Oscar Growth

[josh7]

Ok so I have had my Oscar for about 1.5 years now and it's only about 8.5 inches. Is it because its female? Poor genetics? Just a slow grower? It gets plenty of food and the tank has great water quality.

 

[CichlidLady0312]

Ok so I have had my Oscar for about 1.5 years now and it's only about 8.5 inches. Is it because its female? Poor genetics? Just a slow grower? It gets plenty of food and the tank has great water quality.

How big is the tank?

 

[Jmunroe]

What size tank? Tankmates? What exactly have you been feeding? How often and how much water do you change? And lastly.. How do you know water quality is good? What test kit do you use and what are your ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate readings? Could be genetics, 8.5 at a year and a half is a little small.

 

[josh7]

It's a 75 gallon I know the water quality a good because I use the API test kit the most nitrates it has ever had in the tank is 30 ppm. 0 ppm nitrite and 0-.25 because my tap water has a trace of ammonia. I do 50-60 percent weekly water changes.

Here's the diet I feed 4 days of the week I feed high quality omega cichlid pellets 2 days I either feed a frozen brine shrimp cube or live ghost shrimp.

The tankmates are 1 convict cichlid and 1 Featherfin catfish.

 

[Jmunroe]

Everything looks good so it must just be how that oscar is made up. Did you have it since very small? And did you always watch the water quality? Maybe at some point it was exposed to bad water long enough to stunt it a bit. In a 75 gallon with one oscar you ordinarily wouldn't want tankmates due to the bioload but where yours is only 8.5 inches might not be so bad. Is your API kit not expired, shaking the heck outta bottle 2 of nitrates kit, doing the test exactly as instructed? Keeping the nitrates low with only a 50-60% water change a week with your setup seems a little off. When nitrates hit 20 ppm you want to do 50% water change for best growth and health. Check your test kit and procedure just to make sure it's not giving you a false low reading.

 

[josh7]

I have do e everything you just stated I promise I'm very anal about water quality and the Oscar has not been exposed to bad water I have had it since it was 3 inches.

 

[Jmunroe]

Sounds like he's just a runt then. It will continue to grow slow but won't get too big.

 

[josh7]

That's fine it makes my life easier in a 75 gallon. He will max out at what like 9.5 or 10?

 

[Jmunroe]

Yeah 9.5 or 10 is what I'm thinking too

 

[josh7]

Sounds good enough to me thanks for all the replys.

 

[TheOscar]

It was prob genetics.. Since your keeping healthy conditions. size has nothing to do with male or female though. Oscars are monomorphic.

 

[josh7]

Oh ok it was just a thought. It's probably like you said genetics.

 

[HUKIT]

It's no different than any other species on the planet, some will be larger and some smaller. The likelihood that the fish will continue to grow is very remote, if he hasn't reached 9" by sexual maturity that's as big as he's going to get.

This pair was over 13"+.

This male never reached 10"

 

[Rivers2k]

Oh ok it was just a thought. It's probably like you said genetics.

Is that your oscar in your avatar? If so its a nice looking fish looks healthy. And as you said before will just make your life easier in a 75.

 

[josh7]

Yes that's my Oscar. It's fine of he or she doesn't get bigger I still like the fish they are extremely Intelligent and amazing.

 

[josh7]

Also hukit your oscars are amazing looking I hope I can get a 125 in the future and get a mating pair.

 

[josh7]

Sorry everyone but one more side question does this sound like a normal growth rate for a JD I have heard they grow slow. It's grown from 2 to 4 inches in 2.5 or 3 months.

 

[Rivers2k]

Sorry everyone but one more side question does this sound like a normal growth rate for a JD I have heard they grow slow. It's grown from 2 to 4 inches in 2.5 or 3 months.

That sounds about right to me. Mine grew about the same.

 

[josh7]

Alright thanks