Oscar OK in bare tank?

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
I'd give him somethin to dig around in. My oscar digs in the gravel when hes bored and or mad.

But technically hes perfectly fine in a bare tank. You'll be staring at a lot of poop though.
 
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u raised him/her well!

never really liked oscars maybe cuz i grew up seeing them all the time. but saw a school of adults in a big tank and they look awesome in a school
 
. . . You'll be staring at a lot of poop though.

LOL, yeah, he can poop up the tank. I have a pump to make Felix swim, which also circulates the poop toward the plumbing, where it hides under the rocks. I vac it up at least once a week.
 
I put a big rock in the tank to help secure the overflow from attack. It's a 5"x7" chunk from a big geode, that must have had a diameter of several feet. I have lots of others 4"-6" dia. Many have been in my tanks for years.

Felix was attacking the rock, but could not move it. I didn't know if he just didn't like the smell or what. Finally the attacks got frequent and violent after I changed his water.

Maybe that new rock "stole his water"?

Anyhow, I made him watch me take his rock away and give it to another fish in the next tank.

Perhaps there was a trace of jealousy in his questioning response. Maybe he was simply hoping I was done mucking about in his tank.

This morning he is begging for food as usual, and Buttercup takes little notice of her new rock.
buttercup.jpg
 
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If you go on Wish and search "stone sphere" you will get a list of polished stone spheres that make neat tank decor. The added benefit is that on a bare bottom tank the fish can move it easily.

Toni has a Lapis sphere that she knocks around like she's playing soccer. Marimo moss balls are a soft alternative but they are lighter and take less effort to move. I've seen her interact with every thing I've offered her. She especially likes it when I give her small live crayfish or shrimps under a clear plastic cup. It takes a little more thinking to get at them. I will also release them close to cover so she has an opportunity to hunt them later.
 
If you go on Wish and search "stone sphere" you will get a list of polished stone spheres that make neat tank decor. The added benefit is that on a bare bottom tank the fish can move it easily.

Toni has a Lapis sphere that she knocks around like she's playing soccer. Marimo moss balls are a soft alternative but they are lighter and take less effort to move. I've seen her interact with every thing I've offered her. She especially likes it when I give her small live crayfish or shrimps under a clear plastic cup. It takes a little more thinking to get at them. I will also release them close to cover so she has an opportunity to hunt them later.

That all sounds like fun, but I am afraid that if I give him anything dense that he can really move he will smack the tank with it and crack the glass.

I did give him a little plastic floating bottle, big plastic floating lid from a Tetramin can and a floating green plastic ring made from Airline tubing.
 
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