Oscars

[Jotun]

Hey, I generally dont like fish at all but after seeing these guys I changed my mind for one species . I realize their size and their price and if I DO get one or two I'm probably gonna get Albinos. Anyway I was just curious to know how big of an aquarium I'd need to keep them in for the rest of their days. Any help would be appreciated! Thanks ya!

[Geck-co]

allo jotun I personelly have never owned oscars myself. But I do know that they will attain 13" or so. As for houseing them together you have to watch thier temperment as they can get prtty mean. Tank size around 55 gallons should be suitable for one, you may be able to keep two but if you get some nasty ones that are teritorial you might have problems? dont quote me though I dont know first hand. Make sure any decorations you put in the tank are durable and can take a beating as oscars are very curious and may cause some rukus

they prefer meaty based foods like a neutral ph level and water temps around 72-77* be carefull as they are prone to hole in the head as htey age...

[Quervo]

Hey Jotun;

I had an oscar many years ago. I kept him in a 30 gallon tank and he reached a length of about 10 inches. They will grow to whatever the tank will support (bigger tank, bigger fish) to about 13 inches or so. I doubt you will have much luck keeping two once they reach about 5 inches or so. They have an amazing personality and are an absolute riot to watch.

I was moving mine once and I put 20 feeders in with him while I moved him (to save space) well, once we got to the new place there was Felix (yup .. Felix the oscar) with two tails sticking out of his face and no feeders left. He was so full that he was ramming his face against the wall trying to shove the fish down ... I'm not kidding .. it was the funniest thing I ever saw.

No wait .. that would be when I put in a fresh water lobster with him. He grabbed the lobser by the tail .. the lobster flipped up over his head and started nipping him on the sides. Felix was trying everything he could to get this lobster off (but he wouldn't let go) and the lobster kept spurring him .. it looked like a bucking bronco.

Anywho .. they won't let you put plants or wimpy ornaments in the tank .. everything has to be heavy enough to survive constant attacks.

These fish are well worth the price, they will entertain you for years.

Hope that helps.

(mine was a tiger oscar)

[corr]

I wouldn't go with anything less than a 75 gallon. A 30 and a 55 are both 12" wide and we're talking about a 13" fish... not too comfy. Personally, I'd go with a 100. Buy four or five juvneilles and that way you're sure to get a pair then trade in the others for a Pleco. That makes for a great tank and they will most definitely breed for you! HTH

[Youkai]

Corr you took the words right out of mouth.
At work we had a customer drop off two very large oscars, and I felt bad for them in a 77gallon. I mean, they are fairly active,large fish. I can't imagine keeping one in a 50gallon or smaller.

I also don't agree with the statement about fish growing to the size of their environment. Usually they just slow down, or die prematurally. I might just be more sensitive to it, but I hear that probably about 5 times a day, and I find it rather horrible.

[corr]

Yeah, the thing about fish only growing to fit their tank is a myth. A fish may not grow as large as it could in a smaller tank, but it is because of water quality not the dimensions of the tank. Small tanks are harder to keep balanced than larger ones... and Oscars are messy fish.

[Quervo]

The tank thing is a myth?

Well, there you go .. you just keep learning things. When I had fish (15-20 years ago) that was what every pet store in town was saying.

That's a good point about the tank size Corr .. maybe that's why mine wouldn't accept anything else in his tank .. too crowded.

[corr]

Unfortunately, some pet shops still give advice like that... all to sell more animals. What do they care if the fish dies, right? You just go back and buy more fish.

Our way of thinking is - "What is the smallest size tank I can get?". What we should be asking ourselves is - "What is the largest size I can afford?" and then decide on animals that way.

When we buy a place to live, we don't see a refridgerator box and say - "Yeah, I can fit in there!". No, we say - "Can I afford that four level back split or should I go with the bungalo?".

[Shane Tesser]

Hey, i think of a good example to the size thing is the snake heads. Cant remember the proper name right off the top of my head...but alot of people buy them when they are small because they are colourful and cute...then a year later they are two feet long and trying to kill you when you feed them....kind of like trying to keep an african rock python in a rubbermaid container. Ive actually read reports that have said that the external parts of the fish will kind of stunt, but the internals keep growing...kind of why you have a normally looking healthy fish sometimes just mysteriously die. Plus its really cool when you are able to have an animal grow bigger than it would in the wild. I have some Cardinal Tetras that shock most people when they see them...their just huge...plus there a small fish living in a six foot long tank...it must be heaven for them compared to where some of their siblings end up.

[Jotun]

i absolutely love watching Oscars, feeding them provides entertainment on those slow days at the store and they seem to have such a personality. If 100 is the comfortable way to go for an Oscar then I'll do that when I have the space,time and money to care for them. Thanks for all the help!

Btw, I was looking at Albino Tigers, they're such pretty fish

[Shane Tesser]

Glad to see you are making the right steps before jumping into something...your right they are wonderful fish with great personalities that you can actually train to hand feed, and i have a friend who had a very large male who even liked to be petted. Fish never seece to amaze me. s.t.

[PetCrazy]

Whoa, I was sure slow at finding this thread...when was the last post? May?

Anyways, I'll still throw in my few cents worth...first off
I LOVE OSCARS!!
They have very entertaining personalities, and interact in quite a unique way compared to other fish. I don't think I've ever seen a fish BEG quite like oscars do.

Second, I agree that the fish size/tank size thing is all a myth as well. I get this every day from customers "What do you mean I can't keep that fish in a bowl? They grow to the size of the tank don't they"
"Oh sure, put that oscar in the ten gallon tank. He'll deffinitely can get to that size, nose hitting one wall, tail the other" (Of course this isn't entierly accurate, since I doubt he'd thrive in such conditions etc etc..but it was enough to make the woman gasp and back off from the oscar..oh and the man that wanted to keep a baby tiger oscar in a bowl...).

Concidering that so many people keep goldfish in bowls (goldfish that regularly grow up to around a foot long...depending on the type), and so many goldfish die within a few months in such housing, and yet have been recorded to live up to approximately 30 years in larger environments....it makes you wonder...now doesn't it? The only thing preventing them from reaching full size at their normal growth rate is ill health, often due to bad water conditions, which results in an earlier death then usualy expected.

Another thing, if you want Oscars, I would suggest investing in a REALLY powerfull filter. These are MESSY fish, and slacking off on your weekly tank maintenance won't do you any good either.
And no worries, they are well worth the extra labour.

Just like everyone else said, anything you put in the tank decoration wise has to be able to take a beating..and then some.

And it is true, I get the "whats the minimum size tank" question all the time. That's IF the people even bother asking me before they buy a ten gallon or smaller while expecting to keep large fish in them (and mass quantities thereof).

My answer always is "The largest you can afford, think of it this way...would you rather live in a port-o-potty or a mansion?"

Oh and Shane, I've had a few at the store that stayed long enough to allow the 'petting' as well. There is even a betta I've kept in one of the plant tanks (huuuuge tanks) that comes to your hands and lets you get the occasional stroke too.
It's pretty neat....

Anyways, I've gotta get back to cleaning up over here again...this week has been too busy, and I'm a bit behind schedule.
Soooooo
off I go

I loved my Oscars when I did fish, they would eat full grown crayfish or bite your finger, whichever came closest soonest lol