Hi:

I had something growing on my mopani wood. To be on the safe side I took it out to be cleaned (boiled) Thanks Penn. While I was in the process of doing same, I decided to place a medium sized new red clay flower pot in the tank to provide some shelter. I used a dremel tool and cut what I thought were nice sized holes in the inverted pot to create a cool "dark area". To my surprize for the entire week and a half my two oscars would not go near it. They would actually swim out of their way to avoid it. What I find interesting is that the moment I placed my wood ( one original piece and another new one) the fish both immediately took shelter next to, behind and under the natural looking wood. Could it be instinct or something else?. Possibly there was wood in the bredder tank or something. What I do know is that my two don't like smooth surfaces or apparently anything that is not natural looking.

George

Oscars are very inquisitive fish and will notice changes in their environment. Every creature has an instinct to shy away from danger. If it's something that they are not sure of, they will steer clear of it. As soon as they realise is nothing wrong, they will probably pay no attention.