oscar playing dead

Question
I have an oscar cichlid.  He was doing fine in a 125 gallon aquarium with a Jack Dempsey cichlid.  I had a water issue and moved them into a 55 gallon aquarium in my basement.  The Jack started to attack Oscar in the smaller living quarters, so Jack moved back upstairs.  Now both aquariums are at ideal ph, nitrate, nitrite, etc.  However, everytime I go to the basement to see, or feed Oscar,  he lays down at the bottom, like he is dead.  When I walk downstairs, he is up and swimming around.  When he was upstairs he would come charging towards me to feed him.  Now he is ignoring me. He has a pleco tank mate.  Should I try move him back with Jack?

Answer
Hi Julie,
 It doesn't sound like anything is wrong. Oscars normally play dead.  It is one of their hunting strategies.

  Be careful with that pleco.  If it is at all possible for the oscar to swallow that fish, he will try eventually to do so.

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