Want fish will travel.

[mickey]

I have just replied to an ad that i read in a magazine.
Genuine breeding pair of red tiger oscars for sale 2yrs old.
the guy said he was looking $30 for the pair which i thought was a fair price, i could already picture them in my new 100g,
only one small problem he lives a 480 round trip from me.
I am quite prepared to make the trip but my buddy thinks i am crazyand should wait for somthing nearer to home.
What do you guys think?
are they worth the trip? will they survive the trip and has any one else gone to extremities to get the fish they wanted.
Many thanks.
Cheers.

[ChilDawg]

480 km or mi?

$30 for a proven pair isn't bad, but the amount of money put into gas might be a little much. I would say not to go get them...you'll find something better closer.

[mickey]

Originally posted by ChilDawg
480 km or mi?

$30 for a proven pair isn't bad, but the amount of money put into gas might be a little much. I would say not to go get them...you'll find something better closer.

Sorry 480 miles.
Ps. i was thinking of staying overnight and coming home the next day, it would break the journey up a bit
Cheers.

[ChilDawg]

As long as you could pick them up the second day of the trip, it might be fine. It really depends on how much you're willing to pay, as they should survive a six hour car ride...others on this forum can teach you how to do that.

[aquatrippe]

I can tell you are really jazzed about getting these fish, but honestly I have to tell you that even though 30 bucks sounds like a bargain [adding whatever travel expenses] I think you will get a far better deal by buying a group of young tiger oscars at what are they 2 bucks a pop and growing them out in your 100 gallon.

That way the money you spend is an investment in quality you know rather than quality you hope for....and its more fun to watch them mature and color up...baby oscars are pretty cheap and they are kick *** fish to watch grow and have allot of personality..

why settle for a pair that might or might not be too old or might decide not to spawn again for whatever reason.

BUT having said that, if your heart is set on having a pair..then make sure you have satisfactory answers to the following.. questions..

Has the owner emailed you pix of the fish? how old are they? how long have they been breeding and what is the quality of the young they produce overall?

Would be drag to drive all that way and be dissapointed..get the facts first..

and again my vote is growing out some juvenile oscars..

[mickey]

That sounds like a good plan aquatrippe,
Ps. what do i do with all the youngsters that don't pair off,
or would the paired off fish kill them.
Cheers.

[aquatrippe]

glad you liked the idea..more bang for your buck...

yeah, the pair will become hostile toward the remaining fish and they should have their own space..

Your LFS might be willing to take the remaining adults off your hands for trade value...and it is something you have to plan for.

You will also have to have a plan for getting rid of all the babies they will produce....a healthy young pair of oscars will produce allot of young and you will have to have a plan in place to move them ..if you have an independant LFS around they might take the babies ..chains are less likely to take fish from hobbyists..

But if you have a LFS that will take the young on a regular basis you can make some $$ back to cover your expenses..which will grow as your breeders require more and more food and you need a grow out tank etc..

My advice to you is research this and think it through adult oscars are demanding fish spacewise and the babies..likewise..

If you really really want to breed oscars.. and you have to really want it IMO, then get 4-6 babies to grow out and hope for a pair..you will probably succeed..

If you dont want to deal with all the added work of having breeding Oscars..then rethink the whole thing..

[jimbo]

Originally posted by mickey


Sorry 480 miles.

I didn't know Ireland was that big.
Where are gonna pick them up...London England??

[ChilDawg]

Can't really drive there from Ireland, can you?...but the place is only 240 miles away...it's 480 round trip.

[jimbo]

Sorry, I didn't see that
I know you can't drive that, but I was just kidding.