# Pacu and Oscar acting lethargic PLEASE HELP



## deezdrama05 (May 19, 2005)

Starting this morning my pacu and oscar where just resting on the bottom of the tank acting very sluggish and lethargic, i checked the water everything was fine, the nitrates where about 30-40 so i vacuumed the gravel and did a 50% water change. Ive had them about 4 months and they have never acted like this. The only thing i can think of is when doing a water change last week the heater was on and the low water made it crack so i took it out,since being near summertime i have been putting it off on getting another one. The water temp usually stays around 70-72 degrees, i know this is on the low side but i think should still be warm enough.Anyone have any ideas as what i should do???They both are still resting on the bottom of the tank. This is not good/I just started building a 250 gallon tank for them.


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## euRasian32 (May 19, 2005)

You say the temp "usually stays around 70-72"...

Is this the actual temperature now? or was that the temp. range before your heater cracked?


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## deezdrama05 (May 19, 2005)

the temp now,actually The temp in my tank has been a steady 76 degrees,ive tested for everything but ammonia but it should be fine my tank is cycled and i dont let uneaten food pile up and nitrates are 0 and nitrates i keep low.i do weekly 50% water changes adding water conditioner.They are swimming around fine now but my pacu goes nuts sometimes and flies around the tank like hes crazy bumping into the glass and sometimes you can hear a loud splash as if hes trying to jump out of the tank,its a 20 gallon tank but the pacu is only 4 inches and the oscar 2 or 3.


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## euRasian32 (May 19, 2005)

76 to 72 is fairly drastic. You say that the fish are okay now. If I were to make an educated guess the lethargic attitude could have been the result of them experiencing the temp. drop from 76 to 72.

Good luck on the DIY 250 gallon. Keep us posted, some pics would be awesome.

C


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## TANKER (Apr 28, 2005)

Get a new heater now. These fish need a steady temp in the 76-78 range. Think of it like you wandering around in the snow with and without a jacket. Which way are you going to be more energetic and happy? Fish typically don't have an insulating fat layer of any significance so water temp plays a major role in their lives.


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