Weird oscar

Question
I have a 30 gallon tank with a pleco which is
very small and an ocsar which is small right
now and the pet store said it would he fine
even though i know now after reasearching it
that it won't. I cut the tank off from light when I
first got him because I was getting rid of green
water. Now the oscar sits around when the
light is on and is active when it is off. I got the
fish wensday and I stopped cutting it off from
light friday afternoon.  

off from light when I got the fish becUse I was
getting rid of green water. Now he just sits
around when theight is on but he is active
when it is off.

Answer
Hi Marty

Believe it or not, your Oscar is perfectly normal. Oscars are not comfortable in the open, they need to have plenty of hiding places. Also, Oscars love to redecorate their tanks, so unless you don't mind the Oscar changing things up a bit, use heavy pieces that will be harder for him to move. It will also be a complete waste of your time to put things back, trust me, he will move them again and you will give up long before he does. Oscars also spook easily so you should avoid using sharp or rough decorations that may hurt your Oscar in case he runs into them when spooked. In all of my tanks, I've used the nylon stocking test. Rub the stocking over the decoration, if it snags, don't use that. Take the stocking to the store with you prior to spending money on decorations that aren't safe for your fish. You won't look weird, any quality aquatic store will know what you are doing. Like many fish, Oscars are more comfortable and will come out more and be more active if you can provide them with a lot of cover. You should make hiding places in at least half of your tank. Providing him with plenty of cover will reduce his stress, giving you a happy, healthy fish.

Keep him on a normal schedule. Turn the lights on in the morning and off in the early evening (about 10-12 hours of light). Turning the lights off won't eliminate the green cloudy water. Do a 50% water change and use a water clarifier like Clarity or Crystal Clear found in any aquarium store. You may also want to purchase a second filter for the other side of your tank. I've always used 2 or 3 power filters in my larger tanks, especially with Oscars who can be very messy. 2 larger ones on either side and a smaller one in the middle.

As far as your Oscar and the Pleco...if the Pleco is of similar size to the Oscar, they will be fine together. Hope this helps you and good luck with him!

Richard