Oscar

Wolverines

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Nov 3, 2003
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I have an oscar and today I went to the pet store to find a fish or two to keep him company. I asked the store clerk what type of fish do oscars like ? He told me they love comets and guppies. So i bought 2 guppies and 1 orange comet to keep him company. I put all three fish in the tank and left to pick up a friend. I came home about 2 hours later and I can not find or see the fish I bought. I looked in the filter to see if they got caught up in the tube or something along those lines but no they were not there. I asked my roommate if he had taken them out or messed with my tank in anyway and he said no. Where the hell did these fish go ? Are these fish known to jump out of aquariums ? I looked around on the floor, NO fish. I know im not going crazy I have the reciept proving I bought these fish and they have vanished. Does anyone have any suggestions at all ? I have even looked in the gravel and around the plants in the tank but these fish ARE GONE. Crazy huh ??
 
Haha. I think there was a miscommunication between you and your LFS guy. When you asked him what kind of fish Oscars like, he thought you were asking him what kind of fish Oscars like to eat. Maybe you should be doing more research on Oscars. These fish will get at least a foot in length, (we had 3 10 inchers where I work once...still have 1 left.) They will eat anything. Hey, if you put your finger in there he might try to eat that too. Certainly a tiny half inch guppy stands no chance.
 
thats funny. but didnt you notice the HUGE size difference when you brought the guppy home?
 
This has GOT to be a joke........ :laugh: If it's not, sorry for the laughing. :p You seriously need to do some reading on oscars if you are not kidding. They will eat anything they can fit in their mouths, grow an inch per month, and will get over a foot long within a year.

What size tank do you have for this oscar? You will need a minimum of a 55 gallon if you want it to stay healthy. If you have a small tank, I would take it back to the LFS and trade it in for something more "friendly".
 
If this is something other than a joke, sorry you've had the experience. A good tank mate for the oscar would be a Jack Dempsy of similar size, or if your oscar is very small, Big blue Gourami's have always done well for me, the big trick is tank size, anthing less than 55 is unnacceptable for a full grown Oscar, and if you want to keep other fish with him you might as well plan on 110+ if you want happy fish. The oscar views everything as food, so anything that will fit in his mouth or come close will be attacked as such. Something I might add is that you should try the Cichlid Forum, lots of good info there on Oscars.
 
your LFS is just trying to make you a repeat customer :laugh: :laugh:

Good one.
 
Oscars, by nature, are not predetory fish. Meaning, they won't bite at something too big for them to fit in their mouth. However, it will fit with no wearing down required, they'll swallow it up. I disagree, however, that a 55 is a good permanent home for an Oscar. Any of the 'Huge' tanks, (110+) would work though, as they're at least 18 inches deep. 12 inches deep on a 55 is not enought for a 12 inch fish to live in.
If you have a tank any smaller than a 75, I would get the Oscar some tankmates, and then take him right back to the store. Give it away if you have to.
 
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