New Oscar

[Missxstatic]

I'm not sure if I'm posting this in the right thread or not, but...

Yesterday my partner brought an Oscar, he's bn wanting one for a while. He told the store assistant " want the angriest and most aggressive Oscar". When we got home and opened the bag to check - it was floating on it's side and the water was just covering him (the bright store assistant's water fill).

Getting it into it's own tank, the Oscar finally picked up and began slowly moving around. My partner also asked for bait fish, obviously to feed the new Oscar. The store assistant gave x2 (so-called) bait fish - which are a third of the Oscar's size. He tries to hide behind the heater and underneath the water filter. To me, he looks sad. Nothing seems right, it first started after choosing the Oscar we wanted -

• Store assistant got a different Oscar.

• Assistant added food to the bag, but didn't sell or provide the food to the public.

• The water level was too low.

The Oscar Hiding:


The Bait Fish:


Does any of this look or sound right?

 

[aaronjohn20]

My oscar kinda does that every now and then. Your oscar may just be alil stressed from everything. Normally when I add a new fish or am cleaning his tank. He acts like he gets bummed out or something and goes to a corner. Not quite sure if its normal or not, but atleast your not the only one in the same boat. Your partner should of gotten floating cichlid pellets for the oscar. Feeder goldfish are a big nono because of a vitamin b deficiency. Most people don't suggest feeder goldfish because of this and feeder guppies because of disease but if you was to keep a qt tank or something for feeder guppies that might not be as bad but there diet should mainly be a high quality floating cichlid pellet

 

[aaronjohn20]

Oh and yes your oscar is a cichlid so you posted in the correct spot. Can you add some specs about your tank for us? Like water temp, filter, tank size, tankmates if any other than the goldies, cycled or uncycled, water parameters. Thank you and welcome to the forum. You'll find more than enough helpful people but just to let you know, they'll be asking the same questions if you don't answer them now lol. Above all else good luck!

 

[rocksor]

The oscar is stressed and will snap out of it after a week or so. You should get the oscar on a diet of pellets rather than fish. If the oscar is less than 5" get him baby hikari pellets.

What size tank do you have?

Goldfish feeders contain thiaminase. All B vitamins help the animal to convert carbohydrates into glucose (sugar), which is "burned" to produce energy. Thiaminase will reduce this process. If an animal eats raw animal flesh containing Thiaminase over a period of time of several months then thiaminase will break down the vitamin B1, an essential element of life and render it inactive. Therefore over time the health of your animal will suffer.

Thiaminase

If you want to feed fish. Your best bet is to feed frozen silver sliders from San Francisco Bay company.

 

[oscarchic11]

ur Oscar is also prob 2 small for live foods right now. id get a good carniverous cichlid pelet for it. then feed feeder guppies... not feeder comets as said before.

 

[CicGuy]

Holy crap I work at a lfs and i'm appalled by ur experience. First of all u didn't have to take that oscar of it wasn't the one I originally picked out. Ur the customer so they r required to provide u with correct service. Secondly not that it would hurt him but there really wasn't any reason for him to add food to the bag ur fish was n it's not like he was gonna eat it after being taken from his home in the pet store. Third, that "feeder" is too big for ur oscar and in some instances when that happens they usually end up growing up together and hanging out. Feeders carry a high vitamin b deficiency as previously stated anyway and the only reason people get them is because they think it's cool to c their fish eat another fish. IMO I wouldn't go back to the fish department if that same guy is working that day cuz he obviously could care less about ur tank. In most cases u have about two weeks anyway at the least in case ur fish starts acting weird.

 

[Borderlesscott]

Take the Goldfish back, buy New Life Spectrum pellets - far better for him.

The tank looks very small for an Oscar, hard to judge be the photo though.