Problems with my Oscar

[Electrono]

I've had my Tiger Oscar for almost a year now, and just recently he's been having some strange problems. I first noticed a white spot on the top of his head about a moth ago, but i didn't think too much of it. Now, I realize he's been hurting himself pretty badly. the entire top of his read is rubbed raw, and bleeding in some places, and the bottom of his jaw is torn up, probably from knocking heavy objects over. He's been swimming very fast around hte aquarium, sometimes bumping into the tank wall pretty hard. He's aso been biting at the bubble wand in the corner every so often.I've removed the furniture fom his tank to prevent him from hurting himself even more. I'm really worried about him, and I have no clue what could have caused him to do this. How can I help him heal? What steps should I take to prevent this in the future? And what might I do right now to help him? What could have possibly triggered this frustration with his surroundings?

PS. the oscar's the only one in hte tank, otehr than a small plecostamus. I don't know if it's a male or female. The furniture includes a plastic "cave" kind of thing, too small for him to fit in, a 5-lb piece of granite, leaned up against a corner (He pulled it over, so it fell on the bottom, which i bleieve is how he got his jaw essed up), a small bridge-like structure, again, too small for him to fin under, and ceramic turtle about the size of my palm. I also have 2 plastic plants in there, fairly large.

[Scuba Kid]

To help his wounds heal up, you can add some Melafix to the tank.

What size tank is this?

[Electrono]

It's a 30 gallon tank, plenty of room for him and the plecostamus.

And what brand is Melafix made by?

[Ron the handyman]

The tank may be to small for him. He might be going after the placo? watch to see if the sores get better. R.

[Scuba Kid]

Actually, a 30 gallon is way too small for an oscar and a common pleco. How big are the oscar and pleco now?

Melafix is made by API.

[Gourami Swami]

The 30g is the problem man. He is going crazy because he is in too small of a tank. If he is almost a year old he should be about 10-11", and he needs at least a 55-75g tank.

[Electrono]

He's about 10 in. long, and the plecostamus is farily young, i'd say about 2 inches. I'll look into a bigger tank then. Should I also buy him larger structures to hole up in as well? The one I have is pretty small, about 2 inches in diameter, and it's open on two sides.

Looks like a shopping day for me... Would anyone have an idea of what I'd be spending on a new tank?

[trashion]

much too small. when i worked at petc0, i recommended at least a 75 gallon tank for an oscar, the extra width will be greatly appreciated.

oscars will pretty much just mess up any kind of decor you put in their tank. you can put some other decor in there, but he'll move it around to suit him. i've heard of oscars breaking heaters, snapping filter tubes, etc.

a 75 gallon still won't be big enough for the pleco, either. if it's a common, it'll clock in at around 2 feet. i saw this pic once, and it really puts things into perspective.

[redpaulhus]

I have to agree with all of the above - the tank's too small.
Combine that with decor (granite rock etc) that is big enough to hurt but small enough to move...

How often are you changing water ?
The other big trick with Oscars and plecos is frequent partial water changes - I like about 1/3 to 1/2 of the tank every 10-14 days.
In a tank that small I'd be leaning towards every 7 days...

I have an adult oscar in a 125g tank (with tankmates, but all much smaller and less messy than he is) and if I don't change his water on a weekly basis he gets stressed.

Minimum I would suggest as a "forever home" for a single oscar would be a 75g. If you want tankmates I'd go with something with a 6ft x 18" footprint (125g, 150g, etc) or larger.
Even a 55g or 65g "breeder" tank would be an improvement from the 30g, but you'd eventually need to upgrade to the 75g - and if the oscar is decent sized (ie 9-10" or longer) the 55g really isn't an option, its too narrow.

[Gourami Swami]

A 75g is a good size for an oscar for life. I got mine with the tank, stand, and filter off of craigslist for 200$. New you would be paying proabably 350 to set it up from a store. Possibly more if you buy a nice stand.

[Electrono]

Alrighty then. I'll also have to change his water more frequently.

Just after I told my mom about this (she knows a thing or two), she suggested a water change. He's calmed down ALOT now, and he's being much more well behaved. A marine biology teacher at my school actually makes tanks, I'll see if he can't make me one for cheap. I'm still going to have to buy the filter and light, and definitely new furniture... I can build hte stand myself, my family's huge in carpentry.

Thanks so much for all your help, guys! My Oscar should be getting better real soon thanks to you!

[Gourami Swami]

no problem... Good luck!

[Electrono]

Yeah, my pleco is itty bitty right now, very young... I'd say between 1 and 2 inches. I had to replace my old one which passed away about a month ago, and that guy was MASSIVE, almost a foot and a half.

So I've found a deal on a 56 gallon tank in my area, $125, would you reccomend taking this deal? I know it was reccomended 75 gallons, but I need to get him ito a bigger tank ASAP.

The dimensions are 30Lx18Wx25H, and it comes with a stand. I should be able to get a new filter and such pretty quick as well.