My Oscars fins are turning black

Question
I have had my oscar for about a months, he is white and has a bit or orange on
him, he is small , approx 3" maybe, and over the last 2 weeks his fins are turning
black. It is semetricle . He is eating well and swimming fine, buy I am concerned
if it is some sort of a disease or if this is normal?
Thank you, hope uou can help

Answer
Hi Mel;

I would suspect either a natural color change or ammonia burns. Oscars are very messy guys and it's easy for them to create a lot of waste leading to excess ammonia in the water. Keep his water very clean and test for ammonia. If it is "zero" it's probably just a normal color change. Some Albino oscars will develop a darker edge to their fins as they get older.

If there is ammonia in there, vacuum the gravel and make daily water changes of 25% until it drops to "zero". You didn't mention what size tank he's in but oscars need a lot of room and just one oscar can't grow up in anything smaller than 50 gallons. They also need powerful filtration and a weekly water change to keep them healthy.

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins