How long can an Oscar go without eating?

[Carnia]

Hello. I have an Oscar that I bought almost 2 weeks ago on a Saturday, since I have brought him home he has refused flakes, pellets, sticks, and even washed earthworms. He was in the beginning stages of hole in the head but it looks to be getting better. But why is he not eating? He is in the tank with another Oscar (I think of the opposite sex) They seem very buddy-buddy, swimming with each other side by side, rubbing up against each other, and their tails have been quivering (I know this can also mean aggression but I have yet to see anything like that). Do Oscars not eat while they are about to mate? Anyways, about the tank parameters, They are perfect on everything. Any ideas?
--Thanks, Carnia

 

[freddyk]

I can't tell you why your Oscar isn't eating, but I can tell you it's not normal. A mid grown Oscar that started off healthy can go a month without eating before starting to suffer for it, give or take, but I'd be concerned after two weeks.

A couple of things I would try is live food (feeder fish, ghost shrimp) orseperating the two oscars with a divider and seeing how they do that way.

 

[Final Dynazty]

try live food. thats probaly what he was fed at the LFS.

 

[IMCL85]

Possibly the HITH is not fully cure. Fish wouldn't die by hunger in 2weeks or even more. Just see how it goes the 3rd weeks. Usually even when I have HITH on my severum back then they still eat like piggy. Or maybe ur oscar is stress during the transportation process or it have some other disease.