My Oscar, for the past two months, I've noticed that a lot of the time when I go into the room, my Oscar has changed his normally darker browny red into a very light grey except for the hood on his head. But when I put my finger on the tank (I always do and he comes to greet me) as he swims over, his body changes back to his normal colour??? Is this normal, or is this a sicness I havn't heard of? Otherwise, he is very healthy, eats well, his body is clear of HITH. A very happy fish as I can see. Even eating his fly treats with a hunger I have never seen. (I do feed him enough, but I have found he can be a bit of a pig!!!)
Alyce.

I think it's rather normal myself. I am basing that on all the other Tropical Fish I have kept through the years and not just my short experience with Oscars. (Angel Fish were notorious for doing just that) But even at that since I have had these two Oscars I have noticed periods when they seem flush (lighter overall) as opposed to their normal coloring. I liken this to blushing or flushed being scared briefly etc. I doubt it's anything but normal behaviour.

Secondly I've read different accounts of Oscars playing dead so to speak, or half laying over on the bottom. Since my two Oscars have paired off I notice the smaller Female (I assume the smaller is female) often doing just that under some leaves of a plant or near the spot she hangs out by a bare spot on the aquarium floor. Yet she will spring up and swim as normal a moment later. Since pairing, she has become more docile in nature not begging eternally like the bigger male fish does. My two are like two peas in a pod except the male is always wanting to be fed.

haha. I have caught my Osh playing dead, until I get out the food tin! Little buggers.

Fish/animals change colour for all sorts of reasons. If they are stressed, startled, they will change colour. Fish often change colour when they are spawning as well. Also, fish will alter their colour according to how right it is in the aquarium on what sort of substrate you have. I have found that when my lights are on, my fish are a lot paler because of the white sand. When it's quite dark, they are a lot darker in colour.