Is My Oscar Bored?

[terrorbull]

I have an 8in Oscar who lives by himself in a 5ft tank. I have nothing in the tank but the filter and the heater. I keep the bottom bare as it is easier for me to clean out his poos each day....he attacks the filter and the heater often and will jump out of the water and hit the tank lids....

My questions ar....
do oscars get bored? Is he bored? should I add things to his tank? should I add gravel? should I add other fish?
Otherwise he is very healthy and likes to nibble your fingers, but I am unsure if I am looking after him correctly...

Any advice will be most appreciated,
terrorbull

 

[ALEXF]

i have no exsperience with oscars but from what i hvae read they do like to up root plants, you might want to add a few fake ones in for him to pull out and for you to replant for him. it would give him something to do.

 

[terrorbull]

i have no exsperience with oscars but from what i hvae read they do like to up root plants, you might want to add a few fake ones in for him to pull out and for you to replant for him. it would give him something to do.

Thanks for that ALEXF...that is a good idea

 

[ALEXF]

no problem just telling you what ive read that others do.

 

[england]

hi a nice 5ft tank all to him self, lucky ole boy,,
iam not sure but find when i put my male jag in a bare bottom tank alone he was soooo strange didnt swim round or anyting
now hes in another tank alone with gravel a few rocks/plastic plants which are floating now and he is always dragging plant around and swimming about,
think to myself that when they see there reflection in base of tank they go odd!!!!!

try adding gravel and see what happens, interact with him and he should be fine, as i say i have a jag solo in a tank with plecs which you never ever see in daytime and hes fine

oh yes forgot to say your oscar is a south/central american fish
try posting in the other sections below,,,your the only post in this section

 

[Soaup]

I had two oscars in my 125 at one point, both have since passed but they did get bored. I put a wiffle ball in there tank which was 24 hours of playtime for them after that. I have seen someone train there oscar to let them know when they are hungry. He had a bell in his tank and the oscar would surface and nudge the bell for food!! Try a few different things see what they like, toys are always good fun.

 

[Miss Wiggle]

virtually any fish is kept alone in a completely bare tank will get bored, they do need things to interact with. so yes get some gravel and some rocks/wood/ornaments in there for him

 

[Carp4U]

yeah, i have no experience with them but surely any lone fish in a bare tank will get bored! i certainly would! try to put some gravel and fake plants but if not try adding some "toys" like the other's above have mentioned.

 

[terrorbull]

hi a nice 5ft tank all to him self, lucky ole boy,,
iam not sure but find when i put my male jag in a bare bottom tank alone he was soooo strange didnt swim round or anyting
now hes in another tank alone with gravel a few rocks/plastic plants which are floating now and he is always dragging plant around and swimming about,
think to myself that when they see there reflection in base of tank they go odd!!!!!

try adding gravel and see what happens, interact with him and he should be fine, as i say i have a jag solo in a tank with plecs which you never ever see in daytime and hes fine

oh yes forgot to say your oscar is a south/central american fish
try posting in the other sections below,,,your the only post in this section

Thanks so much nelly,

So he is a sth/central fishy.....okay will post over there too.....but I must agree with you as I have been thinking and googling Oscar sites and I am going to add gravel, a cave, drift wood and fake plants to his tank as I do think that he is bored as there is nothing stimulating for him to discover but a bare tank....
I am quite excited about this and will send a pic when I am done......

cheers terrorbull

virtually any fish is kept alone in a completely bare tank will get bored, they do need things to interact with. so yes get some gravel and some rocks/wood/ornaments in there for him

Thanks for that Miss Wiggle,
I am going to add gravel etc as I do think that he is bored looking at the bottom of a bare tank...I am going to go and get some course sand today.......
cheers terrorbull1

 

[terrorbull]

Here are some pics of his new environment!
He is still watching whilst on his side hhahahaha and he has not swam down as yet, still on his side up at the top....

oops did not work......will keep trying to add pics

 

[terrorbull]

Here are some pics of his new environment!

He started off by watching down below whilst on his side hhahahaha and then he gradually went down the bottom but has taken to scooping up the gravel at the far end and he is attacking the filter again......he goes underneath the filter and has a good look and then literally tugs at it.......any ideas as to why?
But it is great to see him doing something such as scooping up the gravel

 

[england]

ok cichlids are cichlids as in they decorate the tank not you
they can and do litterally move rocks to were they want them, my jag moved a rock from one side of his tank into the middle, took a few days off pushing etc but hes finally done it, the gravels piled up in each corner, it was all flat
just let them get on with it
looks good, got any full shot?

 

[Davo86]

provided they are bigger than his mouth, try adding a few ping pong balls, these will float at the surface and give him easier targets to attack than the filter,