CichlidFish.com - Fish That Think.

my oscars seem to be getting territorial. Which i think is normal. they seem to be getting along well with eachother but if anyone other than me goes even near the glass they shoot out from under there rock and look like there headbutting the glass. MY sister for some reason, tried to move a plant on the far side of there tank yesturday and one of them bit her finger up to the knuckle. They dont try to bite me at all though, probably because i feed them(thats the only reason i can think of anyway)Is that normal or are my oscars a little over aggressive?

I was also thinking that maybe i should separate them before they decide to go after eachother. I have heard of that happening. If they hurt or killed eachother i would feel horrible. What do you think the odds are they they will. do they get more aggressive as they get older or do they calm down, or does it depend on the fish? right know they are about 4 inches long. Im not really shure how old that makes them. But if you do i would like to know that to.

thankyou for any answers you could give me.

Your problem is not an uncommon one several others have problems with Oscars and territory. I know first hand, my Oscar would try to bite me every chance he got (water changes, feedings etc.) They do get very territorial and this means not even your hand is welcome in the tank. So basically just watch who puts their hands in the tank.

As for the aggression towards the other Oscar it will depend on a few things.
First is of course your tank size. If the tank is to small for two adult Oscars to claim some land, then there will be fights. Unless you have a pair, generally they will share a territory to an extent.
That brings me to the second thing, if you have two male or two females there will more then likely be aggression. Males are very aggressive towards other males in their territory. Females can be as well.
Last is this, you might just have mean fish. All fish are different, some mean some sweet. It's a crap shoot when your dealing with only two fish. If you have a nasty fish in with a passive fish the shy passive fish will suffer alot of abuse.

Well I hope that helps you a little. Keep us posted on the progress. Tell your sister to put her hand back in the tank and see if your Oscar will kiss it better.

HOw did you get your Oscar to quit biting at you?? How do you tame them?? I just got a 4" oscar, he ispretty aggressive, he has bitten me already and I have only had him for 2 days!! HOW CAN I TAME HIM??

My oscars are scared of my hand when i have to go in the tank to fix something they swim the other way.

The fish will either quit bitting as they get used to you if you have had them for a short time or you will realize that this is just how they are and learn watch them when you place hands in tank and stay out of their way. They all have different attitudes. I have a 13 1/2 inch monster who doesn't care if my hand is in his tank he is not afraid of it nor does he bite. But good luck to you guys.

Oscars are aggressive naturally do not put any new fish in the tank my Oscar right now is pretty friendly he greets me when he is hungry which seems to be all the time every once in a while he will chase my pleco away but it is normal