new oscar-help

you really need the nitrite test asap, and use it and the ammonia at least daily.

have you got plenty of cover in there for him - sulky little beggar probably would appreciate somewhere to go off and sit in a huff for a while
 
oh i see, kinda like a shrimp but a lil different. how about frozen cooked (or uncooked?) shrimp from a grocery store? could i thaw them out n drop them in? break them into smaller pieces?
 
the nitrite test asap? will do. thought it could wait a week since tanks usually atleast take a week for the nitrites to appear/rise. i dont have any caves or anything like that in there because of the size of the tank, but i have a good sized plant pot that i will rinse and put in there now. and i plan on testing daily. i have a water parameter notebook set up with times to test and space to record the results. do you think i should do a 10% water change every day and a 25-30% once a week, or should i do it every other day with a larger amount? i planned on the 10 once a day, but now that i see how easily disagreeable he is, dno if thats the best route to take.
also thinking about making a tank with wood so i can have it bigger for him for less. this would also provide him with more cover. i could get the wood monday and start constructing it with my dad and get the rest of the supplies that week. the tank could be done in about 2 n a half weeks, have a lot of floor space, and be cheaper than a regular tank of the same size. idk though
 
You could buy frozen salad shrimp for him, they are small enough. If you thaw them out and toss them in I'm sure he'll love them. Frozen mysis shrimp and frozen bloodworms are another good option, but I wouldn't feed this stuff every day as a staple, more as a once a week treat or something. Get a decent cichlid pellet (not an african cichlid pellet - these are mostly spirulina) for your dailly staple food.

As fas as building plywood tanks, its not too hard and gets pretty cheap once you get into larger sized tanks or custom shapes. Here's the build thread for the one I did for one of my turtles.

http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=108365&highlight=plywood
 
Yeah like everyone here has said you just got a reallt pouty fish, when I first got my Tiger Oscar I hovered over the tank for a week because she barely ate and laid on the of the bottom of my quarentine tank on her side, but all is better just be prepared for this to happen when you switch his tanks to, they get real upset and lay on their side when you change their surroundings that they have gotten comfortable with
 
my two oscars get pouty any time there's even someone new in the house.. ask sploke. they got so mad at me for bringing him in that one of them acted DEAD.
 
Haha yeah, my first time in Jdub's house and there's a dead fish floating on the bottom of his tank. Wow, sweet tank man. No, the oscar was fine, I just wasn't on the approved guest list.
 
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