Oscar tank substrate and mates

[jcogliano]

I'm moving my oscar, Reggie, to a bigger tank. I would like to use sand as a substrate because I heard they take it in their mouths and spit it out their gills to clean them, but I also heard it can cause intestinal problems. Will the sand do any damage to my Rena Filstar? Will I be able to syphon vacuum or is sand so fine it will get sucked up? What's a guy to do? Also what type of fish is big and tough enough to survive Reggie, but not so aggresive as to nip at him. I heard Jack Dempseys are good mates for oscars. Any other cichlids, that will do well in FW?

Last thing, I think Reggie has worms. How can I treat them.

It's my first post, so sorry for any etiquette violations.

 

[BrianNY]

Hi j and welcome to AA . I've neer used sand as a substrate so I'll let someone else answer that question.

As far as tankmates for an oscar, alot has to do with the size of your tank. Jack Dempseys aren't the best choice because they can be overly aggressive and even a larger oscar has no defense against one.

Finally, what makes you think Reggie has worms? What are his symptoms?

 

[Cafe Jeff]

How big is the Oscar?
A JD could result in war, or could be a stunning combo.
I know Red Devils are aptly named, but I kept one with an Oscar for years and really came to love lumpyhead. Jeff
One of two BIG plecs are also in order. Not to worry though, even the little ones soon get that way. Oscars are messy enough as is and the Plecs are good at eating the missed bits.

 

[Voodoo Chilli]

I always use sand as a substrate in my tanks and have never had any troubles. The only major concern regarding sand and your filter is whether or not the intake is close enough to draw sand into the filter. You're generally going to be fine as long as there's at least a couple of inches clearance between the two. Sand is very simple to clean: the detritus will sit ON the sand, so you just hold the siphon near the bottom of the tank and it gets sucked away.

I'd be more concerned with making sure you have room for another fish before deciding what kind. You don't say how large Reggie is or what size tank you're moving him to but a full grown oscar can reach 14 inches and need 55-75 gallons for himself! 8O

 

[Menagerie]

[center:0d7c3b2a4a] Welcome to AA, jcogliano!! [/center:0d7c3b2a4a]

Your tank size is definitely needed before we can make any suggestions.

I agree with Voodoo Chilli about the sand. I have it in 3 tanks (soon to be 4 tanks) and it works great. My cichlids love it.

 

[jcogliano]

Thank you so much for such quick responses, everyone. I'm pretty sure Reggie has worms. He possibly has 2 types. The only symptom is that I can see wormy things. The first type appears floating around in the water when he eats. They are white fuzzy looking strings, thinner than a piece of thread, about one eighth inch long. I think they may be attached to his gills because they seem to get knocked off by the masses of food that pour from Reg's gills when he eats (I figured sand would help do this too). At first I thought they might be food particles but under close observation they seem to wriggle. I've yet to take them to my lab to check them under the microscope (I'm a bio student). The second type I'm not sure is a worm, but I noticed it first. It looks almost like a little barb by the base of his tail. Maybe a worm, maybe a misformed scale? Maybe an adult, and the floaty ones are larvae? I've treated with coppersafe for over a month with no success . I don't use carbon, but will tap water conditioner break down the coppersafe? Sorry for the lengthy message.
Thank you so much,
Jamie

 

[jcogliano]

To answer the question about the size of Reggie (the oscar) and his tank, Reggie is now no more than 3 inches, tip to tip. I'm putting him in a 55 gal that my professor gave me. I figure it will hold him for a few months until I inevitably break down and spring for my first 100 gal. I figured if I introduced a Jack Dempsey when both fish are very young they may get along. (As a little kid I had a red-eared slider that made friends with a feeder gold fish. He'd eat every other fish that we put in but always spared that one. They lived together for years.) Also he's big enough now to eat the 2 ottocinclus (spelling?) in the tank but doesn't seem interested. Should I not keep them with the oscar in case he gets curious, they have pretty nasty cheek spines. Thanks everybody!
Jamie

 

[BrianNY]

Well Jamie, I can't be sure but it sounds like your tank is infested with simple nematodes. These are harmless to fish and sometimes find there way into a tank from shrimp pellets or like foods.

If Reggie had gill flukes his breathing would be extremely labored. I would discontinue all meds and begin doing daily water changes and gravel vacs. Say 20-25% until the problem clears up.

 

[jcogliano]

Thank you for your help, I'll give it a try.

 

[Menagerie]

Scoop those buggers up and get them into the lab!! What are you waiting for?? Not everyone has access to that kind of equipment. You will quickly be able to tell if they are nematodes or not. If your scope has a camera attached, snap a pic and post it. Google for nematode images and you will have something to compare your sample to

 

[Voodoo Chilli]

I'd pull the otos from Reggie's tank: it's only a matter of time before he tries to make a meal of them.

One hundred gallons would provide you the opportunity to include additional fish but I'd skip the idea of adding another turtle. You'd need enough filtration to turn the tank into a whirlpool to keep up with the mess an adult oscar and a RES would make! What other types of fish are you interested in?

 

[oscarbreeder]

WOW!
Wish we all had access to a lab...LOL.

Glad to see you will be getting a 100gal tank for your Oscar.
He will enjoy all the room and will be happy.

I use sand in my Oscar tank and it saves time on cleaning IMO.
You dont have to dig the gravel vac down into the gravel.
Just skim it along the top of the sand.
You may want to put a sponge over the intake tube on your filter to keep the sand out.

The best tank mate for an Oscar is another Oscar of the same size...IMO.
A Jack Dempsey will work but it's risky.

 

[jcogliano]

I don't have my turtle anymore that was when I was little. Just mentioned it as an anecdote. Oscarbreeder, I would get another oscar as a tankmate, but I have heard that keeping a single oscar makes for a friendlier pet. Is there any truth to that? If so I plan to get him a non-oscar friend just so he's not lonely, but if not then I'd love to get another oscar. What's the best way to introduce one? Should I get several and wait for them to pair off and then bring back to my lfs all but the two that get along best, or should I just stick one in and hope it works out? How long does it take for them to pair off? I guess I'm most concerned with how it effects Reggie's darling personality after all that's why I love oscars.

 

[oscarbreeder]

Well, you can get a group of say six and wait for them to pair off or you can find out if you have a male or female and buy the other sex the same size and go from there.

Personally I have done both and both have worked out.

There is nothing wrong with keeping several Oscars together.
I have four in my 180 gallon tank and they all get along great.
Just make sure If you just get one that he/she is the same size as the one you have now so a smaller one wont get picked on.

Sorry it took me so long to get back to you as I didnt see this post.

Let me know if I can help you any more.

 

[nick_schembri]

I have seen nematodes under a microscope at the bio lab and they need to be stained for particular structures or all you will see is a blob of white. This depends on the species but staining will make viewing easier. I think we used Safranin to stain them.

 

[jcogliano]

Do you remember what you fixed them with?