I could realy use so help im freaking out i just got a baby oscar from pet smart and he wont eat its been 3 days how long can he go with out eating i have (TetraCichlid sticks)i tryed some tetramin tropical flakes and hes not eating them. plus he is being very chi when im around PLZ!!!!!!! HELP!!!!!!

--Did you 'cycle' the tank beforehand or did you just buy him and 'plop' him in?

www.oscarfishlover.com/how-to-cycle-a-tank

--Have you been treating the tapwater you put in?

--what kind of filter do you have?

--what size tank?


First off, read the helpful articles section at the top of the page...there's a lot of very, very important info there. I assume if you are 'new' to either fishkeeping or oscars you probably asked the pet smart 'fish person' for some info. What did they tell you?

-Have you been treating the tapwater you put in? yes i have and i cycled the tank its 30g the filter is the right size for the tank its made for a 55g tank he is the only fish in there

gamergonemad wrote:


Awesome.

Ok well, it is perfectly normal for an oscar to be 'shy' and not eat for a bit after being introduced into a new environment. He'll hide, lay on the bottom, won't eat...all normal behavior.

He needs some time to 'acclimate' to his new home and he'll be fine. It can take anywhere from a few days to weeks, depending on the individual fish.

Oscars can actually go for weeks without eating so you needn't worry too much about starving. He'll eventually eat when he's ready and feeling more comfortable. I would get him some of the tiny hikari pellets instead of the flake food, but again his instincts will take over eventually and he'll be ready to eat.

Some things you can do to aid in making it as least stressful a transition as possible is to leave the lights off for the majority of the time. If you have him in a room that gets natural lighting just use that for the majority of the day. Also, turn room lights on before turning tank lights on so as not to startle him. In my experience oscars prefer less light rather than more, but they can get used to pretty much anything.

Also, give him a place to 'hide' like a cave, or some rocks, or plants, etc.

OK thank you so much! what about the food that i have already put in there it just floating around and i think i put to much is it bad for the tank to have it just sitting in there do i net it out?

Im glad your tank is cycled. I wouldnt worry about your fish being shy and not eating. This is normal for an oscar in a new home. He should be settled within a week

gamergonemad wrote:


Take it out.

I think its best to avoid flake food for oscars IMO, as the stuff that doesn't get eaten sinks to the bottom and mucks up the tank. I don't like the 'sticks' either because they just seem to disintegrate into a MESS and you get bits of bright orange crap all over the bottom.

With pellets you can buy different sizes, and they stay floating where you can just pick em right out, and it makes it much easier to gauge how much they prefer to eat at one given time. As he grows you'll find he will always be begging so you'll have to be the one who decides when to stop feeding. RARELY will they stop themselves...lol.

Try the pellets and if he's out and about you can drop 1 or 2 in, see if he eats 'em, if not maybe leave and if they're still floating around after a couple hours scoop em out and try again the next day. Again, you don't really need to worry about him 'starving,' so just offer some small amount at a certain time of the day and he'll eat when he's ready. Eventually he will associate you approaching the tank with food, and will swim out/over to you when you come near.

ok thank you will do

Oh, and I don't mean to be johnny raincloud all of a sudden...but eventually you are gonna need a bigger tank and bigger filtration. At bare minimum an a 55 gallon, preferably 75, with a filter for up to 90 gallons, (or 2). But you probably know that since you knew enough to have cycled the tank and such.

yea i did know about needing a bigger tank but how long does it take him to grow that big were he needs one?

gamergonemad wrote:


Well, within 6 months to a year to be sure...he'll get to be 9 inches or moreso and be pretty tight in a 55. Just dont go adding an algae eater or anything in the meantime...bad move. As for the filtration, the sooner the better. What the GPH of the filter? I would assume around 280? I would recommend at the minimum 400 GPH. You can add another same sized one (2 is always a desirable thing) or buy a bigger one, as long as its 400 or higher.

ok i will go and get another one asap. i just wanted to let you know that i put 2 things of food in his tank and set up a video cam and i left the room and about 10mins in to the tape he ate the food i am so happy thank you so much for your guys help!!!!