Oscar losing Color

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nate_lockhart

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Dec 28, 2003
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Okay, so I bought a brilliantly colored oscar two days ago. When I first got him, he behaved very funny (IMO). He went straight to a corner and laid on the bottom. I thought he was a goner. However, yesterday, he seemed a little more active, so maybe that was just stress. Is laying on the bottom normal for these guys? I haven't read anything about it anywhere.

Also, he seems to be less colorful than when I bought him. He was black with a brilliant orange speckled through him. I can't be sure because I've only had him two days, but I could swear that he lost some of his orange coloring yesterday. It's like it rubbed off or something and just left a dull white color. Is it possible for my oscar to be losing his colors like this, or is it just my imagination? If it is possible, what can I do to fix it? I know Oscars change colors, but it isn't happening to the whole body, just above the lateral line (so far). I don't know exact numbers on ammonia and nitrites because my test kit only shows a color range, but they were both at their lowest levels.

Also, he seems to have no interest in eating. I have tried krill, shrimp pellets, floating cichlid pellets.
 
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Well, I can't give you an accurate explanation why your Oscar is losing colour, but I can tell you why your Oscar is acting this way.

Oscars seem to be one of the few freshwater fish kept as pets that have a discernable personality. They are highly intelligent and very fun to keep as pets, but they can be spoiled brats sometimes because they seem to have genuine emotions.

Basically, your Oscar was taken out of his environment at the LFS, or wherever you got him, and put into a place he's not familiar with. And so he's depressed about it. When I got my Oscars, they lay on the bottom of the tank for about a week and wouldn't eat at all. Sometimes, they would half-heartedly swim around a bit, but didn't seem to have much energy. I was worried, as you are, that they may be sick or dying, but I spoke to a bunch of people online who told me that Oscars usually sulk for a little while when their environment changes dramatically.

After about a week, my Oscars were swimming around a bit more and eating a little, and within two weeks, they were the playful, ravenous bullies that we all know and love!

So, my advice to you is to just don't feed him and leave him be for a two or three more days. Then try feeding him a bit. Keeping doing that, and I promise he'll have more energy in no time!
 
Fish can change their colour depending on mood. My flying foxes often turn white at night and when the lights come on so does the colour. I would guess the stress of a new situation has led to his current behaviour and giving him a few days to get used to things will really help. Keeping the lights off for the first day or so also helps get new fish acclimated.

Speaking of which how was he acclimated to the tank? Were the water params between the fish sotre and this tank very different? If so this could also have led to his stress.
 
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