Ok So I'm very new here.. I just bought a new oscar yesterday he's only about 2 inches and I fed him a very small fish or two. ever since he came home and i let him out... he's been kinda swimming tipped sideways and lays almost resting at the bottom... but he can swim just fine when he has to... what's wrong with him? is it the bladder problem or something more serious? Koro needs help!!! please, any advice? (no fungus or growths that i can see)

is it possible for a water test and post your results as mine did it once and i found out it was the water which i sorted out
what size is the tank and how big is the fish.
if hes moving around fine at different levels i dont think it could be his swim bladder. give him a few days and keep your water perfect and im sure hel be fine.
i remember when i got mine one of them rested alot at the bottom and lay sidewasy "playing dead". i was worried like yourself but now there totaly fine.
i think its probly just its in a new tank and needs to settle try your lights off see if he swims normal as i remember another on the site doing it with theres and when it was darkish itl swim about but when the light went back on it would play dead. oscars have huge charecters and do loads of weird things youl get used to it haha
sure ofl will give better advise than me though
cheers drew

hi there and welcome to the site.

firstly id like to say if he is eating and he swims corretly when u not around then possibly he's just acting.

oscars pretend to be dead in the wild aswell,and with yr oscar being new in the tank it will take him a few days to establish his territory and then he should be fine.

just to be safe do some water tests and post it here so we can have a look at yr water conditions as things like to much amonia can also make fish act weird.

Is this a new set up and did you cycle it 1st

I have heard this loads of times. You go into the shop and all the fish come to the top of the tank when you go near it, yet when you get them home they hide, lay on the bottom and dont eat. If you tank is cycled then he is just nervous because of the new tank. Give him a few days and he will soon start to feel at home. Just to be sure test your water for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate and post the readings

ooooh ok. he's totally fine. i think that he was just getting used to the tank. he's really perky now.
thanks for your help. I can't get to the nitrate and ammonia tests yet but I will soon. thanks!

glad 2 hear he is ok

lil_koro wrote:


The best thing you will ever buy for you tank is the testing kit, get the liquid bottles sort not the strips. Testing your tank will give you an early warning that things are not right, rather than wait until your fish start showing problems. I wish that i had bought a testing kit when i started keeping fish!!!!

good to hear that the O has woken up and cum oy to play