Tiger Oscar!

[snakemann87]

Well I just got back from the petstore after purchasing a beautiful Red Tiger Oscar. I will have pictures later. Right now hes a baby and he is being housed in a 10 gallon tank. But I just called and I'm awaiting the call back for a 55 gallon that was in the pennysaver for only 25!!! It also states no cracks, but we'll see.

On another note I have bad news, unfortunately, my Plecostomas passed last night. I called the store and they said to bring it, and a water sample in and they will test it. So I brought it in and it tested with a little bit of ammonia, BUT. I had'nt been told not to have the fish in the water, and I had to stop at the doctors before hand for my ear(I have an ear infection:( ). Well their was such a slight amount of ammonia that she said its possible that the fish in the water could have caused the reading(it was in for 2 hours).

Well I just got done cleaning out 25% of the water as suggested and my prized beauty has been sitting the the bag in the tank for 5 minutes, so ill give him another good half hour or so before opening up the bag. I will take some shots of him, his red looks like its powered by electricity its so bright!

[marisa]

haha! You have gotten yourself into quite the pickle!

haha just kidding but Oscars are a HUGE responsibility. My roomate thought it would be cute to buy a Red Tiger Oscar. Here we are a year later and soon enough a 125 gallon won't be big enough for him. His Oscar can literally knock the filter out of the tank, he has knocked part of the lid of before, swayed so much that about 25-30 percent of the water slashed out, and he eats more than my roomate himself! *L*

Enjoy your new whale! Here is my roomates when he was just a wee tyke:

<img src="http://members.rogers.com/mattl/oscar2.jpg">
<img src="http://members.rogers.com/mattl/oscar3.jpg">

They are indeed beautiful fish! Get some pics!

Marisa

[snakemann87]

ok he has just finished eating 3 minnows, and 5 mealworms! lol i have pics i just have to upload them

[corr]

LoL! Congrats Don... I hope you can keep up with him!

[marisa]

That's cool!

They also appreciate vegetables, and I believe a healthy diet includes them but I cant be sure how much of what. My roomates like snap peas, chopped collard greens/romaine lettuce, peices of green beans and squash, etc.

I am not sure about feeder fish. I think my roomate told my that oscars actually should not be fed feeder fish. I wonder if this is true?

Marisa

[snakemann87]

Im not sure, but I sure do know they are good exercise!!! These little things were SOOOO stinkin fast, it took him forever. I guess he learned that patients is the ket, cause he waited then struck!

[snakemann87]

Here are the pictures you asked for:

http://gallery.reptilerap.com/data/507/116oscar-med.JPG

http://gallery.reptilerap.com/data/507/116oscar2-med.JPG

http://gallery.reptilerap.com/data/507/116oscar5-med.JPG

http://gallery.reptilerap.com/data/507/116oscar6-med.JPG

There, they arent very great but oh well:( Tell me what you think of my little guy/girl!@!!!!!!!

[marisa]

Cute little bugger!

Marisa

[snakemann87]

Thanks Marisa. Your friends is awesome too. If I'm correct(probably not cause im new to this), is that a Red Oscar?

[Shane Tesser]

Don...i warned you about this mixture about two days ago. I told you, you would have fatalities. Now an Oscar with goldfish and cory's. Do yourself a favor and seperate them...the Oscar will either eat them if he can open his mouth wide enough, or will bite pieces off them one by one! Don't be fooled...these are a fish that can open its mouth incredibly!!! Please do your research with this fish!!! :(

[snakemann87]

I have researched and I moved the golfish and the corys are staying in until hes really big. Also he was VERY shy, but hes much more active now after adding some nice plants.

[Shane Tesser]

The corys wont make it till hes big!

[Ace]

Cute little guy snakemann. I'd rethink using a 55 galllon for an Oscar though. Once he grows a 55 doesn't give him much turning room. Your better off with a 50 or 75 gal. that will be wide enough for him to turn around in. I've never had any plants in my Oscars tanks, because they would always either dig them up or knock them over. Just became to much trouble fixing the tank up EVERY day.

Marissa that red oscar is amazing. I've always had a weak spot for them :cool: . The thing with feeder fish is you run the risk of tranferring any diseases from them into your tank and your Oscar.

[Ace]

Shane's right. By the looks of your pics I'd be surprised if he doesn't try taking them out. He DEFINETLY could take out the one thats right next to him in the pic, and it won't take him long to get big enough to get the rest.

[marisa]

I wish I could remember what I read but I did read that with the common feeders you not only run the risk of introduction of disease but I think after being fed only feeders an Oscar and develop a condition or disease although I can't remember the name. Although maybe they just wanted to make the point that a varied diet is whats needed.


Marisa

[corr]

It's true about feeders marisa. A better diet would be beef heart and veggies like you described.

Ace makes a good point about tank size. A 50 gallon is actually better than a 55. A 55 is only 12 inches deep.

[marisa]

Beefheart! Thats the stuff he gives him! He always gives a little tiny amount to our aquatic frogs when he does it....I just couldn't remember the name.

Marisa

[XxRachxX]

i think i read that it was "hole in the head" disease??? .....actually is that through feeding earthworms?? ive been reading a bit about oscars and im sure ive heard it thrown around a few times?
aaah found it
http://website.lineone.net/~tiger_oscar/disease.htm#HITH

[snakemann87]

ok, well Im still gonna try and get the tank no matter what cause 25 is awesome for a 55 gallon tank!! And what happened to my pics??!!!!!!:(

[snakemann87]

Is it normal for an Oscar to be extremely shy? He basically swims around in this small area where I have a plant and stays there the whole day.

[snakemann87]

OK well I just turned off his lighting for the night, and he got VERY active, could this be it. Do they not like light the book I read said they appreciate a medium amount of light?

[corr]

He's still getting used to the place. If that is the only plant, then you should put in a couple more to make him feel more comfortable. My Jack Dempsey would do that... hide all day and then when the lights when out, he'd swallow any fish that was swimming above.

[Ace]

Corr's right, he's still figuring the place out. He'll soon establish that it's HIS tank to the rest, either by eating them or bullying them (possibly killing them). Oscars do usually prefer less lighting.
You can try adding more plants, but like I said before they USUALLY don't appreciate them and just wind up digging them up.

[marisa]

My roomates Oscar was like that at first. He ignored the tanks other inhabitants for like a month or so and hid a lot. Then no one was left in the tank but him and he because the boss of it.

When my roomate would turn the lights on or off the Oscar would get all crazy and swim around like mad.

Marisa

[Shane Tesser]

Yeah gradually setting off the lights is a good idea...my tanks go from full sun...to half, to a half again, to room to tv lights everyday..and the reverse process for the morning...i just make it part of my daily routine...probably over doing it, but i think its better then shocking them....you know...hard to blink without eye lids :P

[snakemann87]

Corr: I am going to go and buy some nice floating and plants for the tank, and ones that get buried

Shane: I had read about that. That if you turn out the lights too suddenly from light, to total dark. That they will panic like crazy for a hiding place or shelter

[Herpkingdom]

OSCARS!

These are by far my favorite fish to keep in an aquarium.
I rasied several dozen of these over the years, one to over 22 inches. He was was is known as a velveteen oscar. Only 1 in 1000 normal oscars are this morph. He was all green with no markings other than the tail spot.

As far as feeding Oscars, they are just like frogs. They eat aything they can get their mouths around! My oscar ate goldfish, frogs, mice, mealies, crickets, some plants that I was using to decorate the tank with, and pellet food. OK< now this is important.... Oscars will overeat adn get sick. DO NOT overfeed. An oscar can and will eat so many feeder fish that his stomach will extend and his mouth will still have a fish tail hanging out!

Now about the 55 gal tank. That will be good for about 1 year. For an adult Oscar I would say no less than a 125. I had my guy ion a 400 with a big cave in one corner for him to hide in. The only thing I had in there with him was a very big Pleco. He tried only once to get it, but the spike dorsal fin in the mouth taught him to stay away :)

Not to be a pest, but if I remember correctly you stated you make $50 a week and have all of these herps to feed, now you have an oscar. Do you know how much it is going to cost to feed this guy as he grows? Even if you just feed him fish, an adult oscar will pound down several dozen a week. For someone on a limited budget, you just bought the most glutonous fish you can. I understand your attraction to these animals, I had the same attraction when I was your age. But you still have to consider your limitations. You have limited monies coming in, I'm sure your space it limited, and you still have the restrictions imposed by living at home with your parents. So sit back and enjoy what you have before you get too many and have no time left to enjoy them. Before you relize it, you will have too many and spend most of your time feeding and cleaning cages, and have no time to "play" with them.

[snakemann87]

Wow thats a big, and sweet sounding Oscar. I will be gettin a larger aquarium very soon so no worrys. I will definately try and feed him a variety. He already has one tho which consists of: mealies, betta flakes, golfish flakes, cichlid staples, and feeder guppies.