daughters oscar, Q

Question
Hi Chris. I have a question about my 21-year old daughter's Oscar fish that has recently moved in with us.  A long story, but he is here with us now after being kept about 7 months somewhere else with people that didn't care for him and had him in some atrocious conditions!!!!  He had been well-taken care of before they got him.  ANYWAY, he has been set up as of this past Monday in a new 55-gallon tank with a filter and heater.  He is an adult.  He has not eaten since he got here.  What to do??? We've offered him cichlid sticks and pellets and shrimp pellets and even some slug/snails I dug up this evening. He is a white one with orange/red markings.  Also is a 55-gallon tank big enough??  I hope so.  I don't know anything much about Oscars.
Sincerely,
Debbie

Answer
Hi Debbie;

Poor guy. I'm so glad you could help him out.

It's pretty normal for a fish that size to be stressed and in shock for a several days after being moved. Make sure the water temperature is 74 to 76f. The tank is new too so it has to go through the break-in period and that can be very hard on him. Be sure to remove all the food he hasn't eaten. Toxins will be rising from New Tank Syndrome and will only be worse with rotting food still in there. Monitor the levels of ammonia, nitrite and nitrate so you will know when to make water changes to keep these toxins low enough for him to tolerate. Replace 25% as needed, even daily isn't too much to keep him safe. Here is a link to my article on new tanks to help you know more about what's going on in there;

http://www.xanga.com/Expert_Fish_Help

A 55 gallon is the minimum size he can be kept in. Oscars get to be 12 inches or so long so if he is about that size he probably won't get any bigger but be sure he isn't too cramped. His body length should be no longer that the ends of the tank. He should be able to position himself with his tail toward the back of the tank and his mouth toward the front (or vice versa) without touching the glass with either end of him.

Since he survived in such horrible conditions before, I see no reason why he shouldn't soon be eating in a new cleaner tank. He's just trying to get to know you and his new home. Here are some oscar sites and pages to help you know more about him;

http://www.oscette.com/
http://www.solodvds.com/oscar-fish/oscar_fish.htm
http://www.aquariacentral.com/articles/oscar1.shtml

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins