New Oscar Hiding

Hello everyone. I'm new to Oscar fish, and pretty new to fish keeping in general. I have a 40 gallon breeder that is cycled; 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites, 5ppm nitrates. I now know that it will eventually be too small, and I will be getting at least a 120. I brought home a small Oscar about a week ago and it still hides anytime I go near the tank. It does still eat as long as I'm away. How long does it take for them to act normally? Everything I see online says a couple days to a week. Should I be concerned?

 

I wouldn’t be concerned as long as the Oscar is eating and appears healthy.

 

Hello.Welcome to Fishlore. I have an Oscar. When I first got him he was shy and skittish. Give him a few days and he should be fine.

 

If he is alone in the tank another Oscar or just another tank mate should help stop the shyness.

 

Some fish do this, but I bet he/she will get used to you. A big contributor to this shyness is how high your aquarium is compared to your height. For example, if you have a really short stand, it makes you tower over the tank.

 

Thanks for the responses. I guess I'll keep waiting. I just wish I had a tank with lots of personality instead of looking empty all the time.

 

While I don't own one myself, research indicates that oscars are sulky little things, especially when nervous or angry. This is probably just the oscar expressing its emotions. This should subside after a while, given you take good care of it

 

It's come around a lot. It still doesn't like the lights on a whole lot, but it's growing fast and seems happy.

 

Mine took about a month to realize when I go up to the tank it means feeding time. He loves me now and follows my finger on the glass. Give him some time he will come around.