(I wrote the original message about the non pooping oscar)
Well,
I took everyones advice, and treated for dropsy/bloat. No improvement..
plus this has been going on for a year and it sounds like those diseases end
in death before this much time goes by.
so, a couple of days ago I took my oscar to the vet. The vet squezed the
fat buldge under his tummy and said he's got a blockage. He tried to put a
tube up his but and discovered that there was no opening. He cut open my
poor fishes gut, and out came almost 1/3 cup poop and snail shells and all
kinds of grose stuff. He sprayed his gut out w/ saline solution and
stitched him up.
Now its two days later and he looks like he is going to survive the surgery.
Now my FAT oscar has instantly become a skinny oscar. I hope he starts
eating again soon.

Ive got to take him back in a few weeks to find out why his bum hole doesn't
work. The vet said either the swelling from inside is the reason he
couldn't put a tube in it, or that he had a birth defect that just never
opened up the hole. The vet also said it is completely possible that he
lived his whole life this way and really did throw up to cycle the food out
of his body. its aparently a fairly straight shot from mouth to butthole in
a fish, so they can get out bones and other stuff they eat. Once he started
eating the small snails in my tank the shells were too heavy for him to
expell, and they built up in his gut.

If youve got a fish that you care about, dont be embarrased to take him to
the vet.. sure everyone I know and the receptionist at the vet all made fun
of me, but at least my pet will be better. The vet took one look at him and
said its not dropsy, and knew exactly what was wrong! This same vet
grafted snake skin on my injured chameleon a few years ago... and that
worked too!!!! amasing.