To ALL cichlid community tank keepers!!!

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ecoli73 said:
If your adult oscars are with hith scars, you are doing something wrong...


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tiger15 said:
Not necessarily. You can do weekly water change, and many oscars still get HITH. Oscars, like discus and angel fish, came from soft water region of Amazon basin and are vulnerable to HITH if the water chemistry is not right.
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Exactly, if the water chemistry is not right, then your doing something wrong...

Oscsr guy myself ;)

I think the reason why they are so common to see in cichlid communities is because more often than not, they may have been the start of that community. I've got a large sa/ca community myself and I know that wouldn't be the case unless I had bought an O.
 
thats true, oscars are usually the first cichlid that gets people into the hobby, i know thats what happened with me, never knew there were so many cichlids out there if it wasnt for my first oscar ozzy :)
 
tiger15 said:
Not necessarily. You can do weekly water change, and many oscars still get HITH. Oscars, like discus and angel fish, came from soft water region of Amazon basin and are vulnerable to HITH if the water chemistry is not right.
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I agree with this. A lot of people think it is just water params, but it is more then that. Sure a lot of these SA fish tollerate a ph of 7, but that doesn't mean they will be 100% healthy. Some people think that you can breed them to adapt to a ph of 7 and hard water, but I dissagree. You can't change 1,000s of years of evolution in any fish in the hobby. Any compromise in the fish's health requirements will make them more vulnerable to disease and parasites.
This is one of the main reasons I stick with CA cichlids. My water is fairly hard and PH is 7. I add crushed coral to my water and my ph goes up to 7.5. It is much easier to naturally raise ph then to lower it, and I don't like adding chemicals to my water.
I had an oscar that got HITH and my water params were perfect, but my ph was 7. I am guessing that is why.
 
jagster said:
thats true, oscars are usually the first cichlid that gets people into the hobby, i know thats what happened with me, never knew there were so many cichlids out there if it wasnt for my first oscar ozzy :)
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True. How many big cichlids show great color at 1 inch. At that size, most cichlids are just grey ugly fish.
 
Do not lump all SA together. Only amazon basin SA demand soft water to thrive. Many non amazon basin SA such as Green Terror and Fastae require similar water chemistry as CA.
 
I am one of the crowd. Love everything about them! First experience with them was as a little kid catching them in The Everglades. :thumbsup:
 
tiger15 said:
Do not lump all SA together. Only amazon basin SA demand soft water to thrive. Many non amazon basin SA such as Green Terror and Fastae require similar water chemistry as CA.
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That's true and I shouldn't say all SAs. Oscars are common in the Amazon basin though.

My point is to pay attention to the requirements of whatever sp. you keep and the result is healthy fish.
 
tiger15 said:
I think oscar are attractive when they are young. Juveniles are active and constanlty swimming at a 45 degree angle begging for food. Few cichlids have that perfectly elliptical shape, bright orange color, and cute behavior. But once they mature, they slow down like an old man. Their mature face looks like a sick old man with huge goldfish bulging eyes, bulldog mouth and HITH scars. It doesn't matter that their body is still in good shape, their ugly face ruins the beauty.
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Exactly my sentiments. Beautiful fish when young, super ugly and look malformed when they reach adult size. It's the complete opposite of a typical cichlid which starts out drab and "ugly" but matures into an impressive and beautiful fish as an adult. Only oscar I would ever even consider getting would be the wild strain that don't have too much orange in them, they at least look interesting and have a better physical form as adults as well, much better than their captive bred counterparts.
 
i am yet to find one mean enough to hack my community... ginna give up now, just moved a 12inch o on! luv em tho!-)
 
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