A few people cautioned me either of my Oscars may explode! This was due to their size, both are 8” long. They said the internal organs are continuing to grow whereas the skin is not. I’ve heard this fish keeper’s myth before, mostly in regards to goldfish. I searched for a basis for it and found nothing. But dang! I’m keeping the lids securely closed on the tanks. Cleaning fish guts off the ceiling would be a real bummer.
If Oscars explode when they grow to 8 inches, I'm gonna buy a heap of them and put them against the government buildings (that's a joke for those of the sensitive persuasion).
Now to get them to explode, do we stick a fuse up their butt or do we give them a mobile phone and just call them?
How big a bang do they make?
Do 6 inch Oscars make a smaller explosion than 8 inch Oscars?
Can we use 2 inch Oscars to blow doors off hinges?
I know why they explode, it's the nitrates in the water. The fish absorb the nitrates and create their own potassium, then boom. That's why they get hole in the head disease, high nitrates in the water and their system mixing with potassium to cause small explosions in their head.
Sorry, I could go on like this for hours.
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The next time someone says the fish's guts keep growing but their body doesn't, ask them why?
Why would their guts (organs) keep growing while the rest of the fish remains the same size?
It's kind of illogical and doesn't make sense. I mean, peoples guts don't get bigger while their body stays the same size. Well some do, but I am talking about organs getting larger on a normal healthy person, not someone with a Santa belly who is suffering from hepatitis, diabetes and obesity.
Fish stunt in small volumes of water but it's a natural condition for them. They slow or stop their growth when conditions aren't good and water is in short supply so they don't outgrow the environment. When they are put into larger environments, they start growing again. It happens in waterways that dry up or shrink in volume. The fish that are trapped there stop growing and go into survival mode and hope for the best. If their pool of water doesn't dry up completely and they don't get eaten by birds or animals, then they can continue living when the rain comes and the pools turn back into lakes and rivers.
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Mum, Mum, the Oscar exploded again.
Oh Dear, not again. Oh well, time to clean up the mess and get another aquarium.
You tell your Father to get a small Oscar this time because I am sick of them blowing up.