For aquarium lovers, oscar fish are always a must-have because of how intelligent they are. Still, some people worry about introducing them to their other fish because they are known for having teeth and the potential to be aggressive. We’re here to tell you all about oscar fish, their teeth and if they are aggressive or not. Keep reading to find out more about this particular type of fish.
The oscar fish is one type of fish species that do have teeth. Nevertheless, don’t stress, they won’t be the kind of sharp teeth that you might see in a horror movie about piranhas or sharks; they are much less harmful than you may think. Some could even say quite loving. Questionable, certainly.
Do Oscar Fish Bite You?
Whether an oscar fish will bite you or not ultimately depends on each individual fish and their temperament. If your fish has not been approached by human hands before, there is the possibility that it might feel threatened and in defence use their teeth.
They only do this to protect themselves. I mean would you really like someone shoving their hands in your face yourself? I highly doubt it.
Are Oscar Fish Teeth Sharp?
Although oscar fish do have teeth, they are very minuscule teeth. They are sharp enough to be able to tear and chew their food, but it isn’t likey that they would cause a lot of damage to human skin.
Depending on how hard they munch on your hand, they might break the skin and leave a slight scar, but this doesn’t commonly occur.
Does A Bite From An Oscar Fish Hurt?
Most bites from animals which have teeth do hurt to an extent. Oscar fish, unfortunately, is not avoided with this.
Oscar fishes teeth are designed for tearing and chewing their food, which does mean that to an extent they could possibly harm the skin on a hand. However, they are suction feeders, which means their jaws are not strong enough to deliver a hugely powerful bite.
The likeless is, is that a bite from your oscar fish will still hurt. I mean even a papercut hurts me, so a bite is probably going to do a worse job.
If you want to avoid the risk of your oscar fish from bitting you, it would be best to keep your fingers away. This can be somewhat hard, especially whilst cleaning their tank.
Can an Oscar Fish Bite Your Finger Off?
I mean your oscar fish might try if you are prodding your finger in the water. Maybe they think that you’re feeding them a nice tasty snack.
But, in all seriousness, the reality is, that it is improbable that your oscar fish will be able to bite your finger off. That’s somewhat optimistic that you have a very savage fish for sure. Maybe it is a piranha in disguise! Their teeth are strong enough to break through the skin but biting through the bone is less likely for sure. Oscar fish can, however, cause a nasty cut if they bite into your finger hard enough.
Even though it is doubtful, we would, however, definitely not recommend having little children’s fingers and hands hovering around in the tank’s water. Let’s avoid the spread of tears in case your oscar fish decides to have a quick nibble.
Are Oscar Fish Aggressive?
Oscar fish are known to be one of the aggressive types of fish in comparison to other fish. Despite this, many oscar fish owners praise them for their lovable side towards humans. Many oscar fish love to be stroked. They often seek comfort from their owners. Unfortunately, some oscar fish can become depressed and unhappy if they have no interaction with their human companion.
There are signs which you can spot if your oscar fish might uncomfortable, these most usually include opening their mouths widely and enlarging their gills. By your oscar fish doing this as a reaction, it can appear to make their heads look much larger than they actually are. If you notice any of these signs, we recommend that you take caution with your hands because it is almost certain that your oscar fish is not a happy chappy and might want a nibble on your fingers.
Oscar fish tend to be aggressive towards other fish, even their own kind. Sometimes oscar fish will even kill them. Unfortunately, they are very territorial; however, the risk of this can be minimised if you have a larger aquarium for them to live in. We would recommend having a minimum size which takes at least 55 gallons of water. The more fish you have, the larger it should be. It is best to avoid having very little fish because you might wake up one morning not being able to find them. Oscar fish tend to eat any fish that fits inside their mouth.
How Can You Stop Oscar Fish From Being Aggressive?
There are a few ways which you can prevent oscar fish from being aggressive towards both you, the owner and the other fish in your tank.
We think that the best way to stop any aggression from occurring, is to purchase your oscar fish whilst they are young and to introduce them into your tank straight away, they will learn to accept the other fish and grow among them.
Another way to avoid aggression even if you have purchased an adult oscar fish is by having a large tank, big enough that they will create their own territory within the tank.
The risk is yours to take
At the end of the day, the risk is yours to take. If you have other fish in your aquarium and you are concerned about the potential temperament of an oscar fish, it might be wiser to avoid the worry altogether. But there are ways to prevent aggression from occurring so if you are an oscar fish lover and are interested in purchasing one, we recommend following our advice.
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