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katie and i are helping people on another site, and this 1 came up.
Oscar questions????

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Hello i have a couple of questions about an Oscar fish because i am so very interested in buying one but the thing is its cost alot of money and i dont have that much to spend so here is my questions. i have been to 3 different pet stores already and i got all different answers so.

1. i was told to get a 35 gallon tank by one store, and 25 gallon (it will be good for 4 to 5 years) by another store????

2) One store told me when i buy the tank i must bring it home and set everything up and leave it for 1 week and then go buy the fish, another store told me to only leave it set up for 2 days and then come buy the fish, the last store told me to leave the tank for 2 weeks.????

3) The net told me that Oscars like to hide so there tank should have plent of hiding places is this true because according to one pet store it isnt?

My girlfriend has a 2o gallon tank so i wonder if i could use that for now and then maybe save up up and buy a new tank but would that mean buying new things like a new heater and anything else i forget?

I was plaiing on buying just a small one, they are about 2 inches long and i would like the albino one i think. i seen a huge one in the store in a big tank there was a little fish in there with him swiming around?? shouldnt that fish be dead already lol? sorry itis so long but thx in advance




heres my reply
you are one of the fishkeepers who get caught.! BEWARE. Oscars are cute now, but they are very fast growers. they can easliy grow up to 17 ''. i wouldn't recommend u getting an oscar unless u have a 75 gallon + tank. PLEASE do not get an oscar, unless u can care for it. oscars i haven't known to be hiders, and when they are full grown adults they wont need to hide.

if starting a new tank, u first need to cycle it, which is the process of adding ammonia. smaller fishes, such as painted tetras for awhile to cycle ur tank. usually a two week cycle is good enough and u can finalize ur stocklist.

if u have a tank already set-up, it is always best to quaritine the new fishes first, so stop the chances of spreading anything.

so again an oscar maybe tempting, but do not get 1 unless u can house one. if u are low on money, i would say not to get one, b/c when it starts to grow at a fast rate, what are u going to do? Please be a responsible fishkeeper and do not get 1.

please go to www.fishprofiles.com to find out more about fishes.

is this right info?

1) I'd say a 50G is a minimum with one canister filter to start off with... then either a second or a big power head. The main thing with the tank is width - a 1.5-2ft wide tank is a minimum for a 15"+ fish. 75G would be nice... but not necessarily the best thing for one O and a beginner. Also, i'd suggest O's grow VERY quickly so the idea of having one in a 35G for 2+ years is stupid. You'll stunt the fish, leave it deformed and it'll probably die painfully. Bad bad bad. O's typically hit 12inches in about 12 months if they're kept properly. A 35G is a 6-7 month solution, and no more.

2) Yes... cycling is important. But an O is a big fish, and in a big tank something like Tetra's just aren't going to provide enough waste to kick start the cycle. I'd suggest they try New Improved Cycle (as per Gary Roland. Legend.) and a fishless cycle using ammonia - if they can get pure ammonia. I use NIC in one of my smaller tanks that requires large water changes... and it's a very good product to maintain/start the good bacteria.

3)Yeah... they like to hide when small. A small cave or some driftwood will make them happy.

Your suggestion about cost is spot on. My O's are the cheapest fish i've bought, but the most expensive to keep. They eat lots and need lots of care to keep them big and healthy... and my 2 guys are big AND healthy In fact, the last time i showed pic's to my LFS, the guy was amazed at the size of my O's... and he's been a cichlid keeper for 30+ years!

I completely agree. When I first started keeping SACs, I was told it would take at least a year before my Oscars got big and i could put them in a thirty gallon fish tank the same night i set it up! I was also told they would go great with tropical fish!
Lucky for me I'm a researcher and did my homework, got a 60gallon and cycled it for a good month with Cycle and some goldfish before adding my 1 oscar, and the rest is history. She's now in a 150gal. The good thing is, she is able to grow in the tank she's in, she defiantly wouldn't in a 30 gal.
Don't be fooled by their big ol eyes when they're babies, a healthy oscar will turn into a "monster" in a few short months easily.
I agree, my oscar was one of my least expensive fish (she was free) but the upkeep and giving her and her tank mates the right home well cost me a lot of paychecks...

They do grow very quickly. My Oscar has been growing nearly and inch a month

I agree with just about everything said, except for the hiding places, Oscars when they get going in the tank nothing will stop them so any obstructions in the tank will just cut them, i have had my O for about 8 months now and hes about 5.5 inches the key is too not over feed them or (power feed) them if you do that they will grow like monsters, i feed my O a mixture of Hikari pellets and frozen brine shrimp once every 3 days but i feed him a significant amount @ once, seems to work well and helps alot with the bio load.

8 months and only 5.5"? How big is your tank? Your Oscar should be hitting 8-10" by now... so either the tank is too small, your feeding habbits aren't the best or your water quality is not so good. Your described feeding habbits would certainly be contributing.

My Oscars (i have 2) hit 12" in 14 months... 8 months they where between 8" and 10". This is typical of other healthy Oscars i have 'met'. Something is wrong with you're O, and i suspect it is stunted.

Last edited by jester_fu at 18-Sep-2005 03:36