Oscar is at it again...

[SwampFins]

So Oscar's are known for having a lot of personality and often times for keeping their owners on their toes, but this guy really takes the cake...

I just recently removed almost everything from the tank to keep him out of trouble as he kept destroying plants, getting scraped against the drift wood and occasionally trying to bust of the tank at night.

He basically injures himself every other day, to the point where I'm pretty sure hes blind from one eye as he never recovered from that injury.

I thought I had seen it all until today.

I had a watersprite plant anchored to some driftwood that dissapeared a while ago over night. I always wondered what happened as I never found anything left from it... until today....

I'm really hoping hes able to pass the remainder of that rubber band lol

 

[SwampFins]

Has anyone had any experience with a fish that does this?

All joke aside, I'm a little concerned about him long term as hes always injured somehow and I'm constantly having to medicate with melafix or salt to keep anything from getting infected.

Hes otherwise healthy and with a big appetite but hes also not even a year old.

(These are old pics from previous injuries. They all healed except for the eye)

 

[tlindsey]

Has anyone had any experience with a fish that does this?

All joke aside, I'm a little concerned about him long term as hes always injured somehow and I'm constantly having to medicate with melafix or salt to keep anything from getting infected.

Hes otherwise healthy and with a big appetite but hes also not even a year old.

(These are old pics from previous injuries. They all healed except for the eye)

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I personally would just keep substrate in his aquarium.

 

[Zak03]

Wait, how big is your tank? Sometimes, if the tank is too small for their size, or over crowded, it can result in this kind of behavior of being self destructive.

 

[SwampFins]

I personally would just keep substrate in his aquarium.

Yeah I just have sand and a few java fern plants just floating around at the moment to see how it goes.

It's hard because I know they like to have places to hide and claim but he swims into everything haha.

 

[SwampFins]

Wait, how big is your tank? Sometimes, if the tank is too small for their size, or over crowded, it can result in this kind of behavior of being self destructive.

He's in a 125 with a few other fish but nothing crazy. They all get along and I have not seen any torn fins or anything.

I somehow suspect hes getting spooked at night or something because i usually find the new wounds in the morning.

I also wonder if being blind from one eye might be making it worse? He eats a lot and has a healthy appetite but I do notice he misses a lot when trying to eat.

 

[Serpentine]

I agree with keeping the tank bare, given his propensity for self-injury. You could put in some soft nontoxic rubber dog toys for him to push or carry around to keep him occupied without getting hurt. Holee Roller and clutch balls are both hits around here.

If you don't already do this, make sure you turn on room lights before tank lights to keep from spooking him. Instantaneous "daylight" scares the crap out of fish.