FishProfiles.com Message Forums

I am fairly new to fish keeping. I have a question about my Oscar. I have read in various materials about oscars getting constipated. Can anyone tell me what the symptoms are of this and how to treat it? I just noticed today that my oscar has some weird looking stuff coming out of him. It is very short in lengh and very fat, it is kind a medium to dark browm in color. I have just had him for about 3 days now. When I bought him the LFS was out of the oscar pellets and they told me they had been feeding them the tropical flakes along with blood worms so I have been doing the same thing. I plan on feeding him pellets as soon as they are available.
Can anyone tell me if I am doing something wrong?
Also what is the best diet for oscar?
Thanks in advance for any help and advice you can give me.
Brandi

That hes actually passing anything at all means it cannot be constipation. Some fish that are unused to bloodworm will pass very dark and reddish or brownish poo. Its the haemaglobin in the bloodworm that causes it.Its not really a major worry, but you should make efforts to have the diet as varied as possible, this will improve his immune system and digestion.

Oscars can be tricky, they are vulnerable to protozoan infections, and they require good water qualities and warm temperatures. Give us as much information about the tank and water quality as you can , and we can help you iron out the potential problems with his care.