Hi, i have been reading this forum for advice for quite some time now.

But I have a Oscar fish that is nearly 3yrs old and he is 32cm long. He is in a 217Ltr Tank (57 Gallons i believe). It all started about 2 months ago when he deiced to stop eating his Bloodworm and pellets. He will now eat the tiniest little bit of pellets each week now but not much at all e.g. what i feed him daily long ago he now eats fortnightly. I do still buy him little live feeding fish but he not too keen on them either (they help keep the tank cleaner too!) I clean the tank once a week, and all his PH levels are spot on. The only thing i can think of is maybe its the heat here in Australia at the moment his tank is now getting to 30deg. i make large ice cubes (with the chemicals) and place them him to help cool the water.

Is there any reason why he (or she?) might be acting in such a manner?

Thx -Eyl

two months is something. i know oscar becomes pacman
when you increases the temperature. also, oscar can
adapt to temperature changes cause by nature in natural
way. but distorting the temperature by putting ice in the
tank will not do any good to your fish. in fact, it will
endanger their health. if you want to lower the temperature,
use air bubblers or water aerator.

30c isnt too bad and I am with paul on this. a changing temp is worst than a stable hot one. mine stays at 28c so you are not far off.mine can reach 30c in summer and I think nothing of that. have you checked for ammonia,nitrites,nitrates. these are more important than ph. can you post results of your test.

the old problem of a oscar not eating is very common, and for the time you mention I would be concerned too. checking your water and making sure its in perfect condition for your fish is a starting point. trying to mix the diet with something new may work,earthworms are usually taken eagerly. check to see if breathing has changed or heavy?

As mentioned, no need to lower the temp. Bad water quality could be a reason for his behavior.

Keep trying new foods, he may be in the mood for a change. Also, try putting a drop of garlic juice in his pellets and them give those to him.

Cheers,
Art

What you can do is to stop feeding for about three days and then try again with either the same food, or something he hasn't seen before. The Oscar can be a very frustrating fish. For no reason at all they will one day stop eating. I am yet to find a conclusive answer to why this happens. Personally I think the Oscar isn't as hardy as a lot of people think. Of all the fish I've got, the Oscar is always the one that develops problems. Luckily I've not had any problems in the last few years.

Just keep an eye on your fish, check for laboured breathing and any abnormalities in the abdomen area. 30°C is as about as warm as you want it to get. If you haven't got one already, I would advise you to get an air stone running in your tank. The warmer the water, the less oxygen it will hold. An air stone will increase the oxygen levels in the water.

Keep us posted on your situation.