tips for Oscar coloration

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
He looks like a good specimen....
btw, a fish is just a fish. We get what we get and their health and well being is what is important. I know it is nice to have a glorious colorful fish that dazzles people when they see them, but a true fish keeper makes a commitment to that fish as it's keeper and we have a responsibility to be the one....if only the one...that loves them even if they are "ugly".....you know, "a face only a mother could love..." hahaha!!
If the fish never colors up to what your expectations are despight your best effort to get it too, then make the fish the healthiest ugly duckling around!!
 
He looks pretty stressed out.
 
My first fish was an Oscar....I got him at just a little over 2"....when he was rehomed he was just under 15"...
He was the biggest in the tank, but would hide and bleach out whenever my sailfin would cruz by...like a big scared baby.
 
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wild Oscars arnt as colourful, they have been line bred to get colourful for decades. on the flip side wild types are rare and a lot of people on here prefer them, ime with Oscars it will have most of its adult colouration by 4 inch, don't expect more... if I had a nice wild o like you I wouldn't have a black backround and substrate, get a nice blue background and some natural sand to help him stand out and enjoy him. I have 4 Oscars atm and they all have their own personalitys, my 10 inch gold and tigers regularly used to beat on my 10 inch jag till I sold him, my 14 inch red often gets backed into a corner by my 5-6 inch red lol, real mix of personalitys within... wild Oscar generally get really mean and he could be a right glass banger in due time.
good luck and keep updating!-)
 
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xraycer said:
This may also be the problem since these fishes aren't really dither per se. Your O could be feeling intimidated by his tankmates thus remaining dark.

Your O has torn fins. Is anybody harassing him?
Click to expand...
The pictures I provided thus far were from when I first bought him. The male jd didn't like him being introduced at first and gave him a few whacks. He since healed up. I will provide more pictures shortly. On my way home now
 
I feed hikari frozen food sticks and raw shrimp for color. If I were you, I would also stop feeding dinner vegetables. It probably isn't doing him much good. Stay with the cichlid gold as a staple, add raw shrimp and hikari floating food sticks, keep good parameters, and give it time. I have also found oscars love a floating ping pong ball to play with :)
 
what is tearing him up? seems to me you get him in a stress free environment where he can be an oscar. he have great color. IMHO.
 
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