strange oscar behavior

Question
My Oscar is acting really weird! He hides all the time and acts like he is scared of everything! He is alone in the tank except my pleco( and a goldfish he wont eat)! He is to the point where he won't eat goldfish at all! I have had him for a year (I know he is a year old because I got him when he was 2" long)and is now 8" long. He isn't laying eggs so I am kinda sure he's a male! He started acting this way when my electricity went off for about 15 min (and came back on)and he's been acting this way ever since! Can tank heaters cause electrical surges in the water? Do you have any suggestions on what to do to bring him out of it and back to the fun,curious and lovable Oscar that he is?

Answer
Hi Judy,
  I doubt if the power outage is related.  Have you been doing your regular weekly water changes?  If not, the ammonia and nitrates building up in the tank will make a fish nervous.  You absolutely need to change 25% of the water in his tank, once a week, EVERY week, to keep him healthy. Oscars are very sensitive to a buildup of ammonia and/or nitrates in their water.

-- Ron
  rcoleman@cichlidresearch.com
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