# Advise on Oscar setup...



## XFile (Apr 13, 2008)

Ok guys just trying to get some general advise here - Ive kept community fish for several years now and am thinking of buying a second tank for a pair of oscars (x1 tiger oscar and x1 albino oscar)...

What size tank would you guys recommend?

I believe they can also be quite messy so what sort of filtration system would you recommend?

Do they need much decoration / hides in the setup or do most people tend to keep their setups to a minimum?

Any advise and pics of your oscar setups would be appreciated :2thumb:


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## Johnny Boy (Nov 18, 2008)

This might be obvious really but the tank should be as big as possible, these fish grow large.

As for filtration again the bigger the better. I have kept oscars in the past and they make lots of mess!

You will find that they move any gravel substrate around depending on their mood. Mine used to pile the gravel up at one end of the tank, I then would spread it all out again only to find it piled up somewhere else the day after! As for plants only floating ones will do - they will all be floating anyway whatever you buy.

Having said all that they are fascinating fish that can be hand fed in time.


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## mike515 (Sep 12, 2006)

If you want a breeding pair then best to start with youngs ones. six is a good number you end up letting the best male and female bond which in turn improves the quality of their bond.

Tank size, min size for a pair is 75 gallons, but bigger is better, something like a 60x30x24 (inch) tank would be good. With a big filter system, something like the rena xp4 would be ok but bigger would be better.

decor wise, you need to ensure it can't be moved which means securing anything in there. Not so much to protect the health of your fish, oscars can take a fair old beating before it does any lasting damage. It's mainly to stop them breaking the tank. Heaters need to be external really just to make it easier. But for actual decorations, large roots, smooth stones etc. Plants will be uprooted and sometimes eaten so a waste of money.

For two oscars some kind of visual barrier is always a good idea. They are particuarly aggressive fish. they are often discribed as aggressive but it is more them being greedy. They will eat anything that fits in their mouth and try to eat anything that nearly fits. The conspecific aggression can be nasty so both fish need their own space (even with a male female pair). Compared to most cichlids they aren't hardcore predators, so less jaw strength. They rarely damage each other to an extent that you need to do anything. Minor cuts and scatches are common but oscars are tough as old boots and only major damage will need you to worry.

Tankmates are basically fish that are too large to be eaten and won't injure the oscars. Large tetras and barbs, loads of catfish and loach species. Try not to have anything that produces too much waste (like plecos and other big cichlids) it just means you will need even bigger filtration.

Hope this helps


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## XFile (Apr 13, 2008)

Thanks guys - so could I get away with something like the Juwel Rio 300?

Ive always liked the Juwel setups as they have the filters and heaters built into the corner unit - so as you've mentioned there'd be no way for the oscars to disturb the units...

I'd be looking at just a pair of oscars - I like the look of a gold severum as well but would probably just stick to the x2 oscars rather than adding more fish in there..


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## XFile (Apr 13, 2008)

bump for more advise / comments...


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## simonas (Apr 12, 2008)

more advice? watch your fingers..... evrytime I put my hand in my tank they think I'm food and go for my fingers!!!

Great fish I love the way I come into my garage and they spot me from anywhere and cme straight to the glass. quality fish


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## mask-of-sanity (Dec 27, 2006)

what size tank is the 300...............a minimum tank size would be 5x2x2 but bigger if poss........you can use the jewel filtration but i would also add a large external filter also ........unless you can source a proven bonded pair then as said buy a few younger ones and grow on together until they pair up ,


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## XFile (Apr 13, 2008)

According to the Juwel website the Rio 300 is:

Volume: approx. 300 Litres
Measurements: 121 x 51 x 62 cm


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## mask-of-sanity (Dec 27, 2006)

then its not big enough imo, the 400 is 5 ft long if i recall correctly but i cant remember the other dimensions,


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## martin day (May 18, 2006)

as long as you had a very very good external filter then a rio 300 should be fine as long as there no other fish in the tank they key to keeping oscars is very good water quality ,its quite common for them to get hole in the head so you will have to keep on top of the water changes too


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## mike515 (Sep 12, 2006)

300 would be the bare minimum for just the oscars. Better to go with the 400.

Still an external would be a good addition. If you had juveniles then the standard juwel filter would be ok, but once adult it won't be able to cope.

Even better would be a sump. Would increase the overall capacity and increase the filtration options aswell.


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## XFile (Apr 13, 2008)

Just been out and about today and found a nice setup called the Fluval Vicenza 260 which is a 260l bow front aquarium and comes complete with a Fluval 305 external filter which looks a much better filter and would be easier for maintaining... the complete setup including cabinet and delivery would work out at £550 which is more than the Rio 300 would cost but visually the Fluval looks much nicer and has a much better external filter system... also with the Fluval setup if I needed a bigger filter later on down the line it'll be nice and easy to upgrade... what do you think guys?


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## Corsetts (Dec 8, 2008)

It's just too small IMO.

If you've only got room for a small tank, why not just get a single Oscar?

cheers,

Chris


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## XFile (Apr 13, 2008)

Corsetts said:


> It's just too small IMO.
> 
> If you've only got room for a small tank, why not just get a single Oscar?
> 
> ...


I was hoping for a pair as it just wouldn't seem right having one in there on his own... lol 

If I decided on just one could I add some other fish in there with him as well - ie. a gold severum etc?


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## mike515 (Sep 12, 2006)

XFile said:


> I was hoping for a pair as it just wouldn't seem right having one in there on his own... lol
> 
> If I decided on just one could I add some other fish in there with him as well - ie. a gold severum etc?


oscars aren't a sociable fish. they will live together, but they are far from a shoaling fish.


You can't have a pair in that size tank. For a while yes, young pair would be fine. but two potentially 14-15" fish will not live in a 260 litre tank.

If you are more worried about what the tank looks like then look at different fish.


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## XFile (Apr 13, 2008)

mike515 said:


> oscars aren't a sociable fish. they will live together, but they are far from a shoaling fish.
> 
> 
> You can't have a pair in that size tank. For a while yes, young pair would be fine. but two potentially 14-15" fish will not live in a 260 litre tank.
> ...


Well for me I want to get the size right - looks and price is a factor though as this will go against our back wall in the living room so will obviously be a center piece... I also need to think about the maintenance side of things as being disabled its not so easy for me to be able to climb up and reach inside the tank on a regular basis... whereas with the external filter system of the fluval this keeps the filter in the cabinet and easily accessable...

I already have a community tank setup so that gives me the variety of fish that I'd like - however im now keen on the Oscars so want a setup that will house them adequatley... Im not fussed on keeping any other fish with them as this setup will purely be for them...


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## mike515 (Sep 12, 2006)

Ease of cleaning is obviously important. But fluval externals (except the FX series) are prone to clogging and aren't the best designed filters. To be honest the juwel internals are probably more efficient anyway, so less cleaning needed.

Bigger is gonna be better. If you want the pair then you can't have the 260. It's just too small. 300 litres is still on the small side for a pair but you could get away with it


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## Corsetts (Dec 8, 2008)

As Mike says, they're not sociable fish so a lone one will be fine :2thumb:

I can't agree with the efficiency of the Juwel filter though, the way they are designed means that as the sponge gets clogged, the water can actually bypass the filter altogether the same as will happen when the rubber connector perishes.

I cut the filter out of our old Juwel and replaced it with an Eheim pro II. Yuo can pick these up pretty cheap second hand and they're fantastic filters :no1:
There's also the issue with the brace bars failing on the juwels (mine did) so when you factor that in, and the replacement filter, they can work out to be pretty pricey tanks.

Cheers

Chris


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## HABU (Mar 21, 2007)

a pair in a 75 gallon is a minimum. massive filtration and frequent water changes. raise some young together and pick your breeders later as they grow.


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## xyra (Apr 26, 2007)

a 4x18x18 would be a minimum for a fully harmonised pair (start with 6+) with no other fish.

Unless you want to breed, maybe choose some other semi-aggr cichlids instead? I've found oscars work well with; green terrors, severums, young vieja synspilum (to aggresive as adults), texas cichlids. Tinfoil barbs are a bit fast for a 4' tank. Other fish in a similar vein, 6" - 8", peaceful or semi agreesive. I tried a mossambique mouthbrooder with them and it totally dominated the oscar within a day even though mozzies are known for being pretty peaceful...

I keep the following together;

6' x 15' x 18'; Oscar, 2 x gold severum, v. synspilum, jade eyed cichlid, plec, synodontis nigrita. Been running about 4.5 years now.

I'm not a fan of fluval externals (because i've had two that leaked all the time). I would highly recommend the Eheim Pro II 2028 lovelly high capacity filter which even the plec doesn't manage to clog.

Also be aware that unless you can get a nice f0 (wild) or f1 specimen (or are just lucky) the majority of the fish in the shops are shockingly inbred and you are lucky if one exceeds 8" - 9". Not really the sort of stock you want to breed from anyway...


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## mike515 (Sep 12, 2006)

Corsetts said:


> As Mike says, they're not sociable fish so a lone one will be fine :2thumb:
> 
> I can't agree with the efficiency of the Juwel filter though, the way they are designed means that as the sponge gets clogged, the water can actually bypass the filter altogether the same as will happen when the rubber connector perishes.
> 
> ...


I didn't say the juwels were efficient. I said they were more efficient than the fluval externals, which they are lol.

Eheim externals are brilliant in general. The pro series being the best. But the others are all pretty good.

Better still would be the Rena xp series. On a 300 litre tank, the XP3 would be ideal


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## xyra (Apr 26, 2007)

I've had nothing but trouble out of Rena XP filters. Sand gets into the impellor to easily, the seals need replacing all the time etc. I'm not alone in this, one local shop stopped stocking them as to many were going wrong. However lots of people seem to love them. mine was always a nightmare to seal after cleaning. I'd have to strip it and regrease all the seals 3 or 4 times everytime I put it back together (this was an XP2, I don't know if the XP3 is different)!

Gave up in the end and bought a couple of dirt cheap china-import externals off ebay new for about £15 a filter. They have been flawlessly running my ray tank for a couple of years now, got about 5 of them on various tanks now  The only brand name external i've used and liked is the eheim

Eheim Pro II all the way 

Jewel tanks have a life time warranty don't they? They should sort out any issue with the bracing pretty quickly (in their manufacturering process, obviously not so easy once a tank is all setup) i would hope!


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## mike515 (Sep 12, 2006)

xyra said:


> I've had nothing but trouble out of Rena XP filters. Sand gets into the impellor to easily, the seals need replacing all the time etc. I'm not alone in this, one local shop stopped stocking them as to many were going wrong. However lots of people seem to love them. mine was always a nightmare to seal after cleaning. I'd have to strip it and regrease all the seals 3 or 4 times everytime I put it back together (this was an XP2, I don't know if the XP3 is different)!
> 
> Gave up in the end and bought a couple of dirt cheap china-import externals off ebay new for about £15 a filter. They have been flawlessly running my ray tank for a couple of years now, got about 5 of them on various tanks now  The only brand name external i've used and liked is the eheim
> 
> ...


3 year guarantee on juwel tanks.But parts are easy to get hold of and they rarely go wrong anyway.

Eheim pro series all the way for sure. But I've never had an issue with the XP series. The original generation were pretty poor but the new (last few years) improved models are epic lol. I've been running a fair few for a while and never had a problem


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## xyra (Apr 26, 2007)

mike515 said:


> 3 year guarantee on juwel tanks.But parts are easy to get hold of and they rarely go wrong anyway.
> 
> Eheim pro series all the way for sure. But I've never had an issue with the XP series. The original generation were pretty poor but the new (last few years) improved models are epic lol. I've been running a fair few for a while and never had a problem


Interesting, my xp2 was pretty old (probably 6 or 7 years now) so was probably the older model - hadn't realised that there was a new one, looks pretty much identical on the outside


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## mike515 (Sep 12, 2006)

xyra said:


> Interesting, my xp2 was pretty old (probably 6 or 7 years now) so was probably the older model - hadn't realised that there was a new one, looks pretty much identical on the outside


yeah they've changed loads of stuff on it and they are arguably the best on the market in that price range. Much cheaper than the eheims. Plus a lot of shops order big numbers to get discounts so it's a ripoff if you're paying RRP for them at the moment lol. XP3 shouldn't set you back more than 100 quid and it's near impossible to find the equivilent filter that will actually work and turn over that much water for less money


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## HABU (Mar 21, 2007)

aquaclear fives are great, easy to service filters.










it does 500 gallons an hour. a couple of these on a 75 gallon tank makes life easier.


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## XFile (Apr 13, 2008)

Just been looking around again and the Juwel Vision 450 doesn't seem to bad a buy - its a 450l tank so from the guidelines you guys have mentioned this should be more ideal for a pair of Oscars compared to the 300l and 260l I mentioned previously... Presumably as the pair of Oscars would be fairly small initially then this setup would be fine for a while and later on down the line I could add a better external filter to the setup?

This is the link to the Vision 450: 

JUWEL Aquarium Homepage


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## xyra (Apr 26, 2007)

XFile said:


> Just been looking around again and the Juwel Vision 450 doesn't seem to bad a buy - its a 450l tank so from the guidelines you guys have mentioned this should be more ideal for a pair of Oscars compared to the 300l and 260l I mentioned previously... Presumably as the pair of Oscars would be fairly small initially then this setup would be fine for a while and later on down the line I could add a better external filter to the setup?
> 
> This is the link to the Vision 450:
> 
> JUWEL Aquarium Homepage


Yep you can add an extra filter at any point, just don't remove the old one for a few months to make sure the new one is properly colonised.

Small oscars grow fast so you might need it sooner than expected!


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## mike515 (Sep 12, 2006)

yeah a 450 would be great. Pretty cheap compared to other bow front tanks and the build quality is pretty good. Not the best but far from bad.


Adding an external is easy to most tanks. But with oscars they will pull at anything so make sure you secure the pipework that is inside the tank.


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## Corsetts (Dec 8, 2008)

:2thumb:


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## abisnail (Jan 1, 2009)

Hi, for 2 oscars you really need 300 litres, you can get away with less but keeping your tank clean is a mission, mine are currently in 270 litres and I do a 50% and an 80% water change each week to keep my nitrates down below 20 (the closer to zero the better) and mine aren't adult yet. It's really tough to find a pair, it's best to start with a group and pick off the trouble makers as you go but you need to make sure you have someone that will take your unwanted fish, I'm lucky I work in the LFS so could rehome my 2 spare easily (I started with 4), I still don't know if I'll end up with 2 in the end though, they could just as easy start hating each other tomorrow!

As for filtration, Oscars dump a huuuge bio load on your filters, if you're using canister filters you really want at least 5 times tank turn over an hour, I find it's best to use 2 seperate filters so that cleaning can be alternated. Also oscars love to smash heaters up, I'd recommend an external or I use a Rena smart heater, they're pretty much unbreakable, I wouldn't recommend a thermal filter though...they're pants!!

I've been keeping oscars for about a year now and have read pretty much every thread, book and article I can get my hands on, so any questions, give us a shout.


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## XFile (Apr 13, 2008)

Thanks for the advise guys - have just ordered the Jewel Vision 450 - which is a 450l aquarium.. should be arriving next Thursday...

All in with the cabinet it was £615 which I thought was pretty good...

Can anyone recommend a decent place online for buying decorations - I'd love to get a galleon/ship in the middle of the tank (nothing else) - cheapest I've seen in high-street places is £45 so if I can better online then all well and good... although I guess postage costs may cancel out any savings made as the large ships do tend to be quite weighty...


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## abisnail (Jan 1, 2009)

Support your LFS man! you might need them for advice and they'll be shut down because everyone makes their big purchases online!
Goldfish don't pay the rates.


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## XFile (Apr 13, 2008)

abisnail said:


> Support your LFS man! you might need them for advice and they'll be shut down because everyone makes their big purchases online!
> Goldfish don't pay the rates.


I did get a quote from my local shop as I use them for my other reps all the time - they wanted over £200 for exactly the same model and cabinet which frankly I couldn't afford.. However my local shop will be getting my continued support for gravel, decoration (probably), fish, fish flakes, bloodworms etc... 

I dread to think how much Ive spent over the last year in that shop - this has been my first online purchase as far as reps/fish are concerned:lol2:


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## abisnail (Jan 1, 2009)

A lot of our customers are doing that, buying their odds and sods from us and then going online to buy expensive stuff like tanks and externals. 
As for the galleon, I dunno, we do stock them but not at that price, they are, like you say, flippin' heavy so they probably won't work out all that cheap in the end!

Good luck with your oscars mate.


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## XFile (Apr 13, 2008)

abisnail said:


> A lot of our customers are doing that, buying their odds and sods from us and then going online to buy expensive stuff like tanks and externals.
> As for the galleon, I dunno, we do stock them but not at that price, they are, like you say, flippin' heavy so they probably won't work out all that cheap in the end!
> 
> Good luck with your oscars mate.


I know exactly where you're coming from matey - as I say all of the stuff apart from vivs/aquariums I buy locally so my local shop does get good business from me.. If the aquarium was similar in price to the online place then Id have bought it locally both to support my local shop and to get it cycling quicker... but £200+ is a big difference :lol2:

Will post some pics next week when the tank is setup - then it'll be time to start the hunt for a nice couple of oscars ready to reserve for when the levels are right :2thumb:


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## abisnail (Jan 1, 2009)

Have you got a cycled filter ready? 
I'd defo advise cycling it first, even if it's with some goldfish....Oscars will have a much bigger bio load but it's still not worth risking HITH by cycling it with the oscars. They don't take too well to ammonia.


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## XFile (Apr 13, 2008)

I was just going to follow the fishless cycling guide thats a sticky in this section


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## abisnail (Jan 1, 2009)

AAAAAH I seeeeeee....I thought you meant you were gonna whack the O's straight in.


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## XFile (Apr 13, 2008)

lol - definately not... getting the tank next week and setting up in readiness... won't be adding the Oscars for a couple of weeks at least..


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## charlie (May 19, 2007)

abisnail said:


> Support your LFS man! you might need them for advice and they'll be shut down because everyone makes their big purchases online!
> Goldfish don't pay the rates.


Unfortunately this is true, but alot of LFS's dont help themselves. Our local ones (except one)are so expensive and wont budge on prices. Who is going to buy an aquarium and stand £300 more expensive than online.

In the current economic climate, they should be falling over themselves to go that little further.


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## abisnail (Jan 1, 2009)

Trouble is, the profit margin on dry goods is incy.


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## XFile (Apr 13, 2008)

abisnail said:


> Trouble is, the profit margin on dry goods is incy.


But if they can't compete a lot closer to online prices then a lot of people will always chose the online supplier... I will always support my local shop where they are close to competitive with prices - if not for them but for my own convenience of being able to drive 5mins down the road and pickup what I want... However I can't justify spending £800+ on an aquarium and cabinet when I can get it online £200 cheaper delivered to my door...


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## mike515 (Sep 12, 2006)

most shops are running at a profit margin of around 33% (so trade price is around 2/3 of what you pay). On small stuff that's not a lot. But on say a 800 quid tank (roughly the cost of a vision 450) thats about 240 quid profit. Not too shabby for one product. Plus a lot of suppliers get discount on trade costs. Shop I used to work in got 40% off trade for juwel products. So on an 800 quid tank, they would be paying 560 minus 40% so about 370-380 for the tank. So 400 plus profit on a tank. They should be able to compete with online companies with that sort of margin.


Dunno about your shop but round here I speak to a lot of other fishshop workers. We all use the same suppliers (give or take a few) and all get similar discounts. But half the shops still sell at retail price or more. So are paying less for their products but refusing to pass the savings on. It's their own fault that they are losing business when they moan about the competition but don't try to compete.

I work in a large chain now (not maidenheads), not through choice but because I need the money. We are out selling the other shops pretty impressively. Not because we are a big chain but because we pass our savings on to the customers. The other shops get similar or better discounts but still maintain high prices. Yes they make more per sale but lose sales because of it.

Not the internet shops fault. They are running low profit margins to increase sales and in turn increase profit. Less profit per sale but more sales means more money overall. Shops can do exactly the same but most refuse to


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## xyra (Apr 26, 2007)

mike515 said:


> most shops are running at a profit margin of around 33% (so trade price is around 2/3 of what you pay). On small stuff that's not a lot. But on say a 800 quid tank (roughly the cost of a vision 450) thats about 240 quid profit. Not too shabby for one product. Plus a lot of suppliers get discount on trade costs. Shop I used to work in got 40% off trade for juwel products. So on an 800 quid tank, they would be paying 560 minus 40% so about 370-380 for the tank. So 400 plus profit on a tank. They should be able to compete with online companies with that sort of margin.
> 
> 
> Dunno about your shop but round here I speak to a lot of other fishshop workers. We all use the same suppliers (give or take a few) and all get similar discounts. But half the shops still sell at retail price or more. So are paying less for their products but refusing to pass the savings on. It's their own fault that they are losing business when they moan about the competition but don't try to compete.
> ...



True, but often with a bigger tanks retailers will arrange to have it delivered, installed, levelled etc often included in the price. (or is that less common than i think?)

They could be selling online themselves and taking advantage of the bulk sales capable there whilst keeping shop customers happy.

There is an saying in business however... for each time you double your charges you lose a third of your customers - hence winning out overall. This is mainly for fee work, but may apply to a certain degree with dry goods?

Edit: that all being said, I try to support from retailers, but I have just ordered an aquarium from an online manufacturer, and buy loads from online shops due to the convenience of it just turning up at my front door!


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## Paul B (Apr 16, 2008)

I own a shop and buy some of my stock online as its actually cheaper than buying it from the wholesaler.
I have no problem passing on savings but with the overheads of running a shop increasing all the time its not that easy.
One good sale per week can mean the difference between profit and loss.

On the Oscar front I have always had and external and large internal filter. the internal filter is cleaned thoroughly every week to keep the water clear and the external does the chemistry / biological thing to keep the harmful chemicals at bay. Regular water changes 10% too.

Most if not all Oscar keepers will suffer from Hole in the head problems if they manage to keep their fish long enough. Its not easy to cure long term but worth trying as these fish just get more and more personality the longer they live.

As for tank size..........Bigger the better.
Decor....simple and smooth.

Feed your fish before putting hands in the tank. Mine will take a thumb right down to the knuckle. (No damage but it dont half make you jump) Paul


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## xyra (Apr 26, 2007)

Paul B said:


> I own a shop and buy some of my stock online as its actually cheaper than buying it from the wholesaler.


Can't say I'm surprised.. I'm in IT and often online shops are cheaper than my wholesalers as well (in fact rarely use wholesalers anymore!)


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## abisnail (Jan 1, 2009)

Yeah tis true, when you buy online you're not getting any aftercare, any advice on set up, that little bit of hose you need to extend the piping etc etc etc all thrown in. 
There are no overheads online, If a tank costs us £300 to buy in and we sell at £500, that isn't £200 profit. Out of that £200 goes electricity, business rates, shop rent, staffing, all of which are minimal from an online supplier.


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## mike515 (Sep 12, 2006)

abisnail said:


> Yeah tis true, when you buy online you're not getting any aftercare, any advice on set up, that little bit of hose you need to extend the piping etc etc etc all thrown in.
> There are no overheads online, If a tank costs us £300 to buy in and we sell at £500, that isn't £200 profit. Out of that £200 goes electricity, business rates, shop rent, staffing, all of which are minimal from an online supplier.


 
Yeah I understand overheads and stuff. But online shops have become the norm because your normal walk in shops just don't seem to put in the effort. Most people will pay a bit extra (enough to cover the overheads that online shops don't have) for the service.

A few shops in my area were amazing to go in about 10 years ago. Brilliant service. Not the best looking setups, no where near the cheapest but you got treated like a human being not a walking cash machine. Now a days the service is shite and they are losing business because of this. What with the high prices it's just downhill non-stop for them now.


As for lack of aftercare with online shops. Depends on where you use. I've used a few that are better than most shops ive been in. Gotta pick the good ones


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## XFile (Apr 13, 2008)

Tank is now up and running and I've also managed to reserve x3 lovely looking Tiger Oscars from Cyber Aquatics in Middlesborough... I was intending on only getting a pair but didn't have the heart to leave one there on its own... lol










I've also seen a biggish eel type fish which I thought would be nice for the bottom of the tank - I can't remember exactly what they were called but was x2 words and the 2nd word was something like Leopardina... They were silver/grey in color..

Does anyone know what this might be and if they are fine in an oscar setup?

They were quite a good size already and marked up as £30 each...


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## xyra (Apr 26, 2007)

XFile said:


> Tank is now up and running and I've also managed to reserve x3 lovely looking Tiger Oscars from Cyber Aquatics in Middlesborough... I was intending on only getting a pair but didn't have the heart to leave one there on its own... lol
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Looks good, not entirely my taste, but I'm sure the fish will love it!

As to the eel, i'm not sure from the description (not the name though) could it have been a Senegal polypterus (google images it)? If so, they are great with oscars. I've kept polypterus with all sorts of cichlids and never had a problem. 

Could it be Aethiomastacembelus elipsifer those are refered to leopard spiny eels. Being a spiny eel (and a smaller species at that) they are probably quite delicate and might not be great with the attentions of oscars. Also they are slow growing compared to the oscars growth rate...


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## XFile (Apr 13, 2008)

Thanks - I've tried to keep the tank clutter free because of the size that the oscars will get to and also because I've been told they can be quite destructive... 

I've googled both of those - I'd say its similar to the Senegal polypterus but they were quite a bit chunkier looking than those... definately not the Aethiomastacembelus elipsifer...


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## xyra (Apr 26, 2007)

XFile said:


> Thanks - I've tried to keep the tank clutter free because of the size that the oscars will get to and also because I've been told they can be quite destructive...
> 
> I've googled both of those - I'd say its similar to the Senegal polypterus but they were quite a bit chunkier looking than those... definately not the Aethiomastacembelus elipsifer...



There are several species of polypterus, some chunkier than others. Very nice fish (one of my favorites, i've got about 9 different polypterus species).

I've also kept (good sized) ropefish with oscars as well without problems. Synodontis have mixed well for me, as well as plecs.

If you could get a full name from the shop on the species we might be able to help more..


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## XFile (Apr 13, 2008)

xyra said:


> There are several species of polypterus, some chunkier than others. Very nice fish (one of my favorites, i've got about 9 different polypterus species).
> 
> I've also kept (good sized) ropefish with oscars as well without problems. Synodontis have mixed well for me, as well as plecs.
> 
> If you could get a full name from the shop on the species we might be able to help more..


I'll take a look when I go back across later this week - I seem to remember on the card they were labelled as unusual and it did say ideally kept with larger fish... I've tried to google leopardina but nothing much comes up so i've either mispelt it or got it completely wrong :lol2:


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## gazz (Dec 9, 2006)

XFile said:


> I've also seen a biggish eel type fish which I thought would be nice for the bottom of the tank - I can't remember exactly what they were called but was x2 words and the 2nd word was something like Leopardina... They were silver/grey in color..


South American lungfish-(Lepidosiren paradoxa) ?.


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## XFile (Apr 13, 2008)

gazz said:


> South American lungfish-(Lepidosiren paradoxa) ?.


I don't think it was that one - similar colouring but I don't think it tailed off at the bottom... the face was also more square as opposed to rounded...


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## abisnail (Jan 1, 2009)

Tanks a beaut...are you only using the jewel filtration on it? 
You'll probably need to add to it later...as for 3 oscars, 3 is a real bad number for cichlids, it's luck of the draw to find 2 that'll put up with each other as adults but 3 is really pushing it...if you've picked out more to try for a breeding pair later on you might be better to get 4. As long as you have a back up plan for the other 2...and the fry of course.


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## XFile (Apr 13, 2008)

abisnail said:


> Tanks a beaut...are you only using the jewel filtration on it?
> You'll probably need to add to it later...as for 3 oscars, 3 is a real bad number for cichlids, it's luck of the draw to find 2 that'll put up with each other as adults but 3 is really pushing it...if you've picked out more to try for a breeding pair later on you might be better to get 4. As long as you have a back up plan for the other 2...and the fry of course.


Yes Im only using the Juwel Filtration system initially - the Oscars are only about 3.5-4" at the moment but i know I'll definately need an external filter at some point down the line... probably sooner than expected :lol2:

I was only intending on buying a pair but these x3 tigers have been kept together and the shop have experienced no problems with them - I'll have to keep an eye on them as they grow and if need be I'm sure one of the aquatics shops locally would take one of them off my hands.. 

When I had Oscars a long time ago I had x2 albinos, a tiger and a big catfish - the Oscars were brilliant together but it was the catfish that was agressive and always attacked the Oscars... so I'm hoping these x3 will be similar and stay fine together... fingers crossed anyway... lol


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## Xiorell (Aug 15, 2007)

I dunno if this has been said on here or not, couldn't be arsed to read everything but, if you're getting Oscars, don't bother trying to make the tank all pretty. They will change it.

I do not keep them myself, at home kinda thing, but I take great care of the ones at work (I run the "fish bit" and love the Oscars). For a while there I kept putting things back into a nice arrangement, all nice looking.... yeah I got fed up playing "Move the rocks and decor" before the fish did


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## XFile (Apr 13, 2008)

Xiorell said:


> I dunno if this has been said on here or not, couldn't be arsed to read everything but, if you're getting Oscars, don't bother trying to make the tank all pretty. They will change it.
> 
> I do not keep them myself, at home kinda thing, but I take great care of the ones at work (I run the "fish bit" and love the Oscars). For a while there I kept putting things back into a nice arrangement, all nice looking.... yeah I got fed up playing "Move the rocks and decor" before the fish did


lol - yes I've heard they can be pretty destructive... thats why I've just gone for x2 large heavy ornaments in there and nothing else... :lol2:


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## Xiorell (Aug 15, 2007)

They are great fish I think, only reason I aint got them in my home is that I don't trust the floorboards to hold the wieght of water in a tank big enough to house them propper.
I get a little sulk on if we sell one at work... they are MY fish dammit !!!! lol


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## chriskirby101 (Sep 1, 2007)

I guess you picked them us yesterday as i noticed last nigth they were gone..


Havent they got bigger!


Chris


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## XFile (Apr 13, 2008)

chriskirby101 said:


> I guess you picked them us yesterday as i noticed last nigth they were gone..
> 
> 
> Havent they got bigger!
> ...


lol - yes John tested the water for me and confirmed it was all ok... so they're now settling in nicely... will post a couple of pics in the day or so :2thumb:


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## mike515 (Sep 12, 2006)

XFile said:


> lol - yes John tested the water for me and confirmed it was all ok... so they're now settling in nicely... will post a couple of pics in the day or so :2thumb:


 
have you had the oscar sulk yet? Where they just hide away or lay on the gravel being grumpy because they had to move home


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## XFile (Apr 13, 2008)

mike515 said:


> have you had the oscar sulk yet? Where they just hide away or lay on the gravel being grumpy because they had to move home


lol - not yet.. apart from losing a lot of there color yesterday they haven't shown any real signs of sulking/problems... today they've a lot of there black back and swimming around together quite happily exploring... :lol2:

What sort of things do you guys feed them apart from the usual pellet food?


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## mike515 (Sep 12, 2006)

XFile said:


> lol - not yet.. apart from losing a lot of there color yesterday they haven't shown any real signs of sulking/problems... today they've a lot of there black back and swimming around together quite happily exploring... :lol2:
> 
> What sort of things do you guys feed them apart from the usual pellet food?


My cichlids get quite a varied diet. Since most of mine are primarily carnivores they get whatevers available at the fish market. Usually a week consists of a mix of prawns, mussel, shrimp, eel, trout, crab, crayfish, salmon (very rarely though and very small amounts), live bait (worms etc). They also get some fruit and veg (depending on species).

Pellet wise I stick with Hikari and Sera. Both produce some good products, Sera being cheaper but Hikari being the bollocks when it comes to cichlid pellets.

Oscars do best on a omnivorous diet. So either use a well balanced pellet or form your own diet for them using frozen and fresh foods.

Just remember that oscars are messy eaters so always clean up after meal times or your water quality will go tits up


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## abisnail (Jan 1, 2009)

Mine eat Hikari gold as a staple and sometimes I throw in some algae wafers, they also have river shrimp, bloodworm, cockles, prawns, peas, spinach, orange slices, cucumber and courgette, I only feed veg about once a fortnight as it can funk up your tank a bit! 
I also soak their food in garlic guard once a week, this stimulates their appetite (like they need it!) and helps their immune system. Apparently parasites HATE garlic too! 
Feeding a varied diet from young, along with excellent water quality, is really useful in warding off hole in the head disease later on.


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## rockkeeper (Apr 5, 2007)

where the oscar photo then


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## XFile (Apr 13, 2008)

lol - well I took a couple of pics of them after them putting them in... a lot were blurred though because of them moving round so quickly...lol

Here's a couple of pics that turned out ok - as you can see they were still a little grey still... I'm sure thats how they go when they're stressed from the transportation back and until they're feeling settled in... colourwise they're a much stronger black now and are growing like nobodys business... lol


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