# Brand new Oscar Behaving strange?



## Chubbs the Jellybean (Jun 16, 2009)

Okay so I'm currently growing out my brand new oscar in a 37 for about 2 months and then upgrading him to his own 75 

Here's a pic of him, his markings were very unique from what I've normally seen on oscars










Anyways, since he was introduced into the 37, he has swam with only his pectoral fins, and barely if at all used his tail, and remains in the upper part of the water column, just below the surface. Is this normal for an oscar (at about 1") that is acclimating and adjusting to his new environment? Or is this something I should be worried about?

I have seen him eat a pellet, so he has eaten.

Your thoughts?


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## FishOnLand (Jul 10, 2010)

How long have you had him in there, and how different are your water parameters from the LFS? Mine hid in a cave sideways for a day or two after I got it. And that was with similar temperature, pH, hardness... etc as the LFS and my tank pre-cycled.

Awesome markings, hope it improves! :?


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## Chubbs the Jellybean (Jun 16, 2009)

He went into the tank yesterday (the 21st) im hoping when i wake up in the morning that he'll be a bit more active... My parameters are pretty similar to the lfs, and the tank has been cycled for quite some time, thanks about the markings! Cant wait to see how he turns out


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## FishOnLand (Jul 10, 2010)

Yeah, just give it some time to adjust. And take lots of pictures, they grow up fast!


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## Chubbs the Jellybean (Jun 16, 2009)

Definitely will do! Just fed him this morning and he ate right alongside the firemouth, and seems to be swimming normally, so I'm very excited!

A good pic of him will be up later when the lights turn on, since the other picture was from my cell phone


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## Chubbs the Jellybean (Jun 16, 2009)

I can already tell he's gonna be a glutton, the second something hits the water, he's the first one investigating and the first one eating, a LOT! So rewarding!


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## FishOnLand (Jul 10, 2010)

Good to hear! =D>


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## Chubbs the Jellybean (Jun 16, 2009)

Thanks  just doing a few water changes due to high ammonia levels, the silver dollars are still hiding on the bottom from it along with the firemouth, but the Oscar is definitely curious


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## Chubbs the Jellybean (Jun 16, 2009)

he moves a lot but this is one shot from the tank


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## Dj823cichild (Mar 30, 2009)

High Ammonia Levels??????


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## Chubbs the Jellybean (Jun 16, 2009)

to make a long story short, which is kinda hard in this case so im gonna explain the whole thing lol...

5 days ago I did a water change, and did my monthly rinsing of my filter media to clear up the water flow, no biggie right?

Well without batting an eye, I switched from gravel to sand 2 days later, not even realizing I might have killed all my good bacteria...

Which led me to believe that through killing it all, I might've de-cycled my tank.

So i put the filter from my cycled and running 15 gallon on it (it has 2 20 gallon filters so I just moved one over) and they seem to be healthier as the time goes on, though a 25% water change daily for 2 days couldn't hurt, and the water came from the bottom of the water column...

My other thought was because I had just added the 5 silver dollars and the baby oscar at the same time that it might have spiked the ammonia.

Either way the ammonia readings are down to a more manage-able level and they're much happier now

In the end, I won't be switching from gravel to sand right after i do a THOROUGH water change haha


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## TheFishGuy (Apr 21, 2005)

A lot of small cichlids at an inch only use their pectoral fins to swim. Oscars being one of those cichlids.... Completely normal.


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## PepoLD (Dec 9, 2009)

amazing Oscar  keep updating us!


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## Chubbs the Jellybean (Jun 16, 2009)

Thanks guys!

Ps - fish guy, are things getting better on your end financially? I know they were rough for a while


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## Chubbs the Jellybean (Jun 16, 2009)

So I was feeding this morning and HAD to snap a picture of this!










Oink Oink Oink...


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## Chubbs the Jellybean (Jun 16, 2009)

Ps - that was after he had already eaten 3 hikari "baby" size pellets, so I decided to feed the firemouth a couple mini pellets (the next size up)... Needless to say he grabbed one and wouldnt let go... And actually just swallowed the whole thing!


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## PepoLD (Dec 9, 2009)

Hahaha nice pic!


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## Chubbs the Jellybean (Jun 16, 2009)

And silly me just figured out why one of my silver dollars wasn't eating much.... Half of a leaf on my amazon sword is gone   Was going to give it a soht with them and hope they didn't eat it, but oh well haha


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## TheFishGuy (Apr 21, 2005)

Financially things are not going great at all.


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## Chubbs the Jellybean (Jun 16, 2009)

video update of the tank


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## PepoLD (Dec 9, 2009)

doh firewall blocks all the videos  ill try to check it later tonight hehe


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## Chubbs the Jellybean (Jun 16, 2009)

Let me know what you think  the plant on the right is now floating and they seem to enjoy the cover


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## Chubbs the Jellybean (Jun 16, 2009)

So funny thing, everyone talks about how oscars are such drama queens and sulkers... Of all the fish to be the sulker in my tank, it's my firemouth haha, the oscar is already back out exploring and the firemouth is still holed up in his cave


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## Chubbs the Jellybean (Jun 16, 2009)

This Is after a water change mind you


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## Chubbs the Jellybean (Jun 16, 2009)

On another note, how often should this baby piggy be eating? Seeing that he's always hungry, and is a growing fishy


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## TheFishGuy (Apr 21, 2005)

Twice a day with 1/3 waterchanges a week at a minimum. You can feed more than that but you'd have to change more water...


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## Chubbs the Jellybean (Jun 16, 2009)

I was figuring on twice a week 1/3 water changes - how much would that allow for? And would that make him grow faster? Or is it better to just do the 1/3 a week with twice a day?


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## PepoLD (Dec 9, 2009)

only enough to keep the nitrates down...

they poop like crazy hehe


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## Chubbs the Jellybean (Jun 16, 2009)

Hehe figured Huey were poop machines


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## Chubbs the Jellybean (Jun 16, 2009)

Chubbs the Jellybean said:


> Hehe figured Huey were poop machines


they**


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## TheFishGuy (Apr 21, 2005)

I doubt they are going to grow much faster than an 1" a month unless you have them in an out door couple thousand gallon pond where they can constantly forage for food like insect larve and such.


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## Chubbs the Jellybean (Jun 16, 2009)

good to know


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## Chubbs the Jellybean (Jun 16, 2009)

So just for kicks, I added some fake ivy around the rim of the tank up top to give the fish a break from the light all the time, and the oscar seems to love it  pics soon to come! I think it needs a little work with making it look natural (any help would be GREATLY appreciated in that respect!!!) but it's a start


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## Chubbs the Jellybean (Jun 16, 2009)

Looks maybe a little tacky for some but i'm trying to give them cover from the light but still look natural, any suggestions? Please be nice, I'm really trying 

And the left side isn't supposed to be sagging


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## Dj823cichild (Mar 30, 2009)

:thumb: I like it! Just keep experimenting and trying things out to your liking and you will be fine. I keep my Oscar tank very bare just my liking. I want him to have tons of room.


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## FishOnLand (Jul 10, 2010)

Yeah, as my oscar has grown from a 2.5" squirt to 5-6" now, I've redecorated accordingly. I used to have rocks and a big, pretty piece of fake driftwood... but after daily scratches and scales lost, I have gone to pretty much only light planting (fake). And I'm sure in a few more inches of growth, I will have it mostly bare too.


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## Dj823cichild (Mar 30, 2009)

Very Smart! Yeah I had the same issues as you fishonland. My O was constantly running into equipment and decorations and he would get hurt and damaged. So you did the best thing :wink:


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## FishOnLand (Jul 10, 2010)

Thanks! They really do seem to be clumsy, but at least they heal fast. :thumb:


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## Chubbs the Jellybean (Jun 16, 2009)

My oscar has already grown about 1/8th of an inch in about a week, SO EXCITED 

He loves swimming through the ivy up top


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## Dj823cichild (Mar 30, 2009)

Sweet! He will continue to grow quickly! :fish:


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## Chubbs the Jellybean (Jun 16, 2009)

He has, I just got back from a weekend with friends (mom and dad fed the fish on a schedule I laid out for them :lol: ) and he's grown again, and the firemouth seems to be coloring even more

The tank itself has taken on a bit of green algae on the back wall, and it fows with the filter flow, looks really really nice  The whole tank is a bit dimmer now that the ivy blocks the light, but that's okay because I came back to only one leaf left on my amazon sword  had about 5 leaves when I left on friday

New pics comingggg


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## Chubbs the Jellybean (Jun 16, 2009)

If you look at the back right you can see the green algae, looks nice I think, and notice the lack of leaves on the amazon sword 









The best shot i could get of him, he is ALWAYS moving and the only way to catch his colors is with flash, sorry about dirty glass 

These last two are my firemouth, just for fun


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## PepoLD (Dec 9, 2009)

Looking Good!

I love your FM to :thumb:


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## Chubbs the Jellybean (Jun 16, 2009)

Thanks!! 

ps - would you say that's the beginning of a nuchal hump on the FM in the last picture? I feel like it could be but I'm not sure to be honest


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## Chubbs the Jellybean (Jun 16, 2009)

So... I took out most of the ivy because it was becoming an issue with water changes and I couldn't get it to stay where I wanted it (even with twist ties)

So what I did was took out all but the front, and took the leaves off of the parts I took out, and put them between the florescent light and the glass cover.... Made some pretty neat shadows, and left the right side uncovered to give the effect of sunlight shining in... I really like it (and am hoping the silk fake leaves don't burn, since I did the same thing with my smaller tank with the bellycrawler pike...)

Lemmie know whatcha think










And here's the silver dollars, they kinda look like bleeding heart tetras in this picture :lol: :lol:


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