hi all, i havnt visited OFL for a while now... since i discovered facebook i guess. good to see alot of the old members are still hanging around =)

i have a problem with my tank, again... ill try to explain the best i can...

i decided to go cheap and buy trout pellets from the stock feed shop to feed my two O's, after months of feeding this, i noticed it just wasnt much good, it clogged up my filters constantly and a strange black/grey furry algae has taken over my tank... i did a complete clean of the tank about a week ago, took all gravel etc out and gave it all a good scrub, and now already it has almost grown over all of the glass again.. also my oscars have turned very aggressive, which is unusual because they have lived together for 4-5 years and have laid 3 lots of eggs and twice they have hatched.. so i know that they are a pair... all of a sudden they've turned very vicious towards one another and they have quite bad battle scars... im wondering if the algae and behavior could be related or is it not unheard of for Oscars which are mates to turn on one another.. i mean these guys are really ripping each other apart... ive observed them lip locking (viciously) chasing one another and slamming the other into the gravel and rocks ... i treated the tank with stuff to stop the algae growing but im not sure its going to work

being together for about 5 years is already an accomplishment... i salute you
for that... now, the sudden clean up may have had altered water quality and may
had change their attitude, thus, the trashing....

one things that enter my mind is that, perhaps the male become very aggressive due
to sudden changes in the tank atmosphere but the lady is hesitant to the advances


just keep an eye and if trashing warrant a separator, an egg crate should
be on standby....

Have you still got the algae problem?

i guess the reason they are fighting after being together for so long is one wants to mate the other not cos as you said conditions are not right. getting the water conditions back on track and feed a better diet the female should start to lay eggs again, and mate. frozen blood,worms,prawns plus a good pellet should do the job.)

Nice to see you again, I also have a Facebook account but I do not use it an awful lot.

Okay, please don't feed trout pellets to your oscar. Trout pellets often contain high amounts of saturated fat which is not good for fish. Basically they are designed to be fed to the trout so they grow very quickly for commercial reasons. Some carp fisheries have now stopped the use of these pellets because they can damage a fish's liver.

I think think algae will make your fish behavior aggressively, however algae can sap the oxygen out of water so it's very important not to let it build up too much.

You may have to remove a lot of the algae with a scraper and siphon, if it is growing on rock so ornaments, take them out and give them a good clean. You could use an algicide if you just cannot get rid of it and make sure you read the instructions to make sure it's okay to use in an aquarium safely. Could you possibly take some photos for us?

Just make sure you don't leave your lights on for too long, try not to overfeed, regular water changes, and hopefully that should help.

Hi, Bianca!
It's been a while indeed.
Good to see you again, hope your tank clears up soon.

hi, thanks for the reply's everyone.
2 days after treating the tank with the algae stuff, the O's seem to have settled a bit, their cuts a bruises seem to be getting better and i havnt noticed any new marks, nor have i seen them being vicious since... i really think they hate that algae, i will get a pic and try to post as soon as possible.

maybe it was starting to grow on them or something like that. it almost looked like it was alive, well i guess it is isnt it. the algae hasnt cleared completely yet but it looks as though its dieing

Start feeding on cichlid pellets and some other foods, check the site out for what to fed to your oscar. Forget those trout pellets.

Algae need 2 things to live on, light and food. Have you been overfeeding

Keep your lights down and keep up the water changes

Just to check have you tested your water, what were the results