Im new to keeping fish and this site and i just found it and realy dont know much of what im doing . I just got it yesterday at about 730ish and its one of the small ones from petsmart, ive been looking to get one for alil while now and i went there last week and the guy there told me to run the tank for a week before i got the oscar and i did that. Well now i got him in there and he swims around but hides alot also but my problem is that he hasnt ate any food i put in there today and im just lookn for some help i guess.

I dont know the temp beacuse the therm i bought is broke and im geting a new one in the morning, ive got the heater on and i dont have a test kit cause i didnt know anything about them.

I will be thankful for the help cause i dont want nothing to happen to the lil dude. P.S should i leave the food just floatn at the top untill he eats it or what????

Hi Hump,

My first experience with Oscars was much like yours. First off I'd be worried about if your tank is cycled or not, just running it for a week won't do.

I hope I explain this correctly. Your fish will create ammonia from it's waste, and uneaten food decaying. You need to have established bacteria that will change that ammonia into Nitrites and other bacteria that will change the Nitrites into Nitrates, and you will then do frequent water changes (at Least once a week),to remove the Nitrates.

It usually takes awhile (often 4 or more weeks), to establish the bacteria. There are a lot of posts on this forum on how to cycle a tank, products you can use, etc.... I've only done it twice and the second time I used filters and media from a established tank to get it going, so I'm no expert.

If your tank is not cycled your fish is Greatly at risk of dying or suffering long term from it.

I would strongly suggest taking your fish back to the store and then spend some time looking through this site to learn more about getting your tank set-up.

I hope I don't come off as mean but I learned the hard way, I bought my first O from a similar store and they didn't tell me anything about cycling the tank, etc..and I was clueless and lost him.

Oscars are amazing pets and I love mine to death, but I wish I had taken the time before hand to find out more about them so that first one hadn't suffered and died.

If petsmart won't take it back try a store that specializes in fish only.

But seriously check-out this site! The people on it are Great and Very knowledgeable!

Oh, with food only give them what they will eat within a couple minutes and remove what ever they didn't eat.

Good Luck!

-Az

Im taking him back to the store today as soon as i find a way to get it over there. im going to get the water tested and whatnot thanks for the help and maybe i can do this better and right way.

Hi Hump, I think your making the right call, in no time at all you'll have your tank set-up proper and have alot less worries. There are alot of knowledgeable people on this forum so don't hesitate to ask.

I've only been a member here for a short while, but just reading some of the old posts and asking some questions has helped me alot.

Good Luck and please keep us updated on how it's going for you!

-Az

hi and welcome

Hi and welcome to OFL

hump wrote:


Welcome to OFL.

Great Decision hump, once youve gotten your tank cycled properly and bought yourself a water test kit, your oscar keeping experience will be a lot less stressful and more enjoyable, for both you and your new O.

Good luck with it all and hope to see pics of your water puppt soon

Welcome!
Yeah good choice to take him back. Good luck to you.

Thanks guys i havnt been on here in a while but i took him back and i think the fish was just sick cause i got the water tested and it was fine they said but My O is doing great and eatn everything./

Hump, when you get your water tested at some shops they will tell you your water is fine when it isnt good enough for oscars. Lots of fish stores have a loose definition of fine. You need the exact results, ammonia and nitrite need to be zero and nitrate need to be below 40. To cycle a tank you need either fish that can tolerate ammonia and nitrite (like danios but then you need to find them a new home or they will end up as food for your oscar)or you need to borrow some filter media from an established filter and add fish the same time as the media to your filter

welcome to ofl.com