Should I give-up one of my Oscar?

[Erich]

I have two in a 90g. About 8 inches each.
Recently, they are going crazy more often.

Going Crazy means:
They were resting at the bottom, "Suddenly" one of them or both will go into a state of shock, swimming so fast in different directions, Hitting the side and even jumps out from water to hit the top cover.
The only time i had this happen was when I tried to catch them and transfer them over from my old tank to their new 90g home.
But now, they are going crazy more often. I am not even close to the tank. Sometimes I am just watching tv 5, 6 feet away from the tank, and Suddenly they splashes the water, swim violently, knocking off the heater, and injuring themselves (big scratches on their body from hitting the dift wood)

What's wrong with them?? Whats causing this shock??? Its like they are scared and running away from danger.

They eat well, I feed them at regualr times everyday, makes 10% water change every other two days. (Even when I make water change, they are ok with my hand inside) Tank is clean.

What's causing this shock? I am thinking if i should give up one of my oscar, to just keep one.

[jonah]

So they're going crazy, but not attacking each other? This is just a small possibility, but could the heater have a short in it? Maybe it's literally shocking them on occasion causing temporary panic. They might have damaged the heater when bumping into it. That wouldn't be unheard of.

I wouldn't get rid of one of them if they aren't fighting.

[Erich]

hm...i never thought of it that way....
if thats the case, how do i check if its really the heater....
Thanks

[jonah]

Do you have one you could borrow for awhile? You might have to buy another one just to find out. There's probably a way to test the old one, but I don't know how.

[Rex Karr]

Sounds to me like it could be the heater or something shorting out. I have had really sucky luck with heaters recently. I've had 4-5 crap out on me.

Rex

[madgamer89]

i wonder if that could give them brain damage LOL :x

[MalawiGuy]

Erich,
How long have they ben in the new tank? Was the tank cycled? Have you tested your Nitrates Nitrites and ammonia levels?This sounds typical of poor water cond.,as the fishes expieriance an itch and can react violantly.
They could also have a n internal parasite causing the itch.Aside from your fish just being spooked I cant imagine anything else being the cause.

[Erich]

They are in the tank for 3-4 months now.
I haven't done a water test lately, but I am pretty sure the water condition is good. I make about 10-15% water change every 3-5days, I let the water sit for two days with another heater in it to bring the temp. to the same level as well.
Recently they got better, haven't seen that as often, and not as violent too. The only change i make is I start putting light on for 10 hours and turn it off when I get home from work.
maybe it helped a little??
thanks everyone for the advices..

[cichlidsickness]

fish cannot be shocked by heaters. electricity is the flow of electrons. for this flow of electrons to happen you need a power source connected to a load by way of a conductor. water is a conductor although a very poor conductor but a fish is not a load. there is no where for the electrons to flow to complete the path. unless you have a grounding conductor in your tank and the fish swims directly between the heater and the grounding conductor, electrons are not flowing though the fish.

[jonah]

[quote:308254ddcc="cichlidsickness"]fish cannot be shocked by heaters. electricity is the flow of electrons. for this flow of electrons to happen you need a power source connected to a load by way of a conductor. water is a conductor although a very poor conductor but a fish is not a load. there is no where for the electrons to flow to complete the path. unless you have a grounding conductor in your tank and the fish swims directly between the heater and the grounding conductor, electrons are not flowing though the fish.[/quote:308254ddcc]

Okay, explain this to me. My friend John had a summer job while a student at Oklahoma State. His job was counting fish for the wildlife department. The way he did it was by using a battery operated fish shocker. From a boat, he'd stick the probe in the water and crank it up. Everything within it's range would come floating to the top in a stunned daze at which point he'd count and ID them before they woke up.

How come I can't find a job like that? It didn't pay half what I make now, but it still would be pretty cool. :)

[Rudy]

They do this electroshock system in the Bow river in Calgary. One of the seven best trout fisheries in the world. Many of the fish died a few years back due to faulty technology. It seems to work pretty good now. I just wonder if it is an exact science. Personally I think it works as well as driving roads to count Grizzly bears. :lol: :shock:


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