hey all i have just invested in a 260 litre tank with external filter etc first time i have kept oscar went to get a couple of marble oscars from my local fish shop introduced them to the tank and one of them has been very happy and chillingout in the tank etc feeding and greeting me when i come in the other sits by the filter and donest really moove much he ate the first day i had him and now seems to have lost his appetite? and his fins dont seem to be up very much unlike the other? why is this?? he has been in the tank now for about 4 days i have done water tests etc to check the tank its all fine and also done my fist water change today ?? any help please much appreciated cheers all
chris

how long have they been in ur tank?

about 3 or 4 days now ?

I'm not an Oscar fish expert but I know that it takes time for some Oscars to get used to new fish tanks. One of my oscars was like that, he was always sitting on the gravel behind the filter intake and wont eat. now he just splashes water everywhere when i wake up, begging for food.

Am I correct in saying that the tank is not cycle properly yet? If this is indeed the case, then it's going to be a few weeks before it is cycle properly. We wouldn't normally advise using Oscars to cycle a tank because they don't do well in poor water conditions.please don't feed your fish too much because that will just put too much waste into the water and you will not be able to keep your ammonia at a safe level. I would suggest using a product such as prime, at least this will give the fish some relief from dangerous toxins.

well i had the tank set up and going with the filter etc with some bio boost etc for about a 2 weeks before i put the oscars in it and i was told that this would have been sufficent amount of time to start up biologically if thats makes sense and i know it takes a while for everything to sort itself out so should i be worried about him sitting by tthe filter all the time then the other one is swimming about as happy as larry and eating loads as they do bless em but i was just worried anynmore advice??

Without personally testing your water over a week, it's difficult to say exactly what the situation is regarding the cycling process.

However when fish start acting strangely, it's always a good idea to look into it. The fact that one Oscar is okay and the other one is acting strange doesn't immediately point to poor water conditions.But definitely test the water every day for ammonia and nitrite especially. It would be unfair of me to actually suggest that something could be wrong with your fish because it would only be a guess.

The only advice I can give you is to keep an eye on the water conditions and carry out water changes accordingly. You do need some ammonia to cycle a tank, you can't avoid this. I have bio boost but I've never used it myself.If it is a case of introducing the correct type of bacteria to your filtration system then that will dramatically reduce the time it takes the cycle a tank.

bingpics wrote:


when you run the system, do you have any fish in it?
without fish, you can not complete cycling the water tank,
more so, in just two weeks. having the oscar on hand, you can
still continue but keep an eye on your water parameters. eventually
tank will be cycled and oscar would be fine. control feeding is a must.

i started running the filter etc for like 2 weeks prior to putitng the fish and the fish have now been in there a further 4 -5 days in i dunno if its just me but i think they might be breathing a bit quickly to but im not sure?? but like i said ione is happy and one is not with it ??

I got the same 'problem' altough I don't see it as a problem really. I think they are just adjusting to the new environment. As from what I have experienced with my tanganyikas it took 'm 6 months to actually not flee away with every step I took. I think it just needs time for them to aclimatise and feel good in the tank. this morning it's the first time I saw 'm making a fast tour in the tank, but as soon as I put myself up in the bed they go hiding again. I try to put the feeding dock always a bit further away from there current hiding space so they can see and feel that it is not dangerous to just swim across the tank. as from what i have read that might help

(this is only about the behaviour and all apart from the waterquality ofcourse dno if it the shy behaviour can have anything to do with it )

@ OFL, i fail in finding some products to test nh4, the only show who tests it for me is 1hr away, any ideas on what i should be looking for ?

if you are having difficulties in finding test kits that test for ammonia you could try ebay. i got my last american pharmaceutical master test kit from there for only about $20.

fristeh wrote:


i agree, O's have different personalities just as any other dog/cat etc... some are more confident while others are more shy...