hey guys, I'm new here and new to the world of Oscars. I recently bought 2 tiger Oscars (both from the same tank, this was last Tuesday. I've come to see that I have an agressive one and a passive one. They are still babies (I think) and the passive one is about 2 inches while the agressive one is about 2.5 inches. As of last night and this morning the agressive one stays in the dark and will only come out when he sees me trying to give him attention. The passive one always comes up to me while the agressor stays hidden behind a plant and watches. I'll give the passive one attention then go to the other, when I go to the other, the passive one tries to come where I am, at this time the agressor will come out and then he'll go up to the passive one and give it nips. The passive one will ALWAYS lay on his side to show submission and then he will nip a few more times and goes back behind the plant. He has even "bumped" the other one too. Now the passive one will go on his side when the agressor comes around. What do I do?? Do these fish get jealous or is this just nature???? I know i've read that a pair can fight, so what do you think I should do??? I have noticed from a distance that the agressor still goes at the other periodically. He'll be fine one minute, swimming along side the other, and the next minute he turns around and gives the other a nip. Any help on this would be greatly appreciated!!!!

Well i am new also to Oscars and have 2 the same size you do with much the same situation.

I have one aggressive one and one timid one. The aggressive one chases the timid one about 50% of the time unless he is resting himself. And he does bump and nip at it. Same size fish but the aggressive one is a big more bulky.

Anyhooter, mine have been in the tank for over a week doing this and though its fun to watch I don't see any real danger since they are so close in size.

What i was told is to just make sure you have some hiding places so your timid one can hide.

If the aggressive one becomes too dominant you can rearrange your tank and he may back off some as both fish will attempt to claim areas of the tank over again.

In the end they will either pester each other and give you a good thrill to observe them......or ultimately you can decide to remove one of them. In worst case the mean one could kill the other. Ive been told at 2" each its not likely though.

I would just let the two run the course. If they learn to get along great.....if one kills the other; then thats what happens. To split them just to put another into the tank could possibly just result in the same situation all over; as from what i gather is one or the other will always become dominant. So just get some good plants and stones for them to hide in.

thanks a lot for the advice. I feel better about now but the passive one is the one I happen to like the best. I've heard that its hard to do stuff with an agressive fish, like hand feed them and stuff.

I know I'm going to get thoroughly ridiculed about this but I was a complete idiot in getting these fish. I knew nothing about them or how big they get or anything and the pet store people didn't bother to tell me either, so I currently have two baby oscars in just a 2.5 gallon tank....CRINGE!!!! I know and I am trying like heck to get the money up and get them a new tank (150 gallon). I do have relatives that I'm sure will keep them until I get the money up (like a month or 2). Right now, that tank holds them just fine but not for long. I have made the best of it and have their tank in immaculate condition, with the perfect temp, good hiding places, more oxygen, good filter system, etc. So they are doing good at the moment.

Oscars can be quite nasty towards each other. I would just keep an eye on them, it's when they start getting bigger, that's when things could really get problematic. If they start injuring each other, you may well have to do think about splitting them up. I've never tried it myself, but rearranging the tank has worked for some people. Let's just hope that they calm down a little bit. It's never nice having to get rid of a fish

You have them in a 2.5 gallon tank? That is a fish bowl. You need to get you at least a little 10 gallon for $10 at Walmart to house them for a month or so.

Hell Walmart sells a 29 gallon with everything you need for $99 that would last you a month or two maybe.


I just got a 150 with everything on ebay for $350 just shop around.

thanks for all the advice everyone!

I only have them in a 2.5 gallon tank because I got the tank before I got the fish. I knew nothing about them and the people at the pet store didn't bother to inform me either and they were well aware of my tank size. By the way, I did purchase my tank as a kit and it was $50. I do have relatives that have large fish tanks so they will be staying over there if I haven't been able to get them a bigger tank. Thanks for the info on your tank. That's what I'm trying to save up for and hopefully I'll be able to find a good deal too. I saw in the paper, someone selling a 125 gallon tank with everything for $150. But that's $150 I don't have. I'm in med school so I can only manage a part-time gig. So I am saving everything I can

I fully appreciate that you knew nothing about Oscars for getting them, that seems to be quite a trend of people. However, you must think about the welfare of the fish. 2.5 gallons would be like us having a bath in the kitchensink compared to even a smallish Oscar. If you can't get a suitable tank soon, you need to think about your situation seriously. The Oscars will grow quickly despite what people say about fish only growing to the size of the tank. They will get too big for the 2.5 gallon tank, and once this happens, their health will be in jeopardy.

While you have them in that small tank you need to do some water changes very often.

Time to sell of some old stuff ya don't use, ahahahah


Well good luck and keep us posted.

yeah I know. While have them in a very unapropriate size tank, I won't them suffer. I am monitoring their size and the same time trying to find a deal on a bigger tank. I am trying to wheel and deal and get some loan money and also a "loan" tank..lol! Hey, whatever works right?? Yeah, I have already changed their water already and its been a week. I definitely will keep you guys posted. Thnks for all the help!