# Started getting worried



## Dj823cichild (Mar 30, 2009)

Hey Guys. My Tiger Oscar just keeps getting bigger and I see the aggression is growing along with him. Yesterday I noticed and the day before his reflection on the sides of his tank were freaking him out. He would attack the sides of the glass on both sides so what I did was I went out and bought a plastic background rock formation and put it on both sides. I'm hoping this works. What do you guys think?


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## Chubbs the Jellybean (Jun 16, 2009)

I think that'll help, my firemouth does the same thing, but if it's getting to the point of happening all the time or stressing the fish out, I think that could definitely help relieve some of his stress.

Let us know how it progresses, and post some pics! opcorn:


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## TheFishGuy (Apr 21, 2005)

Paint the back bottom and sides.


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## Dj823cichild (Mar 30, 2009)

:thumb: K thanks guys


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## Tiktaalik Owner (Aug 17, 2009)

Dim the lights a bit by wrapping foil around part of them. I covered about 1/2 of my lights. My O is slightly less insanely ballistic now.


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## Dj823cichild (Mar 30, 2009)

K Cool I'll Try That To. Thanks


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## Dj823cichild (Mar 30, 2009)

Thanks Tiktaalik. I tried the foil tactic today and it seemed to work pretty well. He won't even go the left side anymore he's more or less freaked out big time. He is now staying more on the right still chasing the glass a little bit I just get up and scare him off. But it really helped out with the light a lot thanks!


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## Dj823cichild (Mar 30, 2009)

Well I'm back guys! Tiger is still chasing the sides of the tank. It's really getting frustrating. I may have to spray paint the sides with a flat base paint. I've tried the foil, the background, I even put a tree stump with some plastic plants coming out of the base and he's just bypassing it totally. Any more ideas besides the paint?


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## Chubbs the Jellybean (Jun 16, 2009)

I'd spray paint them, it gives the fish a boundary to their environment, hence giving them the security that nothing will come in unless it comes from the front, as opposed to having the front and both sides open for "predators" or "threats" - quoted because lets be honest, not much is going to fight your oscar unless it's a green terror


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## Dj823cichild (Mar 30, 2009)

Thanks Chubbs. I'm going to walmart tomorrow and picking up a can of flat base paint in a can


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## Chubbs the Jellybean (Jun 16, 2009)

be sure to give it a solid coat, or the light will shine thru the thin parts... personal experience


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## Dj823cichild (Mar 30, 2009)

Will the paint run down the glass? I was going to tape off the edges. What would you suggest?


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## Chubbs the Jellybean (Jun 16, 2009)

taping the edges could work, but don;t worry about it running, it ran on mine but u cant see it from inside the tank at all


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## Chubbs the Jellybean (Jun 16, 2009)

Also i'd just cover the front of the tank for it so u can get paint on the entire sides of the tank without worrying about the front :thumb:


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## Dj823cichild (Mar 30, 2009)

Alright cool thanks bro!


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## TheFishGuy (Apr 21, 2005)

why use spray paint? Why not brush it on? it'd be a bit less messy....


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## Dj823cichild (Mar 30, 2009)

Hey I'm up for all ideas lol! I didn't buy the paint today watching the Phillies lose to the Giants instead! GRRRRR!


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## familyman0810 (Oct 13, 2010)

GO GIANNTSS I JUST bought an oscar today my 1st red tiger


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## Dj823cichild (Mar 30, 2009)

Cool on the Oscar. Boo! To the Giants! :lol:


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## Chubbs the Jellybean (Jun 16, 2009)

I spray painted mine, but at the same time the tank was outside and not set up when i did that so it wasn't messy... kinda wishing I did a second coat though to thicken it up at certain spots lol


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## Dj823cichild (Mar 30, 2009)

I'm still deciding what to do :-?


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## Chubbs the Jellybean (Jun 16, 2009)

Go with your gut on this one DJ :thumb:


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## Dj823cichild (Mar 30, 2009)

I hear ya Chubbs. I'm holding off for right now, I have some other things I have to take care of as of now sigh.... :x


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## familyman0810 (Oct 13, 2010)

GO GIANTS LOL


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## Dj823cichild (Mar 30, 2009)

I'm going to have to do something it's getting worse. He's stirring up all the sand all over the place. The tin foil didn't work. The plastic background on the sides didn't work. I'm yelling at him to get away from sides it's getting frustrating :-? :-?


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## Chubbs the Jellybean (Jun 16, 2009)

Currently I'm having dominance challenges in my 90, the pike has finally decided to stand up to old grandpa firemouth, so the two of them flare at each other like crazy, but it works out cuz they still hang out together, they just both display their full colors more 

I'd paint them or put a piece of black construction paper on the sides asap, i mean he's fine but for your own sanity


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## Dj823cichild (Mar 30, 2009)

I feel ya. He has stirred up the sand and it got in the intake of my AC 110 I heard it grinding so immediately turned the lights out Grrr! I will be doing something ASAP this weekend


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## johnnyo513 (Oct 15, 2009)

How wide is your tank, and how big is your Oscar? Doesn't matter what you do to your tank, if the Oscar can't turn around easily he feels cramped and that's when the fear and fight or flight mentality sets in. An Oscar that is 11" or more should not be in anything less then a 16" wide tank, bigger then 15" he shouldn't be in anything less then 20" wide. Oscars need lots of room.


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## Dj823cichild (Mar 30, 2009)

Well I solved the problem for now. I know you guys are going to yell at me for this I don't care lol! I sold Tiger to the LFS today. I just couldn't take it anymore he was chasing the front of my glass and still stirring up the sand really bad! I got 30 bucks for him! So.... I purchased 2 new tiger oscars I know I'm going to have the same problem again but at this point I don't care lol. I just wanted a temporary fix.


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## Chubbs the Jellybean (Jun 16, 2009)

Hahaha it's okay - I'm currently taking back my Nicaraguensis to my LFS for 10 dollars credit to get a replacement for my 90 - it's a fun process


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## Dj823cichild (Mar 30, 2009)

Yeah I hear ya Chubbs. But I just turned up the notch on my problem by 2! lol I'm hoping these guys pair off and when i get the bigger tank soon they will be good buddies. Tiger was looking at me from the LFS's tank like how could you do this to me? My boy at the shop was laughing and said last chance to take him back. I said nope sorry can't do it.


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## HawkinsStu (Feb 27, 2010)

Dj823cichild said:


> Yeah I hear ya Chubbs. But I just turned up the notch on my problem by 2! lol I'm hoping these guys pair off and when i get the bigger tank soon they will be good buddies. Tiger was looking at me from the LFS's tank like how could you do this to me? My boy at the shop was laughing and said last chance to take him back. I said nope sorry can't do it.


What you gave him back? Thats sad 

So what do you currently have now? 2 small oscars? What dimensions is the tank, just comparing it to mine, if you want i can tell you how mine grow up together and the attidute differences at points so your prepared.


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## Dj823cichild (Mar 30, 2009)

I know for sure I'm going to have to get a bigger tank! They both are in my 60 gallon tank. Swimming side by side every where they go. The demensions are:

Long- 48 inches
Wide- 12.5 inches
Height- 24 inches

Like I said I know I"m going to need a bigger tank for them. They are just about 1.5 inches I'd say a piece. Eating fine and not sulking. One is more active then the other, but the other guy is getting braver by the day lol.


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## Chubbs the Jellybean (Jun 16, 2009)

Nice - take some new pics!!


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## Dj823cichild (Mar 30, 2009)

K I will :thumb:


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## HawkinsStu (Feb 27, 2010)

Cool!

Mine isnt the longest tank in the world! Mine 48 x 24 x 30 high

Quick story, mine where abound 1.5 icnhes when i brough them (June), sudenly one was really aggressive to the other for the month of Augest which lastest for about 4 weeks, it was at the point of scales were pulled off. Anyway im glade i bared with it because over one night they were good freinds again and nothing since (touch wood).

Just saying this as dont send one back streight away just give it some time to work out their differences. Hope this dont sound like a lecture just speaking from my limited experiances :thumb:

Hope to see yours soon!


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## Dj823cichild (Mar 30, 2009)

No didn't sound like a lecture at all. I appreciate all the advice bro! I'll keep an eye on my guys sigh.. I wonder if anyone bought Tiger at the shop. I'm half tempted to go up there lol. My fiance was really upset I sold him lol!


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## HawkinsStu (Feb 27, 2010)

Dj823cichild said:


> No didn't sound like a lecture at all. I appreciate all the advice bro! I'll keep an eye on my guys sigh.. I wonder if anyone bought Tiger at the shop. I'm half tempted to go up there lol. My fiance was really upset I sold him lol!


But now you have one for you and one for her, each name 1


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## Tiktaalik Owner (Aug 17, 2009)

Chubbs the Jellybean said:


> Hahaha it's okay - I'm currently taking back my Nicaraguensis to my LFS for 10 dollars credit to get a replacement for my 90 - it's a fun process


It's the same as getting a puppy, raising it, then taking it to the Humane Society the moment you experience any problems -- or when it's no longer cute -- then getting another puppy.

I'm genuinely curious: How is this "okay"? Are you asserting that these creatures, which most people here regard as intelligent, have the same moral status as fresh cut flowers, things to be disposed of when we're bored with them? Does ownership entail any responsibility?

The primary purpose of this forum is to share knowledge, thereby making life in captivity as pleasant as possible for our aquatic friends. Question: What happens to Oscars that are returned to the store? Seriously. Do they go to Happy Oscarville? You've seen what becomes of them. So have I. Languishing with two others in a 40 gallon breeder tank is a fate worse than any they would find in the wild, where at least death would be swift. Fi$h $tore$ encourage thi$ for one rea$on only. Yet you describe it as not only "okay" but "fun."


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## xXGrEeNxTeRrOrXx (Jan 25, 2006)

Any oscar kept in a 55g tank is going to be more aggressive than an oscar kept in a larger tank. The first oscar was just doing what any normal oscar would do when it see's a possible threat (his reflection). He flares, opens his mouth and swims at the glass, maybe even rams the tank. This is normal behavior.

If you are going to upgrade, then I recommend a 125g tank, but there is no guarantee they will get along even in that size tank. I had my two in my 125g, but I eventually had to seperate them. They just wouldn't stop fighting. Hopefully you get lucky and have a pair.


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## xXGrEeNxTeRrOrXx (Jan 25, 2006)

Tiktaalik Owner said:


> Chubbs the Jellybean said:
> 
> 
> > Hahaha it's okay - I'm currently taking back my Nicaraguensis to my LFS for 10 dollars credit to get a replacement for my 90 - it's a fun process
> ...


I don't think you are being fair, and I don't think you see the big picture. Lets be realistic here. This is a hobby. Yes, we need to be responsible, but it's not like we are flushing these fish down the toilet. Buying new fish is fun. Returning fish to the pet store is sometimes a better option than keeping it if you no longer desire it. Should we all buy one fish and keep it for the entirety of its life even if we don't like it? I don't know about you, but I keep fish because it makes me happy. If it didn't make me happy, I wouldn't keep them.


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## Chubbs the Jellybean (Jun 16, 2009)

Tiktaalik Owner said:


> Chubbs the Jellybean said:
> 
> 
> > Hahaha it's okay - I'm currently taking back my Nicaraguensis to my LFS for 10 dollars credit to get a replacement for my 90 - it's a fun process
> ...


I also believe you misunderstood my post, when I said it was "fun", I meant watching the oscar grow from being a baby to being an adult. And in my case with my Nic, she wasn't eating at all after a solid week, and hid all the time. My LFS had a 90 that she fits in with WONDERFULLY, which is where she went after I took her back, aka a better home (she eats there). Also, sometimes with a situation like Dj's, the home Tiger was in was clearly bothering him, and Dj wanted to give Tiger a _chance_ at finding a better home. If he trusts and knows his LFS well enough to do that, then I'm sure they'll take care of Tiger and try to get him a better home.

And GreenTerror is right, it is a hobby in itself, and I don't think you would keep a dog if you didn't like it or didn't think it was living a happy life or that you couldn't give it what it needed. You would take it to the animal shelter so that they have a shot at finding a better home that provides what they truly need. I loved my nic, thought she was a great fish, but she just wasn't fitting in with my tank well, so I had to bring her back. Same with Dj, and that's okay, as long as you know that the fish will be given a chance.


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## Dj823cichild (Mar 30, 2009)

That's why I did what you explained above Chubbs. Let's not get off the subject here and starting bashing people that's not what my thread was about. I hate when people come in here think they know it all then put someone down. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion don't hate on someone else cause they spoke their mind or did what they wanted to, to better a fish. :thumb:


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## Chubbs the Jellybean (Jun 16, 2009)

Well put Dj - now get us some pictures of these two little rascals!

Ps - my pike is gonna be leaving my 90 soon, he's basically becoming very _very_ nasty...


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## Dj823cichild (Mar 30, 2009)

I will just been really busy the past 2 days I haven't even really been home. I just checked the forum earlier today. I got your back homey! :thumb:


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## Chubbs the Jellybean (Jun 16, 2009)

Thanks man, and no rush, just razzin ya


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## Tiktaalik Owner (Aug 17, 2009)

xXGrEeNxTeRrOrXx said:


> Buying new fish is fun.


It's not like picking out flavors at Farrel's Ice Cream Parlor. You're accepting stewardship of a living being, one whose care will pose challenges and cause frustration at times. You know this going in. It's a difficult hobby. The satisfaction derived from it is partly a function of surmounting problems.



> Yes, we need to be responsible, but it's not like we are flushing these fish down the toilet. ... I don't know about you, but I keep fish because it makes me happy.


Take a slow walk through your LFS. Look at the big cichlids waiting for good homes, especially popular ones like Oscars. What do you see? Their suffering and wretchedness is the price paid for convenience and happiness. Once there were two big plastic pools of Oscars at one of my LFS. I used to kneel down and try to pet some of them. There was an albino that must have been 15". One day they were all gone. Like they'd never been there. The pools had been moved to make room for a display of Fluval's new filter. Did someone come in and buy 50 Oscars? Just because you don't flush them doesn't mean someone else doesn't. (The Pacus in another tank vanished mysteriously on another occasion.)



> Should we all buy one fish and keep it for the entirety of its life ...


Why on earth not? Lots of people do. This should be the default position.



Chubbs the Jellybean said:


> I don't think you would keep a dog if you didn't like it or didn't think it was living a happy life or that you couldn't give it what it needed.


If I was homeless my dogs would stay with me. They are part of my family. So are my fish, though hitting the road with them would pose logistical difficulties. 



> I loved my nic, thought she was a great fish, but she just wasn't fitting in with my tank well, so I had to bring her back. Same with Dj, and that's okay, as long as you know that the fish will be given a chance.


*But not all fish have the same chance*. If I bring a Chocolate Cichlid or Escondido to the store people will fight over it. That's not true of Oscars.

This isn't personal. Neither is it "hating." It's a criticism of a practice that's too common in our hobby.


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## xXGrEeNxTeRrOrXx (Jan 25, 2006)

Tiktaalik Owner said:


> It's not like picking out flavors at Farrel's Ice Cream Parlor. You're accepting stewardship of a living being, one whose care will pose challenges and cause frustration at times. You know this going in. It's a difficult hobby. The satisfaction derived from it is partly a function of surmounting problems.


The problem is we are not all a part of this hobby for the same reasons. I personally, find fish fascinating. I love watching them grow, interact among each other, and of course I enjoy the way they look. I know others that want only colorful fish. I know others still that enjoy more of the scientific aspect of keeping fish - water chemistry etc. I know others that keep fish because they like to watch them eat live foods.

This is not a case of simplicity. Not everything is black and white when it comes to why we enjoy the things we do. If I keep fish because I enjoy colorul fish, and I raise a Jack Dempsey to adult hood and find out its not as colorful as I had hoped, I may return him. You say this is wrong but I say this is a part of the hobby, a hobby you support.



Tiktaalik Owner said:


> Take a slow walk through your LFS. Look at the big cichlids waiting for good homes, especially popular ones like Oscars. What do you see? Their suffering and wretchedness is the price paid for convenience and happiness. Once there were two big plastic pools of Oscars at one of my LFS. I used to kneel down and try to pet some of them. There was an albino that must have been 15". One day they were all gone. Like they'd never been there. The pools had been moved to make room for a display of Fluval's new filter. Did someone come in and buy 50 Oscars? Just because you don't flush them doesn't mean someone else doesn't. (The Pacus in another tank vanished mysteriously on another occasion.)


Preaching to the choir here brother. I know this is the reality. But should I suffer a fish I don't enjoy for anothers ignorance? If I did keep every single fish I purchased for life, those oscars are still gonna disappear.... it won't change anything in the big picture. I agree with your stance in general, but I think you're trying to put out a fire with a squirt gun...


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## Dj823cichild (Mar 30, 2009)

Alright I'm taking this post back over since I STARTED IT!

Here's a pic of the new guys! If you don't like them or how I keep fish please keep your comments to youself! I really don't want to hear the preaching choir on this!


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## Dj823cichild (Mar 30, 2009)

johnnyo513 said:


> I agree with Tiktaalik Owner, you two fools need to raise goldfish, not Oscars.!


Yeah that's real nice!


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## Chubbs the Jellybean (Jun 16, 2009)

Wow DJ, their coloration is beautiful! Can't wait to see them grow!

And if we were fools, wouldn't we be raising these oscars in 10 gallon tanks? :roll:


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## Fogelhund (Dec 3, 2002)

Dj823cichild said:


> Alright I'm taking this post back over since I STARTED IT!
> 
> Here's a pic of the new guys! If you don't like them or how I keep fish please keep your comments to youself! I really don't want to hear the preaching choir on this!


The OP has spoken. Posts were deleted for name calling. While we should respect that others may have different points of view than us, your opinions have been made, and there is no point in beating a dead horse now. Let's keep on the topic of helping the OP. Thanks.


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## Dj823cichild (Mar 30, 2009)

Sounds good to me :thumb:


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