does anyone pat there oscars, i was doing it today and they didnt mind at all, is there a problem with doing that

There's nothing wrong with the occasional patting of an oscar if he allows it.
You tube is flooded with vids of folks doing that.
But keep in mind that any touching of the fish may damage it's protective slimecoat.
But as long as it's not a regular and continuous thing, imo you can pat an oscar.
I did pat mine once, but he came back after a minute and bit me hard, as if to say, don't you get any funny idea's!

Another thing to consider is, that the lateral line in oscars is a very sensitive organ, to enable to make the oscar feel vibrations in the water and i am told that touching the lateral line would be like touching our eardrum.
So you better not do that...

My oscars don't like to be touched, but i got my Gar who seems to enjoy an occasional pat on the back.

edit: as i say You tube is flooded with it, do not see that as an encouragment to do anything that people on youtube do...

ok thanks maby the occasional tail pat

i normally pat my two tiger... especially while cleaning...
i even move them by hand away from the slate but these two
always fight back and normally bit my hand....

i even hold them with pushing to separate them with
pangasius.... the pang alwyas had those gashes on the
side...being attacked whenever come near the slate...

albinotiger wrote:


I generally don't need to 'pet' my Oscar. He tolerates it but if i want to touch him I just gently put my hand in the water and he will brush past it on his own. Or if I'm moving stuff around he'll do the same. I have to 'shoo' him away sometimes so I can work.

However I try and avoid getting my hand too near him when I am using the gravel vac. He doesn't like it (I think because I have to submerge it and move it rapidly back and forth to get the suction going), flashes, and gives it a few lunges and nips to 'show it who's boss.' I let him 'defeat' the villainous gravel vac and move it away after so he feels like he is master of his domain.

He will hand feed mainly with frozen fish...but he's a pig about it and lunges out of the water so I keep my fingers at a bit of a distance.

my three albino oscars all let me pat them on the head and take food out of my hand they're only a few month old as well. My older tiger oscar is the most docile fish i've ever known, he lets me pat him and he brushes against my fingers etc but he doesn't like to eat out of my hand which is fair enough.. haha x

Mine are both really funny as they are around 3inches and still chase my hand around the tank hehe..they aint sure how to tackle a fully grown hand yet tho ;p

my oscar is still aftraid of my hand and my shy red blood parrot just tried to attack my hand maybe my bp got so tired of me re decorating he just attacked me lol

after posting in this thread the last time, i tried patting my tiger for the first time, and he doesn't seem to mind, when he's focussing on food.
On the other hand he kept biting and attacking my fingers, gently though, when i was busy with feeding the plecos.
he's changed so much since i got him several months ago and all for the better!

ya once i did patted him doing a gravel vacume just so i can say i "did it" haha just a few times on the side cause when i do my gravel vacs and stir up the gravell and stuff they allways hang out at one corner. So i have to push him i love my oscar when my sister babysits the neighbors they allways come to look at the fish and there like we wana see big daddy (thats my oscars name). cause even though theres problems in my aquarium i feel like the only one apreciating it and injoying it is myself so its nice to see people exnolage my work. Even though 7 year olds dont no anything about it or wat it take damn i dont no even what it takes i wish i knew as much as some of the other people on this forum.