• You liked BFD7 now you should join this forum and of course become a club member to see what CCA is all about.
  • Thank you to everyone who registered and showed up for the BIG Fish Deal #7.

Anyone keep Oscars?

stany

CCA Members
I'm thinking about adding a male Albino Tiger or Red Oscar to my all male tank.I get they grow big and eat anything they can fit in their mouth. I pretty much sell a fish when it gets over 4 inches and buy new fish around 2- 2 1/2 inches. I've read they are pretty much regular cichlid aggression with like sized tank mates. Does anyone have any experience keeping them in a non breeding capacity?
 

rsanz

monster tank newbie
I have a single oscar in my 125g South American community tank. Tankmates include Heros efasciatus, Hoplarchus psittacus, Semaprochilodus insignis, and a Panaque nigrolineatus. Oscar is the original inhabitant and has been with me the longest for about 3 years.

My oscar has been a real softy his whole life including with smaller tankmates. However, I appreciate that this is not the norm and I am lucky. That said, I have never fed live food, only pellets and occasional frozen treats. He is definitely the king of the tank, but only intimidates with spacing other fish out without touching them. He has never had a spat with anyone else in the tank. My Hoplarchus are grumpier than the oscar, but they respect the king of the tank.
 

stany

CCA Members
Thanks. I've read they are typical cichlids behavior wise with similar sized tankmates. I'm tempted to try one. My biggest concern is how fast he will out grow my tank. Once he gets over 5 inches or so I would try to sell him. Not sure there is a demand out there for larger Oscars..
 

DiscusnAfricans

Past President
Thanks. I've read they are typical cichlids behavior wise with similar sized tankmates. I'm tempted to try one. My biggest concern is how fast he will out grow my tank. Once he gets over 5 inches or so I would try to sell him. Not sure there is a demand out there for larger Oscars..
I constantly see larger oscars for sale, cracks me up when they're listed for $30 and up, most of the time you can't give them away. They do seem to be neat 'wet pets' though and can have fun personalities, but I don't think its worth it if you know you won't keep it long term.
 

neut

Members
They grow fast. Given good conditions and food and your formula for sizes you could buy a 2-2.5 inch Oscar and it could easily reach your max in a couple of months.
 

CSnyder00

Bearded Wonder
They grow fast. Given good conditions and food and your formula for sizes you could buy a 2-2.5 inch Oscar and it could easily reach your max in a couple of months.

I second this. I wish I had pictures, but I once had a pair of 15 inch oscars. They were massive and they got to that size surprisingly fast. I eventually traded them for pennies on the dollar store credit because I needed such a huge tank to keep them in. They were big wusses as far as aggression was concerned. My Jacks and even my blood parrots at much smaller sizes bullied the oscars. They are great "wet pets", but if you don't have at least a 90 or 125 gallon tank, I'd pass. There are other cichlids with great personalities that will be more comfortable in smaller tanks, and you can keep them long term as opposed to just a few months.
 

Hicgup

Members
If anyone were willing to drop off fish in the Williamsburg/Va. Beach area, I would buy every healthy six inch Oscar for what was paid for a two inch fish. The six to eight inch fish is sooo much more a personable fish. And letting a nice pair breed is a great reward for anyone with a big enough tank. One of the TWO fish my wife actually enjoyed, because the male of a past breeding pair would just about bust through the glass to protect his babies if anyone besides myself approached the tank. I easily sold every baby Oscar I bred for good money to local fish stores, shame almost everybody doesn’t give the fish enough credit, proper housing and proper food. My 400 gallon with a group of mature Oscars was always a show tank.
 

stany

CCA Members
Thanks everyone for the input. I'm going to pass until I can talk my wife into a bigger tank.
 
Top