gatto Posted June 20, 2007 Share Posted June 20, 2007 Hello one and all, I was wondering if anyone could shed some light on my Oscars behavior. Lately he has started to try and bash himself from one end of the tank to the other at high speed, with the result of chunks of him coming out from hitting the filters etc. This started approx two weeks and is happening more and more, some details on him are he's 8 inch's long in a three foot tank water changes are done weekly, two heaters are running in the tank to keep the temp at 28-29C Any ideas or help will be much appreciated. Thank-you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MitchWA Posted June 20, 2007 Share Posted June 20, 2007 "8 inch's long in a three foot tank " Think that might be the problem. Get him a bigger tank. HTH Mitch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CThompson Posted June 20, 2007 Share Posted June 20, 2007 The water is also too warm (get it down to 24-25). He may be reacting to his own reflection. Try putting something in the tank so he can't see himself. For example, a piece of thin black perspex slipped into the tank against the glass. The tank is a bit small, but I doubt that this is causing his behaviour - still look at getting a bigger tank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ash Posted June 21, 2007 Share Posted June 21, 2007 ya, agro goes up with higher temps so back that off Agree 100% with CThompson about the reflections too. As for tank size, he won't be happy in there but it won't cause him to behave like that as said. C'mon you see big americans in 2' tanks at LFS all the time - it isn't a nice place to live forever though. Like a person living in a car, won't kill them but they won't be happy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robbo2232 Posted June 21, 2007 Share Posted June 21, 2007 ya, agro goes up with higher temps so back that off Like a person living in a car, won't kill them but they won't be happy. Depends on what car!!!! hehehehe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gatto Posted June 21, 2007 Author Share Posted June 21, 2007 thanks for the feedback, i am trying to get a larger tank soon. the behavior seemed worse when the water was colder so that is interesting but i will drop the temp back. would a picture on the outside do to stop the reflection. also the worst times are ten minutes after we turn the lights out at night you can hear the smacking into the glass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luket Posted June 22, 2007 Share Posted June 22, 2007 .... also the worst times are ten minutes after we turn the lights out at night you can hear the smacking into the glass. You want to hope that that is all you hear....if you a big "crack" noise followed by the sound of running water...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robdog013 Posted June 22, 2007 Share Posted June 22, 2007 Hi dude, I kept three albino oscars in a three foot tank, they never exhibited peculiar behaviour like that, he may be bored and seeing his reflection is the only thing that keeps him occupied, try and get him a bigger tank I agree with the other guys he may be in need of some company so get a tank mate, nothin too aggressive or too big. I love oscars like dogs cheers aye Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CThompson Posted June 24, 2007 Share Posted June 24, 2007 thanks for the feedback, i am trying to get a larger tank soon. the behavior seemed worse when the water was colder so that is interesting but i will drop the temp back. would a picture on the outside do to stop the reflection. also the worst times are ten minutes after we turn the lights out at night you can hear the smacking into the glass. That makes me think the tank is going from full light to full dark. Remember fish don’t have eyelids and can react very badly to turning lights ON from a darkened tank. Not as bad going in the other direction, but can still be an issue. If you don’t already, try leaving the room light on for a bit after you turn the tank light off. Also, make your lighting on/off periods regular. Perhaps buy a timer for the light, as fish can become accustomed to and be semi-prepared for the beginning and ending of the photoperiod and not react as strongly if prepared for a change in conditions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wonna Posted June 24, 2007 Share Posted June 24, 2007 At 8'' he would be starting to become sexually mature and its not uncommon for them to chuck tantrums for a few weeks to months when they are going through this Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tigercichlid Posted June 25, 2007 Share Posted June 25, 2007 Might be a food thing. My Oscar "Herber"t gets very cranky when he is hungry. What kind of feeding regime are you running? Variety is the key with oscars. Is there any subsrate in the tank for him to play with. Herbert loves to manicure the bottom of his tank. Helps keep them occupied I think. Are there any speakers near the tank? I have heard they can get upset with sounds as well. Hope this helps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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