I recently purchased an Albino Oscar. He looked fine in the tank at the pet store, but now that I have him at home he's acting quite strange.
Any time the light comes on or if he sees me enter the room he immediately sinks to the bottom of the tank and seems to play dead.
What's wrong?
2006-12-23 02:17:38 · 9 answers · asked by nolyad69 6 in Pets ➔ Fish
that is very normal for new Oscars when you change there enviorment they act like this give him a few weeks or so and he will be fine just make sure you have a place for him to hide when he is stressed
2006-12-23 03:06:43 · answer #1 · answered by C live 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I found this......Since he is a new pet to you it may help but I think he is just being territorial or playing with you.
Care and feeding:
Since they are carnivorous Oscars prefer a variety of meaty foods. They will eat all types of live, dry, and frozen foods. They get quite large so they should be fed a high quality pelleted food and large chunk foods such as cut up beef heart and earthworms. They particularly enjoy fish and worms and are hearty eaters. Live guppies and then goldfish will also suffice when they get bigger.
Though you can start younger oscars in a smaller aquarium, they grow quickly and will soon need a large home. A 30 gallon aquarium with very good maintaince and filtration is okay, but a 50 gallon aquarium or larger is better. They will need frequent water changes. Oscars do splash water in their enthusiam for eating, so it is good to have the aquarium covered.
These are curious fish that love to play, they will have definite ideas about the interior arrangement and will move things around. Rocks securely placed on the bottom work well while plants will be uprooted. Some suggestions are to put plants in pots with the roots covered with rocks, use plastic plants and securely anchor them on the bottom with silicone cement, or floating plants can work well. Because they like to explore, you can occasionally offer them a 'toy' such as a plastic ornament. Get several and rotate a new one in every so often.
Distribution:
Oscars are found in South America; the Amazon, Parana, Rio Paraguay, and Rio *****.
Size - Weight:
These fish get up to inches 12" (33 cm). They grow very rapidly and will quickly outgrow a small aquarium.
Social Behaviors:
They are not a community fish. Though they are not belligerent to tankmates, they are predatory. If you start your aquarium with an assortment of fish, eventually you will have only one type of fish left, the Oscar. They will generally burrow and they will dig up plants.
Sexual Differences:
They are difficult to sex. The easiest method is to obtain six to eight juveniles and let them pair off on their own as they reach sexual maturity.
Water Region: Top, Middle, Bottom:
These fish will swim in all areas of the aquarium.
Acceptable Water Conditions:
Hardness: 10° dGH
Ph: 7.2
Temp: 72-77° F 22-25° C
Breeding/Reproduction:
Oscars are egg layers and open spawners. They forms pairs and will attach their eggs to rocks or the glass. They are excellent parents and both will tend the young, even chewing up food for the fry to eat.
See the description of how these fish breed in Breeding Freshwater Fish for monogamist cichlids.
Availability:
The Oscar is readily available, either as a wild caught fish or in tank bred color varieties.
2006-12-23 02:25:46 · answer #2 · answered by angelmwilson 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
'Playing Dead' is the Oscars natural way of dealing with a stressful situation and is perfectly normal. In this case the stress is coming from being plunged into an entirely new home. All you need to do is provide a hiding spot for him and not worry, before you know it he'll come around.
2006-12-23 02:34:10 · answer #3 · answered by Ghapy 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Give him time to get used to you and his new home. He is being shy, and uncertain what to think or do. Slowly walk up to the tank and touch the glass run your finger over the tank and he should follow. Once he gets used to you and the tank he should be lively and be more then happy to see you coming, because he knows you are the hand that feeds him.
2006-12-23 03:53:54 · answer #4 · answered by shadow8634 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
its okay, oscars are the most intelligent fishes. He just gets jumpy because of the sudden change of the lighting. good thing it goes to the bottom cause if it floats, that means he's really dead.
2006-12-26 22:56:54 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sounds like he is shy to me. Let him see you more. Usually Oscars are very social. I had one that I could pet.
2006-12-23 05:04:50 · answer #6 · answered by deb 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Oscars are REALLY moody. He'll be fine, just wait it out.
2016-05-23 01:40:19 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Good Luck on that!
2006-12-23 05:09:23 · answer #8 · answered by cinabolic 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
nothing he just had a tramatic life u need to try to comfort him when that happens
2006-12-23 02:22:01 · answer #9 · answered by Ashlyn C 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋