I bought two tiger oscars (one is albino) at the same time and they were the exact same size. I've had them about two weeks now and the normal colored one is almost twice the size of the albino one. They're the same length and they're heads/fins/eyes are all the same size but the normal colored one is at least double the 'height' of the albino one. I would say the albino one is more teardrop shaped and the normal one is rectangle shaped. They both get fed the exact same amount and type of food, so why is the normal one growing so much bigger? I'm afraid that he will get big enough to eat the albino one. Do albino tiger oscars not grow very fast?

(I tried to take pictures of them together for reference but they wouldn't stay still or close enough for a clear representation).

I have the exact same problem...but Dont worry he will not grow big enough to eat your albino.
You will find both of your fish will go through growth spurts and your albino will soon catch up.

from my experience, albinos (lutinos) tend to grow slower than red or tiger oscars. eventually the smaller one will catch up; as long as aggression doesn't become too much of an issue.

this is perfectly normal. Oscar grow at different rates and can have different body shapes as they grow

cebosound wrote:


Finally somebody who thinks the same as me.
Iv seen this alot...I still maintain that albinos are slightly weaker than tigers or reds.
Iv also noticed that my albinos eyesight may not be as good as my tigers.
Has anybody noticed this with their fish?
I only notice this when I am feeding them...The albino seems to struggle a little to spot the food right away... although he is still feeding very well I make sure of it.

STAFFIE wrote:


Absolutely,for sure..the white babies are growing much slower, many of them were very small and in the end were not as hardy as the tigers.

i guess its all different because my lutino is growing faster.

Capt Dave wrote:


Dave I am with you! My Lutino grew much faster too!

STAFFIE wrote:
[quote]cebosound wrote:

My albino struggles to find food, of course I also make sure it gets its fair share. I was actually going to make a post about my albinos eyesight today. The tiger on the other hand has zero problems finding food.

AyresNet wrote:
[quote]STAFFIE wrote:


brilliant im not alone on this....and shar you have just proved it to me also.
You say that the tigers in one tank grew faster than your albinos in another tank?

Oh ok good. Because it seems like my albino hasn't grown at all and the normal one is getting noticeably bigger every day. He's even moved on to medium sized cichlid pellets while the albino can't even fit them in his mouth. They're both eating an equal amount of beef hart/brine shrimp/crushed peas mix, plus the pellets. The bigger pellets is the only difference in their diets. Also the albino one seems to always going to the bathroom, could this have something to do with it?

NA I would say this is just because your albino has a smaller stomach and is digesting food very quickly.