Wondering what the most comfortable temp is for Oscars? Also the chemical levels. Just got my lutino and every time the light comes on he lays on his side. Turn it off and he is okay.

sounds like there may be an electrical short in your heater. As far as temps go I keep mine at 78

Oscars are very hardy fish (one of mine even fell on the floor and had no injury) but they have a weekness lol they hate when the lite comes on. They get stressed when this happens and for the PH they are very adaptible i would say anywhere from seven to 7.6 they can live in. nitrate and nitrite should be Oppm and nitrites no more than 40 ppm. my tank is pretty hot i have mine at about 86 which i should lower but a good temp is above 80 no more than 90. And as for the laying on the side as long as he is not breathing heavy i wouldnt worry about it if you just got your oscar than its probly cause he is still in the adjusting period and its almost like a shell and for this time they wont eat and sometimes looks as if they are going to die. he will be fine we all went through this once with our oscars to lol

Bigrod wrote:


I keep my temp just a bit over over 78. Generally between 76-80 is a good range.

Ammonia and nitrites should be 0

Ideally you want your ph around 7-7.6, although oscars can tolerate a wide range of levels. Whats more important is making sure the ph level stays consistent, so unless you are dealing with a very odd reading I wouldn't mess with it.

Nitrates should be below 40 ppm generally but always present in some capacity.

As for the light thats a very common thing for oscars. Just try to turn on room lights and/or have some natural light present before you turn them on so its not a stressful. If you just got him he should acclimate pretty quick. Personally I leave mine off during the day, and only have them on for about 4 or 5 hours in the early evening. I have my lights rather low regardless, b/c they are pretty bright when I have them turned all the way on and as a result my oscar gets stressed, lays on the bottom, flares his gills, and attacks his reflection.

x2 for johnny.
i leave on my nightlights until the daylight tubes turn on.
This eliminates any spooked moments in my fish during winter.
In summer, like now, i open up the blinds to give my fish a natural slow beginning of their day.
They like that very much.

Thanks for the advise guys. When i started with the oscars everyone told me how agressive they were. lol. Every time i have introduced a new oscar in the tank, they all swim together. Like a school. Have never seen anything like it. My little convicts are more agressive. They team up on my 7in tiger. I will be checking my levels today and see what they are at. Thanks again for the advise everyone.

Bigrod wrote:


What size is your tank and how many do you have?

They can go from swimming together to fighting/territoriality as they mature and grow, though, so be aware. Also, you might run into problems if you have a breeding pair and other fish present. That being said, like OFL mentioned in one of his articles, I don't think of them as 'aggressive' as a lot of people tend to think. They can be pretty sociable.

Have four in a 55 bowfront. Getting another 60 here soon so will prob split them up. Not sure yet. They seem to like each others company right now. Have a 2.5in, 4in, 5in, and a 7in. Round about sizes.

Bigrod wrote:


I hate to be the piss in the cornflakes guy but I would definitely move some... really a 60 gallon should only house one at the most, make sure you are vigilant with your water changes and testing because your water quality is really going to suffer dramatically as they grow, if it isn't already. What type of filtration are you running and what did those water readings come out as? It's really gonna be tough, well nigh impossible to keep healthy, clean water conditions with that many oscars in that small of a tank. Even with a gargantuan filter, you would need to be doing massive water changes. The same could be said for 2 in a 60 gallon. Sadly I fear your fish won't make it in the current setup for too much longer.

If it were me with your setup I would look at maybe rehoming 2 of them, selling the tank/tanks I have and use the difference to obtain a 120 gallon for 2.

Your tanks are only big enough for 1 oscar in each. Rehome 2 fish ASAP before your fish get too big for your tanks and get the new tank ASAP. Be warned oscars grow fast!!!!