sick oscar maybe

Question
Our Oscars (we have 2) are a year old, they are about 7 inches long, they eat mosquito fish and pellets.  One of them thrashes around in the tank something fierce and splashes the water out and sometimes lists to one side after doing so.  No aparent scratches, sores or parasites that we see.  We took out fake plants as he was thrashing so much he was practically getting himself caught and we had a tunnel tube in there that he keeps trying to get in which he would not be able to get himself out of.  Any ideas.

Answer
Hi Melissa

This sounds like normal Oscar behavior to me. Some Oscars are a lot more aggressive than others. I have one Oscar that behaves in the same manner that yours is. He runs around the tank and splashes the water, especially at feeding time. When I feed the fish in his tank, he goes after the food so aggressively, that he's come out of the tank a couple of times. It's to the point now where I have to drop the food in through an opening in back of the tank rather than opening the lid in front.

Make sure your water temp is warm enough, it should be 78-80 degrees. Make sure your water is clean through 30% weekly water changes. Feed them twice a day and provide more of a variety of foods. Mix in flakes occasionally, instead of pellets, and bloodworms about once a week as a treat.

Take out any sharp decorations that he could hurt himself on if he runs into them. Make sure he has a large cave or large rock to hide behind. Sometimes Oscars show less aggression if they have a place to hide where they feel safe. Other than that, if he looks healthy and is eating regularly, I wouldn't worry about him.

Hope this helps, good luck!

Richard