb 26, 2007)

heylady, so sorry about Irwin.  
This one has me completely stumped.

BV


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## TheFishGuy (Apr 21, 2005)

I lost an oscar due to it choking on a piece of gravel... I think your husband is on the right track... Sorry for your loss


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## djoneser (Mar 20, 2008)

Sorry for your loss. I have heard of a couple of cases where a fish choked, I remember one thread the person was saying that someone had thrown a piece of candy in the tank.


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## heylady (Oct 14, 2004)

Thanks everyone for the sympathy! He was a really cool fish and I know we will miss him, even the dog has gone by the tank looking for him! (Irwin always ran the glass with the dog....)

I cannot think of one thing that has been done to the tank or around the tank, I guess the gravel theory is going to be the one we go with. I suppose I should have looked in his mouth when I got him out of the tank but I wasn't thinking of that and hubby was nice enough to bury him under my rose bush so it's too late now.....


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## SYcichlid (Jul 14, 2005)

R.I.P. Irwin. Sorry for your loss.


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## shef (Oct 3, 2004)

I'm so sorry to hear that. Oscars are great fish.


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## terd ferguson (Jul 31, 2007)

I'm so sorry for your loss. R.I.P. Irwin.


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## StillaZilla (Aug 22, 2008)

So sorry for Irwin. How old was he? Is there any chance he just died of old age?


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## elroach (Oct 26, 2007)

Yea I lost a Male GT to swallowing gravel and stopped eating. When he died, I was basically playing with him and looked in his mouth, just for fun, and behold I see a black something. I shake him and out comes a piece of gravel. Looked again and seen something else black and again shook another piece out. I ended up getting bout 4 or 5 pieces out.

It really sucks because he was a breeder with my female and he wasn't cheap. Sorry for you lose but I guess it happens when you have animals.


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## barlis (Jan 19, 2006)

sorry for your loss......


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## heylady (Oct 14, 2004)

Thanks everyone! He was only a year old or so (can't remember exactly)....so old age wasn't it. Hubby told me that the night before Irwin died he was in the bedroom (where the tank is) and saw Irwin coughing but he didn't connect it with anything until now. 
My hubby also wants to know if I'm going to get another oscar...."looks strange in there without that big old fish staring at me"....if I do you can bet I'm pulling out that gravel first!!! :x


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## barlis (Jan 19, 2006)

he was so pretty...you should get another....


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## SYcichlid (Jul 14, 2005)

Heylady where abouts in FL do you live? I know a couple good places around me that have some good Oscars. Thats if you decide to get another O. Once again sorry for your loss.


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## Al'Thor (Mar 11, 2006)

So sorry Heylady!


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## heylady (Oct 14, 2004)

Thanks everyone!

I've actually been thinking about getting a flowerhorn instead. I kind of waffle between the two - oscar/FH, oscar/FH - I think about the big goofy oscar and then I think about the FH and their markings and I just don't know! I think what it will come down to is which fish I come across first and the awww factor... :wink:


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## BlackShark11k (Feb 16, 2007)

Why not both :wink:


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## gordonrp (Mar 23, 2005)

sorry 

maybe switch to sand? looks much nicer anyway.


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## heylady (Oct 14, 2004)

Not going to have gravel or sand. Gonna go bare bottomed instead!

And why not get both an oscar and a flowerhorn? I just don't have the room for both!! But believe me I'd love to have both!!


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## BlackShark11k (Feb 16, 2007)

heylady said:


> And why not get both an oscar and a flowerhorn? *I just don't have the room for both!!* But believe me I'd love to have both!!


Well make some room!


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## Guest (Sep 4, 2008)

might sound stupid but could the pleco have done somthing to it??
my oscar and rhino pleco [both purty large] always go at it when they can, they purty much hate eachother.
on my next water change im gonna give the pleco a little cave spot or just take it out


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## heylady (Oct 14, 2004)

No, I don't think the pleco had anything to do with it at all. Irwin the oscar was not vicious towards the pleco but he sure didn't tolerate anything from him. Good point though as it can be a problem sometimes!!

I have decided to go ahead and get another oscar. I just miss his big goofy face and the way he would gulp up his food and how he and the dog would race from one end of the tank to the other, I miss his nice coloring (yes I will try and get another red O if I can!), his supreme largeness, and the way he would get all mouthy if I crouched down in front of the tank!! I am feeling well enough to take that gravel out tomorrow then I'll do another big water change. After that I will start looking for a new O!! :thumb:


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## Guest (Sep 5, 2008)

o ok

kool
i really like red oscars the most also


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