Oscar fish??

Question

Just got an oscar saturday

4 inches long.

no tank mates.

water 100% fine...already tested it.

40 gallon tank.

78 degree water.

got him saturday and he is still laying on the bottom of tank chillin.

Is this normal for him to be like this after 3 days?

Answer 1

Yes thats normal, just give it enough oxygen(air pump or filter for 40 gallons tank), sometime oscar lays at the bottom of the tank is due to lack of oxygen.

40 gallons tank is enough for a full grown oscar, don't listen to those who say "a full grown oscar needs minimum of 125 gallons tank", my bedroom doesn't even fit a 125 gallons tank.

Oh by the way, the reason your oscar is laying on the bottom of the tank can also caused by the temperature. Try rise your temperature to 84-86 F until it starts to get active, then you may keep your temperature at 78.

Answer 2

Yes it is...give him a few days to adapt in hs tank.Mine took 3 to come out of his decor!

Answer 3

The tank sounds OK for him temporarily, but you're going to need to upgrade in a few months. He'll need a 75G tank minimum to grow to his full size. Oscars are "tankbuster" type fish that will not survive long term in a small setup like that. They will be stunted, which will kill them (slowly and painfully) as their organs continue to grow after their body stops growing.

As for his behavior, these fish are fairly social (surprisingly), and they tend to be attached to other beings - whether it's another oscar fish that they grew up with, or even their humans. I had a pair of oscars way back when that were so attached to each other - one of them ended up dying (we never did find out what caused his death) and the other stopped eating, and eventually starved himself to death. Nothing could entice him to eat after his friend died. They spent many many years together, and the 2nd one was obviously in mourning. They are one of the few fish that I've dealt with that really seem to have almost human-type feelings. They would even act as though they recognized certain people - when I walked into a room they would immediately look for attention and treats - but never did that for anyone else.

Yours may be lonely or missing a companion from his previous tank. So it may take him some time to settle in to new surroundings and a lack of other tank mates.

Answer 4

ya its normal they just need a few days to adjust to the new tank