Hello again My 3.5" lutino oscar has an effective but alarming technique when it comes to dislodging poop that is on the large and stubborn side. At first I thought he was flashing and thought the worst until I saw he was simply using the decor to knock the "clinger" off and then goes back to normal. In the 1 1/2 months I've had him I've only seen him do this 3 times and each time it was to knock a piece of poop free that was being stubborn. Is this just another of many strange things oscars can do? Or is it something I should worry about?

I netted some of the poop and it looks normal; brown textured, not stringy and no parasites visible to my eye. He is active and a pig when it comes to eating and seems to be growing fast since he was only about 2" when I got him. His color is vibrant. My water parameters are; 7.6 ph, 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, and less than 5 ppm nitrates, 50% weekly water changes, gravel vac every other week and running with a Rena Filstar XP3 in a 55g tank. He has the tank to himself except for 2 blue mystery snails that may not stand up to his assaults for much longer lol.

Sounds like he was just using the decor as toilet paper to me lol

I wouldn't worry about it as long as it's not abnormal looking or anything.

hi there


1. wow! pretty intelligent little o you have there.
2. yes, we can never imagine what our beloved oscars are capable of.
3. till we see it with our eyes.

gross but that is def a smart O

I'm a worry wort! Thanks for the replies guys!

Haha its like he`s learnt how to use `tools` to make life easier!

If there are no signs of illness, I'd guess it's just a neat habit he picked up. Sounds like a very smart fish.

Mine does the same thing & he is healthy & eats well.