I am new to having an oscar the one I have is very very small about one inch or two. I have have it for over a week and it has been doing fine until today, i noticed that it has been laying on the bottom of the tank almost all day. I will walk over to it and it gets up and swims alittle then it goes back to the bottom of the tank. I have checked everything that goes with the website here and everything is fine. Can someone tell me what is going on with my new baby. Thank you

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Okay, have you checked the water for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and the pH? This is probably the most important thing we need to know at the moment so try and give us all of the readings.

Another question, did you cycle the tank before putting the fish in? I don't think you've got a problem with high toxins as the fish would more than likely be hanging at the surface but we must be absolutely sure.

Until you can answer these questions, we can't really go anywhere

Yes i took my water and had it tested and they said everything was great. Yes a also let the tank cycle before the fish and it has also done it again it went really cloudy for a day or so then it was fine. I do not understand what could be wrong with the little guy. Please help I do not want to lose this little cute one. I also have a sucker fish and 2 tiger barbs in the tank.

I have moved this thread, please try to post in the correct category.


When you say you did cycle the tank, how did you do it? I'm assuming that the other fish were there before the Oscar? How big is the tank? There are various reasons why water can go cloudy, the fact that you just put your fish in tells me that the tank wasn't cycle properly. I could be wrong here, it is difficult to answer these questions is by your descriptions. However, when putting the fish in, it probably produced a lot of ammonia and then the free swimming bacteria built-up in the tank water, that's why it went cloudy. How much are you feeding this little guy.

When I cycled the tank in the first time I did what the an said to that I was getting my fish from I bought the fritz zyme #7 and put it in the tank the first day and again seven days later. Then added my little baby oscar and the two tiger barbs. Then about a week later I added the sucker fish. Right now I have a 20 gallon tank. And as far as feeding I feed the fish twice a day but very little at each time.

Sorry that I posted in the wrong place I noticed that after we started to talk I will do better next time.

I assume you are talking about stress zyme. Very contentious issue to whether or not this stuff actually works.

Ironically, I am using some at the moment on the 20 gallon tank that is going to be a little community tank. I suppose about two weeks ago, probably three weeks ago I bought two little cory catfish, not even an inch long. I added the third dose of stress zyme yesterday and tested the water. Ammonia was zero and I haven't done any water changes. Now, it could be because the fish are so small ammonia is not registering yet, or it could be that this stuff is actually working. It does get a bit complicated, and I don't totally understand it.

The bacteria that live in filtration system need a surface to to live on , they also need oxygen. How they keep these bacteria alive in a bottle is a mystery. This is why I think they are using a different type of bacteria, I think these may be the free swimming bacteria that are responsible for making the water cloudy. But you have to remember that these bacteria are not the same as the ones that live in the filtration. So because you are putting their stuff in, the bacteria is consuming the toxins. There is a contentious issue to whether or not it actually establishes a biological filter for you. This is a very interesting subject which I would really like to get my teeth into.

Anyway, back to your problem. If the water is perfectly okay, it could be just that your Oscar assaulting a little bit. There is a chance he is getting bullied a bit. You have to bear one thing in mind as well. Your tank is far too small for the fish you've got. Okay, your Oscar is very small at the moment, it won't stay that small for too long, believe me. how big are the other fish? You say you've got a sucker fish, I seem this is some kind of pleco? These are nocturnal, they are quite active at night. If you're keeping all these fish in a compact space, there is a chance that the nocturnal fish are disturbing the rest at night. And remember that fish do need to sleep.

Is your little Oscar breathing heavily at all? Anyway, time for me to go to sleep so be in the morning when I get back to you

Thank you for all your help the two tiger barbs are about the same size as the oscar and yes for the sucker fish i mean what you said lol I understand that the tank will be to small very soon and I plan on getting a bigger one soon. as far as the the oscar breathing heavy I do not thin so it is not breathing any faster than the two tiger barbs. I am really worried about this cute little one. I hope I do not lose it. Thanks again for all your help. Would it be a good thing to get the little ocar a friend (another little oscar) when we find out what is going on?