Any one have Oscar Advice?

Question

Please just answers from people that know.
Have two oscars (6 in). One was beating up the other pretty bad, so I seperated them. Also, the one stopped eating. Now the one that was getting picked on will still not eat. It has been at least a week. I have tried all of her(?) favorite foods. They just float or sink on bye. I know all the space requirements and diet stuff, so please don't walk me through that again. I know that their environment and space is adequit. Any one with GOOD advice would be appreciated. Thanks

Answer 1

Oscars are know for bullying a tankmate when there are only two. If you have let it go on for too long, the bullied one may die because he is actually afraid to eat. You will never be able to put the submissive one back in the same tank now because the dominant one has claimed it for his own. the best way to raise oscars is to get 5 or 6 small ones and raise them together (it spreads the agression around). That way you may even get a breeding pair out of the mix.

To get the one to eat, I would try some beef heart or other frozen treat of some sort. If that fails, try a couple of small feeder goldfish (I know, I know, feeder goldfish carry parasites and disease, but if he's going to die from starvation anyway...).

If the feeder goldfish get him to start eating, then immediately switch him back to his regular food. Don't keep him on the goldfish because, like I said.... you know, parasites... disease.

Also, remember that some fish can go for weeks without eating if they have been fed well beforehand.

I have kept oscars for many years and always had one or at least five. Wish I still had that 125 gallon....

Answer 2

Good advice----be patient. Maintain top notch water quality.Keep the fish separated. If the fish doesn't want to eat don't worry. I assume you have some sort of a tank divider to separate the pair(pair?). I once had an Oscar that went on a 6 month hunger strike,(that was in 1994) I finally just stopped offering food. One day he just came back to the feeding station where I normally fed him and resumed feeding like nothing had happened. He died of old age this past winter,at the age of 14.

Answer 3

I have seen this with other fish and it can be a hormonal thing if they are sharing water or if water from previous tank was put into new tank. It could be a sign of internal damage or still stress.

Its VERY hard to say, since not eating, as you know, is a symptom of a number of things even something as simple as constipation.

I know of people force feeding fish with gel food or something like daphina in a little water with a SMALL syringe. I don't like the idea of this myself as their guts are SO small...

Wish I could be of more help. I'd suggest not feeding the fish for a few days then offering a live food, a guppy or goldfish or something. If still nothing, I'd be thinking it was something other than the harassment. I presume you've done a major water change already.

Good Luck

Answer 4

No, short answer. Convicts are evil. the perfect position for them is a species in elementary words tank. My convict bullied an individual oscar to death and that i have been given rid of her. Oscars,compared to different cichlids are truly resonably tempered. yet this association,until eventually you've like a 2 hundred gallon tank( nevertheless iffy) will maximum probably bring about a useless oscar.

Answer 5

First off your oscar is bullying your other oscar as you clearly know and because of this the weaker oscar is unable to get food so he will die soon. What you need to do is
a-get a new tank for him
b-buy a divider to separate them until the injured one starts eating and heals
c-get rid of one of them.
You can feed it any type of food including blood worms, shrimp, pellets, goldfish, it wont dare try to eat anything because the dominant oscar will fight it and push it to the corner of the tank where it will eventually kill it.

Answer 6

no clue