Do Fish Get Lonely?

[Suriliel]

I have a 4 inch oscar in a 55 gallon tank with a lobster and 2 other small cichlids (not small enough for him to eat, they don't bother each other at all), and he looks lonely. He's really friendly with the other fish and doesn't try to eat them or anything, but most the time he just floats around and looks sad. He's perfectly healthy and perks up whenever I come near the tank, he just looks lonely. Should I get him a friend? I know oscars get huge and he will eventually outgrow his current tank even on his own, but I have plans to upgrade soon anyways so that's not an issue. What do you think? Do fish get lonely?

 

[Gatorbait]

Oscars are fine by themselves. Throw a ping pong ball in there and let him play with that or some plastic plants they can carry around. They'll respond better with humans if they're alone also. Cichlids are territorial and the only time they want companionship is to mate. The rest of the time only 1 fish is happy in an aquarium, the dominant one.

What size tank are you upgrading to? Maybe people can give you some good ideas for tankmates unless you already have that planned out.

 

[anvil63]

I'd take the pretty blue lobster out of the oscar tank before the Oscar hits the 7-8 in mark. A number of years back I lost a crayfish to a eight inch Oscar. When he got to be a foot I occasionally treated him to a crayfish now and then (usually on the smallish side for safety reasons).

Carl