So my oscar Eddie, has been displaying some interesting behavior i have never seen from any oscars, I work at a petstore with oscars, where i purchased him and have never seen any of our oscars do this, hoping someone can help lol. It may soubnd stupid im not worried bout it but as i have said ive never seen it: He has been swimming insanely around his bubble stone and then what looks like hes trying to attack his heater.... The swimming he is doing reminds me of a hyper dog, where they zoom around the house really fast, has anyone else witnessed this with oscars and if so is it normal behavior?

all normal behaviour ...100% certain lol

hey there and welcome to OFL!
Does the behaviour look anything like the oscar in this vid is acting?



except for the grunting, this is normal oscar behaviour, they just go crazy for nothing.
If your waterparameters are fine, oscars can still be hostile to their surroundings.
One of mine attacks the background in my tank very aggressively and will scratch and bruise his nose while at it.
Do you have a vid you can post for us?
How big is his tank?

lol quality vid noddy mate

Nick24 wrote:


Hyper dogs? Yeah, we know of those, right, Staffie?

haha yeah uber hyper dogs

Lol no the oscar in the video isnt doing what hes doing, he just swims around at a very fast pace in one area, near the back of the tank. And i have him in a 15 gallon tank. with only gravel the heater a bubble stone and the filter...

The video i have posted is a dog... not an oscar but imagine an oscar doing this in his tank and thats what im talking about. Ive tried to take video of him doing it but every time i tape him he stops and makes a liar out of me.

Nick24 wrote:


OK, Surely you will know that this tank is way too small to keep an oscar in.
This small a tank may be the cause of bad waterquality, thus causing stress or poisoning of the water. You will need a bigger tank to keep this fish happy and healthy. Do you have plans ready for an upgrade?
I suppose this is still a baby oscar?
How long has the tank been running and did you cycle your filter properly?
Cycling may take 5-6 weeks.
I know high nitrite levels can cause fish to chase across the tank.
Is he scratching or rubbing too?
Can you please test your water for ammonia, nitrites, nitrates and pH.
That will tell us more about what's causing this fishes behaviour and if there's anything to worry about, except for the tanksize.

Yes i know that it is too small, however for the time being it is suitable for his size, he is still only about 2 inches in length, i have had him for almost 2 months now.I feed him on his basis, whenever he decides he wants to eat, if i hold Cichlid sticks above the water and he goes for them he eats and i use the two minute rule when it comes to the Tropical flakes, so i think the feeding is fine.
I let my tank sit for three weeks with the right chemicals and ph balances before i ever went and bought him(Like I said I work at a pet store directly with fish) to allow the good bacteria to set in.I use two of the Aquaview 2-15 gallon Filtration systems on the tank to allow for good filtration, as i know oscars are messier fish than most. nd like said before i have a 6 inch bubble stone to allow adequate oxygenation in the water, and a heater in the tank as well other than that i only have gravel at the bottom.

As far as tank size right now for his current size the tank should be fine for now until he gets to be about 5 inches, once he starts getting bigger in length and girth I have already planned on acquiring a 55 gallon tank as no less is acceptable at that size.He doesnt scratch or rub on anything, he just darts across the tank....
I can get some ph testers to make sure that its not off or his nitrates are too high. that could be it but i figured i would see if anyone else has seen this.

You will need bigger filtration with the new tank as well.
Keep in mind that a healthy oscar will grow an inch a month, so your upgrade can't wait too long.