Shannon wrote:
Thanks for all your advice guys! I am pretty new to fish (meaning
I've had quite a few that didn't make it, but this is only my 2nd
oscar), you guys are all so hard core! I actually don't own a water
test kit, but I'm buying one today, so I'll get back to you on the
parameters. Please don't reply with abusive posts about what a bad
fish keeper I am because I don't have a water test kit (I feel so
amateur). Ernie (the fish) was honestly was doing fine until now, and
I really do appreciate your advice on what to do.

How does one fix an ammonia problem?

The quickest way is to add something like AmQuel+ to the water. It
detoxifies any ammonia and nitrites.

Also, no, I didn't know you could just put a blanket over the top and
the algae would die. Does the blanket need to be there all the time,
or only when the sun shines on the tank?

If you have sun on the tank and no live plants, (I assume Ernie shreds
them, oscar style) you are going to have a lot of algae. Have you
considered one of those scenic backdrops to block the sun?

I think it was algae in the tank anyway. It was strands of green
stuff coming off the walls, and then any waste the fish produced had
this halo of white stuff growing around it, sometimes with little
fibres (hyphae?, perhaps it is fungus?) sticking out it.

Hmm...Is Ernie still growing? And how large is his tank? Algae is
pretty normal, especially in sunlight, but it sounds like there are some
water quality issues with the rapid fungus growth on Ernie's waste. You
might think about increasing how often you change water. Stick to 25%
changes for the time being so you don't stress Ernie too much again.

Once you've done enough 25% water changes that the tank water is the
same pH and hardness as your tap water, you can match the tap water
temperature to the tank temperature and change as much as 50% if you
need to keep the tank clean.

BTW, is Ernie doing any better?

--
Elaine T __
http://eethomp.com/fish.html '__
rec.aquaria.* FAQ http://faq.thekrib.com