anybody ever own an oscar fish?

[asscherisme]

I''m thinking of getting one and wondering if anyone here ever owned one and their experiences? I just got a new 55 gallon aquarium on sale (to add to my growing collection!) of tanks. And I"m trying to decide what to put in it. I have goldfish and I have tropical fish. but I have never had cichlids. I thought it might be fun to get an oscar and have the new tank just be devoted to one big fish.

So anyone ever have one before? Would they recommind it? Pros? Cons" I have been looking at fish forums but I know there are a bunch here that keep aquariums and would like to hear thoughts if any on oscars.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

55 gallon is the bare minimum for an Oscar. I wouldn't get one if that was the size of my tank. You always want to go bigger than what the minimum is. I don't entirely follow my own rules, of course. . .my guppy tank is overstocked. . .but, still it seems like Oscars are 'real' fish rather than little pitter patter fish like guppies.

 

[MissMina]

We had one when I was growing up. He was so cute. But he ate everyone else in the tank. Then he got really big and mom had to rehome him.

 

[IdLikeToBuyAVal]

Oscars are pretty picky about water quality and can be susceptible to hole-in-the-head disease, a degenerative condition of the head and lateral line caused by poor water quality so big, frequent water changes are a must if you want to get one.

Also, it''s generally accepted that you shouldn''t keep goldfish with tropical fish since goldfish are cold water (no heat required) and tropical fish (like cichlids) need to be kept around 78 degrees. It creates an uncomfortable environment for the tropicals keeping them in the colder range that the goldfish are comfortable and if kept too hot the goldfish will suffer. Plus goldfish are fairly messy fish and have high waste loads so they''re better kept in larger tanks or ponds.

Another thing to keep in mind, if you get an oscar, they''ll eat pretty much anything that will fit in their mouths. This goes for most larger cichlids. They also like to dig so if you have plants or decorations they might get moved around.

Hope this helps

 

[asscherisme]

Date: 1/30/2010 8:49:51 PM
Author: IdLikeToBuyAVal
Oscars are pretty picky about water quality and can be susceptible to hole-in-the-head disease, a degenerative condition of the head and lateral line caused by poor water quality so big, frequent water changes are a must if you want to get one.

Also, it's generally accepted that you shouldn't keep goldfish with tropical fish since goldfish are cold water (no heat required) and tropical fish (like cichlids) need to be kept around 78 degrees. It creates an uncomfortable environment for the tropicals keeping them in the colder range that the goldfish are comfortable and if kept too hot the goldfish will suffer. Plus goldfish are fairly messy fish and have high waste loads so they're better kept in larger tanks or ponds.

Another thing to keep in mind, if you get an oscar, they'll eat pretty much anything that will fit in their mouths. This goes for most larger cichlids. They also like to dig so if you have plants or decorations they might get moved around.

Hope this helps

I was not planning on mixing my fish with the oscar. I have a tropical tank, only tropicals. I have a 50 gallon goldifsh tank, only goldfish. And if I get an oscar it would have its own tank. My new 55 gallon would be only for the oscar. Maybe a pleco in there? but nothing else. And I am already in the habit of doing large weekly water changes on my tropical tank and my goldifsh tank. I have a python water changer that hooks up to my sink and makes it much easier.

And I don't mix goldfish and tropicals.

The only think I'm scared of is being bitten! I am worried that when I stick my hand in the tank to vacuum the gravel during the weekly water change that it will bite me. The goldfish always come up and hang out by my hand but they are no threat.

Will the oscar bite me? If so, that would scare me off of it. But I am intrigued by a tank with one large prize fish and thats what draws me to the oscar. I also have read they are really smart and recognize their owner. I think thats really cool.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Date: 1/30/2010 8:57:38 PM
Author: asscherisme

Date: 1/30/2010 8:49:51 PM
Author: IdLikeToBuyAVal
Oscars are pretty picky about water quality and can be susceptible to hole-in-the-head disease, a degenerative condition of the head and lateral line caused by poor water quality so big, frequent water changes are a must if you want to get one.

Also, it''s generally accepted that you shouldn''t keep goldfish with tropical fish since goldfish are cold water (no heat required) and tropical fish (like cichlids) need to be kept around 78 degrees. It creates an uncomfortable environment for the tropicals keeping them in the colder range that the goldfish are comfortable and if kept too hot the goldfish will suffer. Plus goldfish are fairly messy fish and have high waste loads so they''re better kept in larger tanks or ponds.

Another thing to keep in mind, if you get an oscar, they''ll eat pretty much anything that will fit in their mouths. This goes for most larger cichlids. They also like to dig so if you have plants or decorations they might get moved around.

Hope this helps

I was not planning on mixing my fish with the oscar. I have a tropical tank, only tropicals. I have a 50 gallon goldifsh tank, only goldfish. And if I get an oscar it would have its own tank. My new 55 gallon would be only for the oscar. Maybe a pleco in there? but nothing else. And I am already in the habit of doing large weekly water changes on my tropical tank and my goldifsh tank. I have a python water changer that hooks up to my sink and makes it much easier.

And I don''t mix goldfish and tropicals.

The only think I''m scared of is being bitten! I am worried that when I stick my hand in the tank to vacuum the gravel during the weekly water change that it will bite me. The goldfish always come up and hang out by my hand but they are no threat.

Will the oscar bite me? If so, that would scare me off of it. But I am intrigued by a tank with one large prize fish and thats what draws me to the oscar. I also have read they are really smart and recognize their owner. I think thats really cool.

Not sure if the Oscar will bite you. You may need to research that on an Oscar forum. I can say that my itty bitty bettas will leap out of the water and bite my hand. One time I rearranged my 10-gallon and the entire time my arm was in the tank, I could feel little pinches.

 

[Dancing Fire]

Date: 1/30/2010 8:57:38 PM
Author: asscherisme

The only think I''m scared of is being bitten! I am worried that when I stick my hand in the tank to vacuum the gravel during the weekly water change that it will bite me. The goldfish always come up and hang out by my hand but they are no threat.

Will the oscar bite me? If so, that would scare me off of it. But I am intrigued by a tank with one large prize fish and thats what draws me to the oscar. I also have read they are really smart and recognize their owner. I think thats really cool.

NO !!, they only bite diamonds

 

[Irishgrrrl]

When I was in high school, I had a part-time job at a pet store. Part of my job was to clean the fish tanks, and they had a largeish oscar. I''ll never forget this: I was scrubbing the inside of his tank one day, when he bit the tip of my pinkie finger!

It really didn''t hurt too much . . . I was more surprised and startled than anything else. But I don''t think he was being mean . . . I think he just thought I was food! LOL!

 

[chemgirl]

I have a 3 year old oscar in a 60 gallon tank. I used to keep her with a pleco, but she was super agressive and would constantly attack it (and me while I was trying to clean the tank). She was fine once I found a new home for the pleco. I cleaned the tank with gloves on and the biting didn''t hurt at all.

She is now 11 inches long and I have to do water changes twice a week. I am seriously considering a larger tank. I''m fairly sure she is healthy and happy in her current environment because she lays eggs semi regularly and does not have any visible health problems. I think she wouldn''t lay eggs if there were issues with water quality.

Oscars will destroy EVERYTHING in the tank, so keep that in mind. I''ve gone through 8 heaters in the past 3 years because she bangs them into the side of the tank or manages to pull the mechanism at the top under water. My tank decorations consist of a flat rock (she lays eggs on the rock) and a few heavy duty plants. I had to get the plants at a specialty store because she pulls appart the regular petco ones (it takes about a week, but then I wake up in the morning to chunks of plastic floating around).

Also a word of warning: make sure that your tank has a heavy lid. My oscar is now strong enough to knock the hood and light right off the tank! Luckily the banging woke me up and I fixed everything before she jumped out!

I know I''m making owning an oscar sound like a pain, but its totally worth it! My oscar (named Zissou) definitely recognizes who I am! She also recognizes her food container and gets really excited whenever I pick it up. She always comes to the side of the tank closest to me while I''m on the couch. She doesn''t do this for just anyone so I feel there is a certain amount of recognition there (if only as the lady who brings the food).

Hmmm what else...oh oscars are also very hearty fish. I was transferring her when I moved and she managed to get away from me and get under a chair. She I got her back in the tank and she was perfectly fine. Keep in mind that a new oscar may "pretend" to be sick when you first get them and rest on their side etc. Zissou did that a lot during the first week I had her, but bring food, or turn off the lights, and she was zipping around the tank.

Goodluck with your new fish!

 

[MonkeyPie]

This thread had me so interested that I had to look up an oscar fish to see what they looked like - and now I am all freaked out lol. Something about them is really scary! But they sound so awesome, so much personality.

Slightly OT - MC, my betas used to jump out of the water for their food and would often nip my fingers if I put them in the water. They only did it with me, too. I loved them soooo much, I miss having fish.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Date: 1/31/2010 1:53:02 PM
Author: MonkeyPie
This thread had me so interested that I had to look up an oscar fish to see what they looked like - and now I am all freaked out lol. Something about them is really scary! But they sound so awesome, so much personality.

Slightly OT - MC, my betas used to jump out of the water for their food and would often nip my fingers if I put them in the water. They only did it with me, too. I loved them soooo much, I miss having fish.

Bettas are fun. . .just wait until you have your baby though. . .Sometimes they bite too! hahaha!

 

[IdLikeToBuyAVal]

I sounded kind of down on Oscars in my last post but I do like them. They''re really great fish (all the big cichlids are!) but they definitely come with a cichlid specific set of problems! I had a green terror that used to HATE heaters and would slam them against the side of the aquarium. He would also pull the suction cup thermometers off the side and push them around the tank. That said, he was like a little wet puppy dog and would follow me from one side of the tank to the other and would watch with interest when I did water changes. I kept him for almost 10 years and he was very attached to my ancient pleco that I still have. The pleco is about 12 years old and 16" and has been a wonderful fish. The pleco was a 1.5" 99c Petsmart special when I got him and still happily munches on zucchini chunks and wiggles when he sees me.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Date: 1/31/2010 8:59:53 PM
Author: IdLikeToBuyAVal
I sounded kind of down on Oscars in my last post but I do like them. They''re really great fish (all the big cichlids are!) but they definitely come with a cichlid specific set of problems! I had a green terror that used to HATE heaters and would slam them against the side of the aquarium. He would also pull the suction cup thermometers off the side and push them around the tank. That said, he was like a little wet puppy dog and would follow me from one side of the tank to the other and would watch with interest when I did water changes. I kept him for almost 10 years and he was very attached to my ancient pleco that I still have. The pleco is about 12 years old and 16'' and has been a wonderful fish. The pleco was a 1.5'' 99c Petsmart special when I got him and still happily munches on zucchini chunks and wiggles when he sees me.

You make Oscars sound so cute!!!

My bettas are totally into watching water changes, as well. They follow the syphon around and once one was so curious, she actually got syphoned up! lol Luckily I saw early on and was able to discounted the bottom part it before she was hurt. Fish can be so funny and entertaining.

 

[Prana]

FI had an oscar for several years in a 55 gallon tank. He eventually gave it to a pet store (they sold it within hours!) as he felt bad for it because it was getting too big for the tank. That could take your fingers off if you got too close to it. I know that he didn''t have to do too much with it as far as tank maintenance, much less work than a salt water tank. He would feed it several times a week, mostly frozen shrimp, and every now and then some raw meats.