# why wont my red oscar protect itself from being attacked



## hitme455 (Jun 22, 2008)

i have a 28 gallon tank and a red and albino oscar. the red oscar is smaller than the albino oscar. the red oscar is missing chunks out of its side and it wont fight back when attacked. A reason it is being attacked is not known to me or why.if you can tell me how to make the albino stop fighting him or get the red oscar to protect himself that would be great. :-?


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## shef (Oct 3, 2004)

I guess I'll be the first to say it. 28g is too small for one oscar let alone two. There is just not enough room for the both of them in that tank. As for why the red oscar won't fight back, it just might not be a very dominant fish. Either way you will probably end up losing the red one eventually if you don't get a bigger tank and/or get rid of one of the oscars. My oscar is in a 70g and he will tolerate other fish with him as long as they are not other oscars. The have very distinct personalities.


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## Al'Thor (Mar 11, 2006)

shef said:


> I guess I'll be the first to say it.


But not the last. If you don't get the red out of there he's going to die. Period. The tank you have can not support one Oscar, let alone two. If this is the only tank you have, and can not get another much larger tank, the best advice I can give you is to take them back to the store you got them from. Also, I don't think it's possible to train an Oscar to defend itself. Sorry if this isn't what you wanted to hear, but it's the truth.


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## oscarlover43055 (Jun 7, 2008)

It is hard to keep two males (assuming so) in any size tank. That's why people buy 4 cheap little Oscars and let them pair themselves. Hopefully you get 2 pairs. But if not then sell them or get another tank (preferably).


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## hitme455 (Jun 22, 2008)

shef said:


> I guess I'll be the first to say it. 28g is too small for one oscar let alone two. There is just not enough room for the both of them in that tank. As for why the red oscar won't fight back, it just might not be a very dominant fish. Either way you will probably end up losing the red one eventually if you don't get a bigger tank and/or get rid of one of the oscars. My oscar is in a 70g and he will tolerate other fish with him as long as they are not other oscars. The have very distinct personalities.


but they are not that big at most two or three inches.the red oscar is a little smaler than the albino.


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## BlackShark11k (Feb 16, 2007)

hitme455 said:


> shef said:
> 
> 
> > I guess I'll be the first to say it. 28g is too small for one oscar let alone two. There is just not enough room for the both of them in that tank. As for why the red oscar won't fight back, it just might not be a very dominant fish. Either way you will probably end up losing the red one eventually if you don't get a bigger tank and/or get rid of one of the oscars. My oscar is in a 70g and he will tolerate other fish with him as long as they are not other oscars. The have very distinct personalities.
> ...


They'll be a foot in less than a year. And hopefully, if you care about your fish, you'll have a 100 gallon + tank by then.

You can set up a divider for now. You can't "train" the oscar to defend himself or anything. If he's mean, he's mean. Period. You may want to treat him with some melafix.


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## moneygetter1 (Jan 8, 2006)

8) The others have informed you correctly. 'O's need more room than most, not just bio wise (which is primary) but also territory wise. The dominant fish will continue to claim all of that tank (already too small) & attack relentlessly any perceived intruder. The submissive fish has nowhere to run & will soon die of stress or injuries. In a larger tank it's possible sometimes for 2 of differing sizes to co-exist w/ enough cover & or distractions but even then there's no guarantee. Suggest you return one or the other & upgrade tank & filtration ASAP in order to provide adequate environment that will sustain long term health & well being for the Oscar. "T"


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