Anybody keep oscars?

[wilson]

If anyone would like to share their experiences with them, I am really intersted in them. so if you would like to sahre your experience with them and any pictures it would help me. i dont know if my mom will let me get a 55gallon tank to keep one in, but i still want to ask(if i cant get a 55 gallon for one im not going to attempt to keep one).

 

[oscarbreeder]

Wilson,
Oscars are wonderful fish.
They have a personality unlike any other fish, almost like a dog.
A 55 gallon tank is the minimum size for one Oscar.
A 75 will be more comfortable for it tho.
Oscars are VERY messy fish and you need alot of filtration that will turn over the water 10 times an hour.
You need to feed them a varied diet of pellets, frozen food and vitamins to prevent hole in the head.
Stay away from feeder fish like goldfish unless you breed them yourself.
I have kept and bread Oscars for years and would be more then happy to answer any questions you may have.
I will try to post pics of my 3 in my galliry for you to see.
Hope your mom lets you get one they are awsome fish.
Good luck.

 

[wilson]

well i have learned a lot of stuff, been doing some research. i think i am going to go with a 55g, a ac 500 and maybe one smaller one, 2 150 watt heaters, and then substrate, and fake plants. hikari pellets maybe too. i dont think i am going to ask my mom in the mean time because she just let me get my nano reef, but i want to do a lot of research so that way i will be well prepared for it.

 

[oscarbreeder]

Thats the best way to do it wilson.
Do your research first.
Also try OSI pellets.
They are very nutritional.
HTH

 

[wilson]

ok thanks. This might sound weird but even if i cant get the fish i still like to read and learn about them lo.l.

 

[rallycat]

I just started a 10-gal with two babies I picked up from Wally world. One's albino and the other's a normal-colored rainbow. Like oscarbreeder said, they have fantastic personalities, very very smart. My albino watches me for the good majority of the day if I'm up and about. They'll definetly let you know when anything's amiss in your tank.
I had a question too, what's the best way to prevent hole-in-the-head? I have some tetracycline tabs, but I'm afraid my rainbow's started developing something. :?

 

[wilson]

from what i have read, two oscars need a 75 gallon tank, so you may want to look into that. but maybe you already knew that, just sharing my findings.

 

[oscarbreeder]

The best way to prevent hole in the head is to feed a balanced diet.

To cure it add 1tbs of aquarium salt per 10 gal. of water.
Do 20-30% water change every 3 days.
Raise temp to 80.
Remove carbon.
Treat with Metronidazole.
Hope this helps.

Wilson is right you need a much bigger tank for two Oscars.
They may be cute and small now but it wont last more then a month or two and they will be huge.

The waste they produce will foul your tank water in no time.
Ammonia will rise and kill you fish.

Two Oscars should be kept in a 90gal. tank.

If you have any more questions feel free to ask and I'll see if I can help.

 

[patryuji]

sorry to "hijack" but I was wondering if Oscars should be moved from tank to tank as they grow larger. Should they begin in a 30gallon tank for the first few months and then moved to a 55gallon tank and finally a 90 gallon tank or is it best to put them in the 90 gallon tank from the beginning?

Just wondering since I remember reading that the shy Discus tend to do better when their surroundings grow with them (from people posting here in various Discus related threads). Then again I suppose shyness and Oscars are mutually exclusive terms...

 

[Cichlidguy]

No, a 90g initially would be better.

 

[Andydg]

I have an Oscar. He's probably not the best fish for me, but my dad is the one that takes care of him, not that I don't like him though, he's really cool. I just like a tank to have more than one fish. I wish he'd let a larger pleco be in the tank...but no!!! He is very territorial...eats any animal small enough to fit in his mouth, and kills any fish that has ever set fin in his tank, including my 17" pleco that I had had for almost 13 years (I'll never forgive my dad for that).