is my new oscar happy?

Question
I just brought home my first fish ever and I want to make sure everything is ok with him.  First, I can't tell if he is excited or going through some anxiety...he will sometimes swim slowly and appear normal, then he will start swimming rapidly up and down and around.  Is he playing or trying to tell me something.  also my boyfriend thinks the filter should be bubbling more ( its inside with a carbon filter)...there is a slight ripple to the water and I can tell the motor is on, because it is humming quietly.  Is this ok?  my tank is 2.5 gallons, "Oscar" is about 2 inches long...I set-up the tank 24 hours before adding the fish and he has gravel, a rock and a few artifical plants.  He has eaten twice today and I will be checking the temp and PH level after this.....I hope this is enough info for you....please help.  thank you!  

Answer
Hi Dawn,
 I can't say whether he is "happy" -- that gets pretty deep into metaphysics, the meaning of life and all that, but it sounds like he is doing well.  

 The swimming up and down is perfectly fine and normal. Typically he is trying to say "pay attention to me" and "feed me".  Just as with many other animals and kids, etc. just because something says "feed me" doesn't mean that you should.  Twice a day is more than enough.  People often overfeed their fish and the fish become fat which is very bad for their tiny little heart.   

 Your filter sound fine. It doesn't need to be Niagara falls.

 You have something else though that you need to think about and quite seriously.  "Oscar" is a baby. He is two inches now.  In a year, he could easily be 8 inches or longer.  2.5 gallons isn't going to cut it for very long.

  On another note, it is absolutely essential that you change out about 25-40% of his water once a week, EVERY week.  If you miss a week once in a blue moon that is okay, but if you do water changes less than this, you are going to find that poor little oscar is going to rapidly get a bad case of hole in the head, and neither you, nor he, wants this.  

  On the bright side, you will quickly notice that oscar is a very bright little fellow and even after a few days, he will be able to recognize you as an individual person quite distinct from all other people.  That's pretty cool.

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