Why do Oscar fish dig the gravel in my fish tank?
by Aquaboy on Friday, April 16th, 2010 | 6 Comments
They put the gravel in their mouths and spit it out in a corner, they’re making holes. They also move about the ornaments, etc. Why is this?
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Oscar fish are a very aggressive type of fish. I also had this same type of fish and they would also do the same thing. The only explanation for this is their aggressive behavior. Mine lived for 12 years before dying. Once they get big enough you can by the feeder Goldfish at the store and they will eat those. It is around 8-12 cents a fish and it is lots of fun to watch them chow down enjoy!
mine do the same thing it is very annoying
Instincts; in the wild, oscars commonly forge around the bottom rooting around the gravel and uprooting plants in search for food like insect larva or freshwater shrimp.
It is what many large New World cichlids commonly do.
Oscars are in the ciclid family & most ciclids are an agressive fish. They will keep a tank stirred up, don’t really know why but…. If you want a pretty tank don’t get any type of ciclid unless it is a Kribensis, blue ram, clown ciclid. Those are the least agressive I am aware of in that family. Oscars prefer bigger rocks, bigger tanks & slate in tanks if you are planning on breeding. They will dig up all plant & light objects. Best bet is to go to the library & get a good freshwater fish book.
Ha…your not alone, happens like every day to me, i just put weights on the plants and ornaments, and keep the gravel level, i do this once a week, my Oscars do it everyday. Don’t be alarmed this is ussual activity fro Oscars.
2N!$H
It’s a nesting instinct. They are basically ‘clearing their territory’ by moving the ornaments and plants, and digging out the substrate. This is common among many types of cichlids and very natural, so if you find it ‘annoying’ they wouldn’t be the right fish for you. When we keep in mind their territories in the wild are larger then our entire tanks, it’s no wonder they’re always rearranging them!