Hey, I just bought a Tiger Oscar a week or so ago and everything was going fine until I cleaned the tank for the first time. it wasn't anything big or anything all I did was take some water out and put some fresh water in and scrubbed the tank a little. Now for the past few days it seems like my Oscar is almost afraid of me. Whenever I walk next to the tank it lays flat on the the bottom of the tank like it is going to die or something, but I watch it from far away and it will act it is perfectly healthy and swim around like nothig is the matter. I don't know if it is really afraid of me and just needs time to adjust or if something is really the matter. Has anything like this happened to any of your guys's fish before?
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- Thread starter n3wt
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Did you treat (dechlorinate) your water before you added it to the tank? What are your tank parameters? Nitrite, Nitrate, and Ammonia readings? Is the tank cycled?
These are the questions I'm sure everyone will need answered before they can be of much assistance. If it is a new fish, sometimes it takes a week or so for the fish to become completely settled and have a "territory" of their own.
I added a catfish to my tank a couple days ago and he still hides when I enter the room. He wouldn't even come out of his cave to get an algae wafer for the first few days, now when I drop one in, he's battling my cories for it.
These are the questions I'm sure everyone will need answered before they can be of much assistance. If it is a new fish, sometimes it takes a week or so for the fish to become completely settled and have a "territory" of their own.
I added a catfish to my tank a couple days ago and he still hides when I enter the room. He wouldn't even come out of his cave to get an algae wafer for the first few days, now when I drop one in, he's battling my cories for it.
I don't know the specs or any of the chemical levels in the water but I treated and made sure the water was the same temp and everything before I put it in the tank. But my tank has a filter and everything and I monitor the temperature a lot so I don't think it has anything to do with the fish being affected by chemical imbalances or anything. Do you think it could just be stressed out because its the first time it's been through a tank cleaning?
Be sure to purchase some testing supplies to test your water for ammonia (NH3), nitrites (NO2) and nitrates (NO3). Cycling your tank will greatly reduce the amounts of these chemicals in your water. Remember to always do your homework before trying anything new!
Assuming he hasn't cycled his tank, what can he do with his fish while he does?
Assuming he hasn't cycled his tank, what can he do with his fish while he does?
speckz
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
n3wt, if you did not cycle your tank then you are probably goign to have to do daily water changes, about 50% of the water to make sure that ammonia (NH3), nitrites (NO2) and nitrates (NO3) are all in check till the cycle completes. Also, you are going to need a test kit so you can test for ammonia, nitrites and nitrates.
I got a test kit and all the levels are fine. I think my fish got a little freaked out from me cleaning the tank because hes doing fine now. Thanks for all the advice, ill make sure to read up on all the different water levels and chemicals to watch out for.
