Why is my oscar fish laying at the bottom of my tank?
by Aquaboy on Tuesday, June 15th, 2010 | 5 Comments
I have a ten gallon tank and I have three fish…an oscar, a plecostamas, and an algae eater. I bought them all about a month ago and they have been doing fine. I woke up today and was feeding them but my oscar wouldn’t get up and just kept laying on the gravel behind a rock. I nudged him with my net, but it just keeps laying there. my oscar is the biggest fish in the tank and it is 2 inches long. please help me.
I haven’t washed the tank since i bought them and i don’t think size is an issue as of now since it is still small. If i need to wash please tell me how. thanks
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your tank isnt big enough for 3 fish and a oscar. Oscars get HUGE
I think it’s laying eggs. I heard they like to do a dress rehearsal before they actually lay the eggs. That’s probably why it’s on the gravel. Good luck!
Have you checked the water temp? But ya Oscars do get huge. My father had a 50 gal tank and 2 oscars, they grew to about 6 inches long from head to tail and top to bottom fins, one even eventually ate the other.. but check the water temp, could have something to do with it
it is not a large enough tank for an oscar, they grow massive. youn need to get another tank. are you doing weekly water changes? how much food are you giving them? its proboly very stressed.
None of those fish can be kept alive for long in a 10-gallon tank. That is the root of your problems.
An Oscar or a pleco needs at least a 75-gallon tank for one fish, and the algae eater (if it’s a Chinese Algae Eater) needs at least a 55-gallon tank.
Right now, though, I suspect the ammonia in the tank has built up to toxic levels. I would do a 90% water change immediately. If you have a product that detoxifies ammonia, like AmQuel, Prime, or Ammo-Lock, add some of that, too. If your Oscar isn’t dead yet, it may perk up. If it’s too late for the Oscar, you might at least save the other fish.