oscar question.

B

beabroca

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Feb 25, 2009
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we are trying to determine what we are going to put in our empty 20 and my husband desperately wants a Oscar. i tell him no they need more water when they are full grown and he said to ask you all can they live in there now, as small as we find we like. and then in feb get whatever size you suggest. I cant answer the question he wants me to answercuz i dont know how much water they need. And i just keep saying alot more.

and also when it does get moved....are there any other fish he wont eat? cuz dont they eat feeders?


feedback?
 
Oscars grow an inch a month, sometimes more. By Feb 10' he'll be 9-10" if you buy a 2" one now. You could get a 55 g now and then a 75 g or bigger in February. But there's no way he can put an Oscar in a 20 g tank longer than 3 wks of quarrantine. That's cruel.
Silver Dollars make great tankmates because they're faster than the Oscars. But if he wants tankmates then he'll have to get bigger than a 75 g. The 75 g is for an Oscar, no tankmates. Some people say 55 g is the minimum but I feel that's wrong. They get 12-14" easy and are 3" thick.
 
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A 20 gallon is NOT appropriate for an Oscar
 
STAY AWAY FROM OSCARS with that tank size. You would have to do WC's daily, not to mention size. Bare minimum would be 55, 75 is better though.
 
i agree with you guys, just needed to have someone on my side. Maybe in feb, he'll get that 150 he wants and well get the oscar then. Maybe 2? since they only need 55-75??
 
For 2 Oscars you need a 6' tank so 125-150 will do. You should have a 75 for the 1st one and add another 50 gallons for EACH additional Oscar. A 55 is too small for an Oscar. It is 13" wide and and O will get to 15" on the average and sometimes larger.

One of the problems with Oscars is sometimes they will tolerate others and sometimes not. Giving them feeders increases aggression as it makes them do what comes natural. Using feeders also creates risk of disease as they are not treated as anything other than an expendable food. They are OK as an occasional treat.

A common pleco and Silver Dollars are good tankmates. You could also consider: Firemouth, Bala shark, JD, Texas cichlid, Tinfoil Barb. Be aware that tankmates can be hard to find depending on the Aggressive/non-aggressiveness of any fish. I have one Oscar that is laid back friendly to all and another that is as mean as the day is long. With the highly aggressive one, his mates are a common pleco and a pink convict that are just as mean if not more-so. The Pleco doesn't put up with any gruff and will ram the Oscar when he has had enough!

You can start out with 2 (at the same time) and let them grow together for best results. Even then there is no guarantee that it will work out.
 
i have a 4" oscar in a 10 gallon by itself and it is doing just fine. of course i am aslo getting him a bigger tank so i can get him a buddie
 
excuzzzeme said:
For 2 Oscars you need a 6' tank so 125-150 will do. You should have a 75 for the 1st one and add another 50 gallons for EACH additional Oscar. A 55 is too small for an Oscar. It is 13" wide and and O will get to 15" on the average and sometimes larger.

One of the problems with Oscars is sometimes they will tolerate others and sometimes not. Giving them feeders increases aggression as it makes them do what comes natural. Using feeders also creates risk of disease as they are not treated as anything other than an expendable food. They are OK as an occasional treat.

A common pleco and Silver Dollars are good tankmates. You could also consider: Firemouth, Bala shark, JD, Texas cichlid, Tinfoil Barb. Be aware that tankmates can be hard to find depending on the Aggressive/non-aggressiveness of any fish. I have one Oscar that is laid back friendly to all and another that is as mean as the day is long. With the highly aggressive one, his mates are a common pleco and a pink convict that are just as mean if not more-so. The Pleco doesn't put up with any gruff and will ram the Oscar when he has had enough!

You can start out with 2 (at the same time) and let them grow together for best results. Even then there is no guarantee that it will work out.
Click to expand...

bgcoop8784 said:
a 4" oscar in a 10gal is just cruel, that's all i can say.
Click to expand...
:iagree:
 
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