Oscar tips?
- Thread starter dino_eel
- Start date
Dont feed them dog or cat food as it will make you water very oily. Be sure and feed them a balanced diet live foods (worms/feeders/shrimp) and pellets
Overall I would suggest getting a smaller cichlid if you only have a 55g plus oscars are very messy (alot of work)
Overall I would suggest getting a smaller cichlid if you only have a 55g plus oscars are very messy (alot of work)
I have kept at least one Oscar around for years...they are a true "pet" in most every sense of the word. I always figure 50 gallons per fish and 65 would be better. When it comes to 1 Oscar a 50 breeder is a better choice than a standard 55. The Breeder is more square than rectangular and the fish seems to have more "usable" space.
Filtration is a big concern with Oscars as they are messy eaters...If I kept 1 Oscar in a 50/55 I would have 1000 GPH of mechanical filtration. Preferably in 2 differant power filters so you could alernate media changes.
I would also go very minimal on the aquascaping because Oscars will arrange the tank to suit themselves. Anything you put in that they can move will likely get shifted around. I generally will use 1 large, distinctive rock (or hunk of driftwood) well secured as a centerpiece. I also use alot of medium size gravel...they love to dig so I give em' plenty to play with...
Feeding is pretty much open...they can be trained to eat just about any food though they do prefer their meals alive...I never feed pet store feeder fish as I don't trust them...I keep breeding pairs of Convicts and Firemouths and the Oscar get's the culls. If you do want to feed pet store feeder fish keep them in a tank of their own and make sure they are helthy before giving them to your Oscar. Mine happens to love Crayfish so I keep crays on hand and they are easily attainable in most places.
Filtration is a big concern with Oscars as they are messy eaters...If I kept 1 Oscar in a 50/55 I would have 1000 GPH of mechanical filtration. Preferably in 2 differant power filters so you could alernate media changes.
I would also go very minimal on the aquascaping because Oscars will arrange the tank to suit themselves. Anything you put in that they can move will likely get shifted around. I generally will use 1 large, distinctive rock (or hunk of driftwood) well secured as a centerpiece. I also use alot of medium size gravel...they love to dig so I give em' plenty to play with...
Feeding is pretty much open...they can be trained to eat just about any food though they do prefer their meals alive...I never feed pet store feeder fish as I don't trust them...I keep breeding pairs of Convicts and Firemouths and the Oscar get's the culls. If you do want to feed pet store feeder fish keep them in a tank of their own and make sure they are helthy before giving them to your Oscar. Mine happens to love Crayfish so I keep crays on hand and they are easily attainable in most places.
Well said Slammer.
Feeding time for an oscar is not typically what you'd expect if you are used to community fish. With community fish, you just dump in some flakes and take off. I feed my oscar once a day. His meal consists of 10-12 medium pellets, 1 freeze dried shrimp, and 1 tubifex cube. He'll only eat one or two pellets at a time though. So if you just dump in 10, he'll grab one and ignore the rest. He doesn't like the "soggys" I guess.
(note: this is a non-live food diet. If you have live food access I assume you just let him hunt it down.... which surely makes him very happy.)
Feeding time for an oscar is not typically what you'd expect if you are used to community fish. With community fish, you just dump in some flakes and take off. I feed my oscar once a day. His meal consists of 10-12 medium pellets, 1 freeze dried shrimp, and 1 tubifex cube. He'll only eat one or two pellets at a time though. So if you just dump in 10, he'll grab one and ignore the rest. He doesn't like the "soggys" I guess.
(note: this is a non-live food diet. If you have live food access I assume you just let him hunt it down.... which surely makes him very happy.)
