Oscar lover

[Oscarman101]

Hey how you going im new to this forum stuff. I have recently bought a 200litre (50 gallon) tank and i have two juvenile oscars in the tank, with a juvenile briatlenose catfish. And one of my oscars have recently got scars all over its body, the other only has one tiny scar i have been informed that it can be the catfish but am wondering now what is going on because the oscars have gone right off their food can anyone help me with what is going on

 

[molliwopp]

It could be your catfish if theres nothing else in the tank thats sharp like decorations like plastic plants ect.
Are you going to be getting a bigger tank in the future? 50 gallons isnt nearly big enough for 2 full grown oscars and the catfish. The oscars will grow very quickly when young.

 

[Oscarman101]

I have been informed by my local petshop that a full grown oscar needs 80 litres each hence the four foot tank, i have been thinking of upgrading but after i move into my own house( next few months.). Actually what your saying about decorations probably is right i have a pirate ship decoration for small feeder fish and the smaller oscar can fit inside it. But as for the eating i found out they will eat meal worms just not the spectrum pellets ive been feeding them since i got them

 

[aquandrew]

i would think its the oscars fighting, a bristlenose pleco probably wouldn't be able to do that. for two full grown oscars your going to want at least 400 liters

 

[aquandrew]

80 liters for a full grown oscar is not right at all. don't listen to the lfs, and do your own research

 

[Oscarman101]

Haha obviously they just wanted to sell me a tank that could fit in my car. All good for now. Does anyone have any idea why they have gone off their food?

 

[Chris J]

How large are the oscars? Mine go off their food a bit when they are pairing off and building their nest/sand pit. Even if they are not fully mature they can pair off early and possibly go off their food a bit. I would watch if one is getting beaten up more than the other and I wouldn't really suggest anything less than a 75g for just the fish you have and maybe 1-2 smaller fish. 100g+ If you want to put more than that. I have a 125g with 3 oscars and I fear that at full size I won't really have any room much else, but my oscars are my babies and if I have to rehome every fish in there to keep them I will.

 

[Oscarman101]

Yeah it is one that had scars all over its body they are at 5inches now, i also have noticed that they have been building a pile of peebles up at the back of the tank. Is that what you mean by nesting?

 

[Chris J]

Yes, in the wild, when oscars pair off they dig a small divot in the substrate and corral the babies in the divot to keep them safe. They also like to lay their eggs on flat stones such as a piece of slate (or the bottom glass of the aquarium). They aren't immediately going to lay eggs (I think your oscars are close but not quite mature, I believe maturity is reached at about 6" or about a year) and even if they do they have a tendency to eat them if they are spooked or if they aren't fertilized. Keep an eye on the scarred one, probably just a result of pairing displays, mine get in each others faces all the time and with "nip" at each others body's, sometimes resulting in the white scarring you're seeing (it's actually raw flesh from under the scales that were pulled off). I have had mine make it as far as laying eggs but as I am not trying to breed and take care of 250-500 baby oscars so I don't remove the eggs and they are eaten by parents and some other fish in the tank. Enjoy your oscars, they're relationship becomes very interesting to watch, and start looking for a larger tank because you will eventually need it.

 

[Oscarman101]

Really true thank your for that, i will pay closer attention to them now. So what your saying is that the one that is getting attacked is the female and the aggressor is the male?

 

[Chris J]

I'm not sure if the aggressor is always the male, but one is usually more dominant and bullies the other a bit. It's not too much of a concern as they won't severely injure each other IME.