Hi guys

I got my first Oscar yesterday. It was fairly shy and hide away in a darker corner of the tank which I expected. This morning I got up this morning and it seemed more adventurous I came home from school to find it swimming happily not so shy but before I left I fed it some hikari chichlid staple the floats but as I am writing this it looks as if it has not bothered with any food is this normal or should I be worried

that's a normal thing for oscars.
It's called pouting or sulking and oscars are good at it.
It will happen from time to time, but is nothing to worry about.
That is, if you cycled your tank properly.
Did you cycle your tank before putting your oscar in there?

Thanks for replying

Yes I cycled my tank and also added water from my friends exsisting tank. Also before I added my Oscar I had my water tested at the fish centre where I brought my Oscar from and they said it would b fine

Cool, then you should have nothing to worry about.
Did you run a fishless cycle, or did you use fish for the cycling process, next to the tank water from your friends tank?

I did a fishless cycle, I also added nutrafin cycle by Hagen. The water I got from a friend should be fine as he tests it regulaly and the aquarium has been established for a few years. Dos this all sound ok

Well, like Noddy said this behavior is completely normal, although I would make sure you have a liquid test kit and keep an eye on the water readings for a bit. Have you tested your water yourself yet? I am usually skeptical of fish stores--I hear time and time again people getting their water tested and getting a response of just:'fine.' Did they give you any specifics?

No I haven't tested the water but I migh be able to get it tested within the next two days would you recommend I do that, also my o seems to be sticking close to the bottom of the tank and on the odd acation when I've been away and had a sneaky look it has gone into the top half of the tank but I have brought floating hikari pellets should I get some sinking ones instead. Thanks for the help so far it's very appreciated

Don't just get it tested, go to the fish store or any pet store and pick up a liquid test kit and test it yourself. I use the API Pharmaceuticals kit and recommend it. Very easy to use and lasts for quite a long time, and if you have any questions/concerns about the readings just post them and we'll take a look. It will give you accurate results and will help you establish what type of water change schedule is best for your tank...as well as alert you to any potential issues. I think it is especially important to have with a newly cycled tank with new inhabitants.


As for the food the floating pellets are fine. Oscars can go for weeks without food actually, so you do not need to worry about him 'starving' or anything like that. Just try dropping in one or two and if he hasn't consumed them in an hour or so remove them and try again the next day. Eventually as he gets adjusted he will eat. It takes a couple days to in some cases a week or even longer, so don't get too concerned about this behavior. Just get the kit, test the water, make sure he has places to hide and keep lighting low, don't prod him with chop sticks, and keep offering small bits of food day to day.

Like Johnny said ,it would be best to get your own liquid test set.
It'll come in handy, whenever you fear something might be wrong with your oscar.
And i can tell you, we oscar keepers can worry a lot.

I doubted my fishkeepingskills on several occassions, but the test results gave me peace of mind.
Plus when emergencies come up, you'll be able to see what steps need to be taken.

As for the sinking pellets, you can try that, allthough it is my expierience that oscars will take any food you offer, once they have settled in and are feeling at home.
Just sit by your tank and fish, talk to him and let him get used to your presense.
He'll come running like a puppy in some days.

Ok thanks I'll get it tested at the store and buy my own test kit. How would you recommend I do the lighting, and I will reduce the amount I've been puttin in I've been putting In about 20 cause I brought the mini pellets then taking them out about 3 hours later. Thankyou for your help

Also

Wondering if you could help me identify what species of Oscar I have I know it isn't a tiger. The best way to describe it is White at the head but gets pinkier the closer u get to it tail, as it swims along the colours shine and change in the light. It has orange/red eyes I think it may b an albino but not 100% sure. Sorry for the bad description if I have time I will upload a picture later

You really only need to drop 2 or 3 small pellets in there for starters. Sounds like an albino... As for the lighting keep in mind artificial light is really just for us. Oscars prefer dimmer lighting as a rule, so if you have plenty of natural lighting in the room I would pretty much leave the lights off for the vast majority of the day. You can turn them on in the early evening for a couple hours.