FISH: My oscar swims up, jumps OUT of the water and pushes the top of the fish tank with his mouth. Normal?

Question

What should I do? And is that normal Oscar behavior?

He hits the top hard enough that the flap opens and then slams down making a loud noise.

Do you know how annoying that is when you are asleep and that wakes you up?

I almost want to put some type of padding under there or something, but I dont know what I would put there.

Answer 1

Floating driftwood and floating aquarium plants could discourage your oscar from jumping.  

Answer 2

Yes,they are very strong fish and need a large tank.They also push rocks around in their tank.Its normal behavior.Maybe he is hungry? He has certaintly found a way to get your attention.lol.

Answer 3

My midas cichlid, Saffron, did that once. It scared me half to death. She only did it once though, so I haven't had to do anything about it. Maybe put a brick or something up there on the lid when your not having to get into the tank for feeding and whatnot.

Answer 4

to help u could tape the lid shut untill u feed them again....and when i feed my fish they get pretty rough gettin food they like jump out of the water and hit the lid...but thats the only time they do it.

Answer 5

Fish like this will try to escape the tank for numerous reasons.  Stress, bad water conditions, tank too small, water chemistry not right etc..

My guess is the tank is too small.  Solo Oscars should have a minimum of a 55 gallon tank.  Even when young, these fish have growth rates upwards of an inch a month, so keeping it in a smaller tank is going to lead to issues down the road.

Maybe your water chemistry is off?  An Oscar is a South American type cichlid, so check to see what your Ph and hardness readings are.

Answer 6

Check your water parameters and temperature, then buy a glass cover for your tank.  

Answer 7

cant put padding but yes sadly thats normal oscar behavior he will push things and they do jump out of water alot down the level a little bit thats what we do with the koi we sell at the pestore and they cant touch the top anymore leave it 4 inchs from top if possible it will  make the blow less noticable if he still hits it

Answer 8

the floating drift wood is an excellent idea. Also try feeding them a little later in the afternoon. my oscars did that and i changed there feeding habits so they would eat later and it all stopped. I now do that with all my fish. they seem more at peace when they settle in for the night.

Answer 9

That is perfectly normal.  Oscars are very active and intelligent fish.  Instead of trying to pad the top, place something heavy like a book or a rock on top of it.  I learned this the hard way.  One of mine managed to jump up, knock the flap open and land on the floor.  I didn't find him until it was too late.  :(  They like to dig, so if you're using a heavy substrate, you might consider changing to a finer grain, something about the size of dried peas.  Also, add some tank decorations that he can dig up and move around.  Mine amuse themselves all day long digging up their plants and carrying them about.  Or, if you have time on your hands, you can teach him to do tricks!!  Check out this video of an oscar playing soccer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zann24Rw0...