My baby oscar

Question
QUESTION: I have just bought a baby oscar. He is about 3 inches long. He is in my 10 gallon tank with my dalation molly,ranbow shark,blue crawfish,and chiniese algae eater. He is sitting at the bottom in a corner and is not eating any food. Since he has been in the tank he has sat in that corner and has done nothing else. Please help me find a solution and tell me how to feed him. (I feed a variety of pellets and flakes)

ANSWER: Hi Alan,
 Oscars often take several weeks to get used to their new home. So, the good news is that he will slowly come around.  Be patient.  The bad news is that once he does get comfortable, he will most likely eat all of the rest of your fish.  Oscars are highly predatory.  They eat stuff. That's what they do and they are very good at it.  

-- Ron
  rcoleman@cichlidresearch.com
  Cichlid Research Home Page <http://cichlidresearch.com>


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: So how do I feed my oscar? I don't want him to starve.

ANSWER: Hi Alan,
 He will get food when he gets hungry.  Fish can actually go quite a long time without food.  

 Do you have good places for him to hide?  If you put more structure in the tank, e.g., rock, wood, plants, he will feel more comfortable and actually hide less.  If there are few places to hide, fish tend to just stay in the corner.

-- Ron
  rcoleman@cichlidresearch.com
  Cichlid Research Home Page <http://cichlidresearch.com>


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: When should I move my Oscar into another tank? How many gallons should that tank be?

Answer
Hi Alan,
  An adult oscar grows to between 12 and 16 inches. If properly maintained, it can reach that size in little over a year.  At that size, it will need at least a 55 gallon, and more likely a 72 gallon tank or so.

-- Ron
  rcoleman@cichlidresearch.com
  Cichlid Research Home Page <http://cichlidresearch.com>