Does anyone have toys...

[grass nerd]

in the tank for the fish to play with?

Our Oscar really likes to play with a floating ping pong ball and swim in the bubbles from the bubble wand.

 

[jrp1588]

My fish love the bubble wand, but I don't think mine are smart enough to play with a toy, much less big enough.

 

[greenmaji]

Oscar's seem to be abnomaly intellegent fish.. Alot of large cichlids seem to be..

 

[grass nerd]

Could have fooled me... It swims into the filter, heater, or anything else it seems... Maybe ours can't make up it's mind whether to be intelligent or clumsy.

 

[DeFeKt]

indeed. My oscars get stroppy if i don't pay them attention everyday after work.
The ping pong ball idea sounds good, coz they smashed the thermometre by knocking it off the wall and knocking it around the tank.
i've also heard of oscars having marbles in the tank, and the fish has perfectly lined 5 or 6 marbles up in a row across the bottom of the tank.
i've also heard of oscars being able to relate things like colours and shapes to things like feeding time and rewards.. much like training a dog..
I think i read these on AA actually.
after all, they do call them the dogs of the underwater world.

 

[grass nerd]

I think I might just try the marble thing...

It is scared to death of it's reflection though, is that a typical Oscar thing as well, or fish in general?

 

[greenmaji]

They can get bored or upset pretty easy, there not exactly clumsy(most likely irritated).

 

[DeFeKt]

Could have fooled me... It swims into the filter, heater, or anything else it seems...

Can I ask what size tank you have?
Sounds like it needs more room.
But they have been known to attack heaters and such.
as for it being scared of its reflection, dunno, never heard of it.
My oscar the grouch is fearless. well it seems so.
I'm also sure that he broke the thermometer due to my lack of attention when we moved house.
Also what i've noticed, again like dogs, that they are very 1 owner orientated and will without a doubt, IME, shun strangers and hide when someone they don't know is around. Even my partner who they see everyday is not a personal favourate of theirs.
just out of interests sake, what kind of oscar do you have? Got any pics?
I love them, by far my favourate cichlid.

 

[Blazeherd2306]

The profile says its in a 55 gal and one is in a 10 gal. One oscar alone needs at least a 24" wide tank because they can get up to 18" long.

HTH

 

[grass nerd]

It's actually my roomates. It's black and red in a 55 gal and an albino in a 10 gal. I'll get some pics.

I don't know much about cichlids, so I can't answer your question about what kind they are.

We're both poor college kids, so the 55 gal was the best we could do (actually a garage sale buy). If we could get our hands on anything bigger we'd do it in a heartbeat, just the resources are short at the moment.