View Full Version : Oscars and ponds
skybox
06-27-2003, 10:31 AM
I'm wondering if anyone has any experience with putting an oscar in an outdoor pond. what were the water parameters if you did? I'm wondering if an oscar could survive the cooler water tempatures during the night and how well he would adapt to living with a bunch of gold fish his size. He's about 10 inches from the nose to tip of his tale.
thanks for any personal experiences or input. I'll take bothe gladly.
dbcb314
06-27-2003, 12:48 PM
ive heard of oscars being put in outdoor ponds before. you pond might have to be sort of deep so the water doesnt get too cold
There was actually an article on cichlids in the wild in last months TFH. The Oscar is actually the least hardy of the cichlids when it comes to temp change. I can't remember the exact temps but basicaly it said they wouldn't make it outside year round north of Tampa. I guess it all depends on where you live and what the temp is like.
skybox
06-27-2003, 9:11 PM
scott,
what is the TFH, if you can point me in the right direction then i can read up on it.
I was kind of thinking about making it a summer home until i have time to fix up my moms old 55.
The pond i'm thinking of using is atleast 24 inches deep. I had my dad check the temp early this morning and he said it was about 58. It's still fairly cold at night up here in montana so i will have to wait a couple of more weeks i'm sure.
TFH is Tropical Fish Hobbyist magazine. And actually it was this months and it might still be on the shelves if you hurry. It dealt with the cold tolerances of cichlids and Oscars were the most fragile. It said the Oscars stopped eating at 58 degrees, lost equilibrium at 56.5 degrees and expired at 55 degrees. You might want to wait. The most tolerant was the Texas who took temps down to 41 degrees.