My Tiger Oscar is acting strange

Question
Hi, I've never seen my Oscars behave like this before, she is picking up rocks and spitting them around the tank, she hasn't been eating since the move and i made sure not to feed it until it was use to its new tank and water, but she still isn't eating its pellets, she is swimming around plenty, but she isn't eating, she is spitting the pebbles on the ground, around the tank, and she is also swimming to the top gasping for air it looks like. Please help he understand why she is doing this?

Answer
Hi,

<Hi Dustin>

I've never seen my Oscars behave like this before, she is picking up rocks and spitting them around the tank,

<Can be perfectly normal, they like things decorated THEIR way, not yours!>

she hasn't been eating since the move and i made sure not to feed it until it was use to its new tank and water, but she still isn't eating its pellets,

<First clue.  How, where and why was she moved?  This would help me.  However, Oscars are notorious "wimps", and they DO sulk when they are not happy or something in their lives changes (i.e. the move, however big or small it is, etc.).  They do not take well to change, being moved, or their homes being messed with after they've arranged them the way they like.  Although this could be the reason she's not eating, it could be due to illness too.  How long ago did this move take place? I would need to know that too if you could.  You also need to carefully inspect her for outside signs of illness (swollen belly, white specks on the body, white/gray growths, lumps, holes, brown-ish patches), anything out of the ordinary.  Is your tank cycled?  Have you been testing your water parameters? If you can provide me with your water parameters, that would be a great help. If you don't have a test kit, you can take a sample to your local pet shop.  There could potentially be problems with the water considering it's a new tank, i.e. ammonia spikes, nitrite spike, nitrate spikes, etc.  These can all be bad for her.  But we need the water parameters so I know if we are dealing with water problems.>

she is swimming around plenty

<This is a good sign at least>

but she isn't eating, she is spitting the pebbles on the ground, around the tank,

<She is probably getting some food from the gravel, but she still needs to "eat" obviously.  Are you able to get your hands on any blood worms or night crawlers, some type of live foods?  I'd stay away from feeder fish, personally, because they carry disease, but if she had live food she might be tempted into eating it.  Not as a main staple mind you, but as an entice, at least it's something.>

and she is also swimming to the top gasping for air it looks like.

<This is telling me there is not enough oxygen in the water. Do you have an airstone you can add?  If there is too much ammonia in the water, this will can cause them to gasp for air at the top.  Considering these are one of the most messy fish there are (next to goldfish), your filtration has to be phenomenally good, or you will run in to problems.  I would be willing to bet that all of this has to do with water quality, unless you come back and tell me you have found an outward sign of illness.

At this point, I would strongly suggest you do the following:

1.  Test your water or get your water tested and write me back with the results for ammonia, nitrites, nitrates;
2.  AFTER you take your water sample, do a 50% water change, replacing it with water of about the same temperature, and with water conditioner.  I would recommend you purchase a water conditioner called "Prime".  It is great for newly cycling tanks and helps remove the ammonia, nitrites and nitrates.  Maybe you could pick this up when you go to get your water tested.  It's good stuff;
3.  Visually inspect her for outward signs of illness;
4.  Get blood worms or night crawlers, or if the pet store can suggest something that would entice her in to eating;
5.  Add an air stone to put extra oxygen into the water.

Please help he understand why she is doing this?

<I hope this starts you on to a path of helping her.  Please get back to me with all the things I've asked so I can help you out further once I have more information.

I'll wait to hear from you and respond back to you ASAP.  Please do these things quickly as Oscars are pretty fragile (believe it or not), and cannot deal with large changes in water chemistry and/or illness.  The quicker we can address these things, the better chance she has.>