# Oscar Fish



## zoe6660 (Jun 3, 2007)

i want to know some info on them, like how fast they grow, and other stuff like what water is the best. the more the better. pictures...


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## goldie1212 (Mar 5, 2010)

this is what i established when i owned 2 in my 6ftx2ft tank a long time ago.

they grow large, up to 12-14" long. need a large tank, 5ft would do 1, 6ft for a pair,the 2 i had made use of the entire tank, they are very messy eaters, unlike anything ive ever owned, i swear they spit out through their gills half of everything that goes in their mouths, because they are so messy they will need massive filtration and thorough weekly water changes and gravel vacs. they love to rearrange their decor, digging holes, moving decorations etc. they can fight if they havent been together since small, so either 1 on its own or a pair housed together since little guys. they get to know their owners, and are known to sulk if they arent happy with tank change around etc. they need a good varied diet, and avoid things like live feeder fish as they can introduce parasites and disease. i fed mine on hikari pellets and they loved them,and they also had prawns thrown in every now and again, and peas too.


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## zoe6660 (Jun 3, 2007)

thank you for that


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## CPT BJ (Oct 30, 2010)

They are great fish and have fantastic personalities, ive had a few but my last pair i kept in a 6x4x2 tropical pond and they were around 15" and 6 and 4 years old, great fish but do need a very good filtration system and do grow rather quickly.


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## zoe6660 (Jun 3, 2007)

thats why i like them they different they not like all the others, what other fish would u say it great?
i seen dwarf puffers but they seem a but small im frighten it will die easier lol
i want a very hardy fish like my Birsels nose


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## CPT BJ (Oct 30, 2010)

zoe6660 said:


> thats why i like them they different they not like all the others, what other fish would u say it great?
> i seen dwarf puffers but they seem a but small im frighten it will die easier lol
> i want a very hardy fish like my Birsels nose


 All fish can be hardy if you meet their basic needs and requirments and there are other species of puffer fish that you could look into getting, have a look at Palembang & Pignose puffers, they dont get too big, have a lot of character and tough things .


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## berry1 (Sep 25, 2010)

my advice is deffenatly get one or a pair if you can house them properly the min recommended by most experts is 55g for one and 75g for 2 but personaly i think a48"x20"(W)x18" which is around 70g is the min for 1 and i recommend a 4ftx2ftx2ft for a pair which is 120g what i done was start off with 8 in a 120g all youngsters then i set up a webcam streamed to my laptop and moniterd the behaviour untill i seen a pair form then i give the rest back to the pet shop and kept the pair as i find when shops sell you a pair sometimes their not a full pair and could start fighting when they mature also as said before a heavy duty filter is needed i use a custom made draw trickle filter search on monster fish keepers for custom trickle filters and youl get loads of plans : victory:


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## _simon_ (Nov 27, 2007)

The easiest way to get a pair is to buy them already as a proven pair as rehoming Oscars is difficult due to their size and personalities. They do however do fine on their own.

Oscars are of course Cichlids so they're not shy fish at all and will happily pull your nicely decorated tank apart and chase the other fish around the tank on a whim. They soon get to know the hand that feeds them and will make it clear when they're hungry if you're near the tank. Mine kind of wiggles at the surface in front of me.

If you bought as a tiddler you can expect about 1" growth a month for the first year, they seem to slow down a bit after that. 

I don't really find mine much of a messy eater. I think it depends on the food you feed and their age to some extent. When mine was younger it would spit food out and re-eat it much more often than he does these days. In the past people would feed them on the likes of dog food and meat meant for human consumption, which of course will make a huge amount of mess in a fish tank. This is why you might come across some people giving you messy tank horror stories. Mine eats Tetra Doromin, Hikari Cichlid Staple and Hikari Massivore. I feed every other day.

Some Oscars will not tolerate other tank mates. I successfully keep mine with a small shoal of Silver Dollars, 4 Polypterus and a Plec.

As far as decor goes, think big and heavy like rocks they cannot move. I have heavy rocks in mine, yet he'll still try and move them now and again. Live plants won't last long and aren't worth the trouble and even artificial plants can be dragged round the tank and even pulled apart. Sometimes I have to replant my artificial plants a few times a week, generally if certain ones are being pulled out it usually means he's not happy with their location and moving them often solves the problem and he leaves them alone.

Water wise I do nothing special, aside from treating it with Seachem Prime, it's as it comes out of the tap. I do a 50%+ change on a 443 litre tank a week and filter with an FX5.

Worth noting that recommended tank sizes in gallons are US gallons. 
1 Imperial gallon = 4.54 litres where as 1 US Gallon = 3.78 litres

Here he is:










and tank. I've had to move a few plants around since that he's picked out.


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## dragonsnake (Jan 17, 2010)

harvey 2 face one of my 12 oscars :flrt:











and usuall oscar behaviour from 2 more of my "inmates"











and finally my new guy humphrey with one of my channa's 











dont keep oscars if your not sure what you are taking on all but 1 of mine are rescues inc 5 x F1 jeff raps wild boys


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## Ruby Rue (Mar 21, 2008)

Just to add to the planted aspect. I've recently added some moss on top of the boat and tied some down to a piece of wood along with an anubias. She has left it well alone so far so I think I might add some more in the same way. I really want the boat covered in a carpet of moss which is unlikely to happen but we can all aspire to something.


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