PhilK
Very Well-Known Member
Just bought my first ever Oscar fish. Named him Oliver :lol:
Can anybody give us some advice on keeping these guys?
Can anybody give us some advice on keeping these guys?
Red Oscars
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VickiR
Active Member
oscar
they are pretty easy to look after,
i used to feed mine smaller fish and meal worms. and they got quite big.
other then that theres not much to it. just make sure that tank stays clean. and our of direct sunlight,
hope that helps.
its beens a while, i use to breed bout tropical and salt water fish. but its all trial and error. as wat i have been told by experts i found wasnt very usefull,
they are pretty easy to look after,
i used to feed mine smaller fish and meal worms. and they got quite big.
other then that theres not much to it. just make sure that tank stays clean. and our of direct sunlight,
hope that helps.
its beens a while, i use to breed bout tropical and salt water fish. but its all trial and error. as wat i have been told by experts i found wasnt very usefull,
miley_take
Very Well-Known Member
Tropical fish, they need heat to be between 28-31 degrees. They can get very fussy with water conditioning, Ph needs to be almost exact and be very careful with ammonia. They are complete and utter pigs, very messy so a filter that cycles double or triple the tank volume in an hour will help cut down cleaning. Secure anything down, they love to move everything around, plants, filters, logs. Make sure all large rocks are removed from the tank!!! I can't stress this enough. Oscars get bored very easily and start spitting rocks at the side of the tank and can break the tank. I keep mine entertained by having plastic plants it can move around and by submerging a ping pong ball (Mine occasionally "plays" ping pong) and having one on the surface. Never forget these fish are highly inteligent and can get bored. They also can deliver a fair size bite!
mcloughlin2
Well-Known Member
Oscars are pretty easy going as has been said. I've got some gorgeous guys here at the moment that I only recently bought.
pH: 6-8 (7.0 is ideal)
Temperature: 26-28C (Any higher can cause a shorter life span)
Ammonia: Nil
Nitrites: Nil
Nitrates: 10-15ppm
If you want them to be aggressive little turds feed them feeder fish but if you want the chance to mix them with someone else down the track keep them on frozen prawns, pellets and some vegies. Ideally the tank should be at least 18" wide, preferable 24" and at least 3ft long for a single fish or 4ft for a pair.
Good filtration is a must and I've found the only way to keep the water clean is to have either a cannister filter or a mini reef. My filters turnover a minimum of 4 times the tank volume every hour. Only place large rocks in the tank that are in excess of 2kgs otherwise they can de-stabilise rock structures cracking the tank. They can grow to 12" in 12 months so if you bought the little fella to go in a small tank then your going to need to upgrade soon as they are very prone to whitespot and hole in the disease if not looked after (Mainly the imported guys from asia)
pH: 6-8 (7.0 is ideal)
Temperature: 26-28C (Any higher can cause a shorter life span)
Ammonia: Nil
Nitrites: Nil
Nitrates: 10-15ppm
If you want them to be aggressive little turds feed them feeder fish but if you want the chance to mix them with someone else down the track keep them on frozen prawns, pellets and some vegies. Ideally the tank should be at least 18" wide, preferable 24" and at least 3ft long for a single fish or 4ft for a pair.
Good filtration is a must and I've found the only way to keep the water clean is to have either a cannister filter or a mini reef. My filters turnover a minimum of 4 times the tank volume every hour. Only place large rocks in the tank that are in excess of 2kgs otherwise they can de-stabilise rock structures cracking the tank. They can grow to 12" in 12 months so if you bought the little fella to go in a small tank then your going to need to upgrade soon as they are very prone to whitespot and hole in the disease if not looked after (Mainly the imported guys from asia)
python blue
Well-Known Member
also what hasnt been mentioned is that Oscars are prone to diseases and a very common one is hole in the head disease which a fair few oscars get i dont know what causes this but thought id let you know
the holey disease is caused by poor water conditions...usually they get them and stay with them for life the lucky ones that is happens alot when people underestimate the size they grow the mess they make and the filter they require, also thought to be caused by carbon and poor unvaried diets.
PhilK
Very Well-Known Member
I will need to set up a larger tank for him.. At the moment the tank is fine for his size but it will definitely have to upgrade. And when I do that I'll get a better filter too.
So the consensus is a 3ft tank for one oscar?
So the consensus is a 3ft tank for one oscar?
my oscars were kept in a pair in a 120x60x60 and even that was small they went from 4cm-20cm in less than 3 months so a tank atleast 60cm wide is a must i got rid of my pair cus they outgrew my tank
standard 3 ft tank is under 100l an adult oscar would need about atleast 100g so 4 times that is usually the recomended for an adult and about 50g for a juvenile
standard 3 ft tank is under 100l an adult oscar would need about atleast 100g so 4 times that is usually the recomended for an adult and about 50g for a juvenile
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mcloughlin2
Well-Known Member
A 3x18x18 (~180L) or 3x2x2 (~320L) would be fine for a single oscar. Obviously if you have room for a 4ft go for that as there is not much of a price difference between them. In saying this you shouldn't keep anything but the oscar in there as there would not be enough room for the oscar to have a distinct territory.
There hasn't been a definant cause pinpointed for the cause of HITH. Food, water, stress, parasites and carbon have all been attributed to it. My personal opinion is that it is related to food, water quality and stress. I have seen many many cases of it in fish that have never seen a piece of carbon in their life, yet have lived in horrid conditions. (obviously not my fish)
There hasn't been a definant cause pinpointed for the cause of HITH. Food, water, stress, parasites and carbon have all been attributed to it. My personal opinion is that it is related to food, water quality and stress. I have seen many many cases of it in fish that have never seen a piece of carbon in their life, yet have lived in horrid conditions. (obviously not my fish)
Lewy
Very Well-Known Member
One Oscar Needs 80 gallon minimum (300litters) and if you have 2 you should double that
My Oscar is in a 350litter tank and I feel that's way to small for him It even looks way to small for him
Lewy
My Oscar is in a 350litter tank and I feel that's way to small for him It even looks way to small for him
Lewy
PhilK
Very Well-Known Member
Looks like I'll be in the market for a bigger tank then hey! Have to set up a nice filter too... I'm excited now! ...now to tell mum and dad hahaha
They are a nice fish but can be high maintenance & require a very large tank
This site is quite helpful:
http://www.oscarfishlover.com/
Oscars are fairly tough but do have a tendency to sulk! I moved & cleaned both my tanks yesterday & Fluffy, my black Oscar is now laying on the bottom of his tank, & his colour has faded to a pale grey. Ollie, an Albino isn't as fussy but he is sitting in his corner & wont come & "talk" to me, lmao. Great characters, eat just about anything ( including any careless fingers!) & apparently can be trained to jump through hoops if you have a large enough tank. I haven't tried that but Ollie will jump out of the water for a block. I have my tank set at 28 C & use small gravel due to the them throwing the larger rocks around, as Miley said, they do throw the rocks quite hard & breakage is a real risk! Miley, how did you get the ping pong balls submerged? I'd love to try that with mine!
PhilK
Very Well-Known Member
Thanks for the help guys. Off to Aquariums R Us tomorrow to investigate a 300L tank and a good canister filter.. That should make young Oliver happier!
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