Please help a listless oscar

[skjl47]

Hello; My first WAG is the 40 gallon tank is the culprit along with too few WC (water changes). Guess i did not spell it out well enough to suit.

Surprised no one has brought up that a 40gal is a little small for a 6" oscar.
Water changes are always good. Make sure the water being added is about the same temp. My oscars get pouty if the added water is too cold.
I wouldnt add a hiding place rock but would make sure lights are not real bright. I would suggest some plants but in a 40gal... is there room?
BTW I get blackworm sticks which are like candy to my oscars. They sink. I would just put in a few and see what happens.

 

[jr71]

Thanks again for more advice. The 40 gal is temporary, definitely not meant to be the final home. It's got tons of room for now, will move into at least a 75 gal once it's grown a bit larger. I dimmed the lights a few days ago, with no change in behavior. The fish has eaten a little bit, just a few floating cichlid pellets, and ignores most of them. Doesn't seem all that interested in having a look. Swims occasionally, mostly now just hiding beneath the root-structure decoration I added to help it feel secure. May remove that soon, it's reduced the fish's activity for sure. Will look for blackworm sticks to try.

I really appreciate all the comments on tank size, water quality, temperature, and the like. The thing that's puzzling me is why this fish is behaving so differently from all the others--particularly the cichlids--that I've had in the same tank, with the same water and filtration, over the years. I've kept fish, including a few oscars, for more than 30 years, so I've learned all the rookie mistakes the hard way in the past! This fish behaved nicely in the store but sulks in my tank. It's now been 13 days since I brought it home, with no significant change in behavior despite the few things I've tried. If it goes much longer without eating well, I may try to rehome it before health problems develop.

 

[jr71]

It's been a while, but I wanted to follow up to thank everyone who offered advice. I'm pleased to report that this formerly listless oscar has come around is now behaving just as it should! It's active, personable, curious, and a healthy eater. Perhaps it just took longer than I expected to settle into its new tank. In any case, I couldn't be happier with this fish. It's about 7" and I'm making plans to move it into a larger home that can be more permanent than the current 40 gallon breeder tank. Here's a pic I took yesterday after the weekly water change: