Oscar vs Flowerhorn vs Blood Parrot Personality.

[Bub]

Whenever personality comes up in relation to fish, the first fish that tends to get mentioned is the oscar. I've constantly been told about how great their personalities are. But I've also heard people say that flowerhorns and BP have great personalities too. I know some people that prefer them to their oscars. So I'm curious to hear from those that have at least two of these three fish, how do they compare in terms of personality? Which makes the best "wet pet" in your experience?

Of course every fish is different and all that.

 

[stiker]

Whenever personality comes up in relation to fish, the first fish that tends to get mentioned is the oscar. I've constantly been told about how great their personalities are. But I've also heard people say that flowerhorns and BP have great personalities too. I know some people that prefer them to their oscars. So I'm curious to hear from those that have at least two of these three fish, how do they compare in terms of personality? Which makes the best "wet pet" in your experience?

Of course every fish is different and all that.

If you are looking for experience with a flowerhorn/ blood parrot you may get more responses in the hybrid section.
I personally am not a fan of hybrids and don’t/ haven’t kept them. I have only kept an Oscar from the fish you mentioned. They are full of personality from sulking to begging for food. Out of the fish you mentioned I’d be partial to the Oscar but I may be biased due to what I mentioned.
The world has so many naturally occurring species that are fascinating and interesting and doesn’t require people to intervene.
Apologises for the rant.

 

[Galactik]

They are all cool but very different personality wise.

I have never kept a flowerhorn so I can't add much there.

Oscar's are very interactive and quick to recognize you and establish feeding habits. Anything from going crazy when you get close to the tank expecting food, to learning how to bang on the lids or heaters for attention... and more food.

Personality wise its anyones guess what you will get. I've had really friend O's that got along with smaller and more delicate fish like Angel's. Or you can get a brute that will try to eat anything in sight. I had one that ate a whole Anubias plant just for fun, rubberband and all.... lol

Blood parrots in my experience are very fun and seem interactive. But in my opinion this stems more from an aggression/territorial standpoint. But then again most of them cant do any damage due to the shape of their mouths.

 

[Bub]

If you are looking for experience with a flowerhorn/ blood parrot you may get more responses in the hybrid section.
I personally am not a fan of hybrids and don’t/ haven’t kept them. I have only kept an Oscar from the fish you mentioned. They are full of personality from sulking to begging for food. Out of the fish you mentioned I’d be partial to the Oscar but I may be biased due to what I mentioned.
The world has so many naturally occurring species that are fascinating and interesting and doesn’t require people to intervene.
Apologises for the rant.

Oh I completely agree. I have no interest in getting a FH or BP. I really don't like the BP in particular. I'm just curious as to whether they have more personality as I've heard some people say. I'm 100% getting an oscar at some point. Since before getting into the hobby I had decided that. Love the reds in particular. Glad to hear about yours, I hope to have a good one myself one day once I work my way up to getting the tank. Thanks for your comment! I don't mind rants either.

They are all cool but very different personality wise.

I have never kept a flowerhorn so I can't add much there.

Oscar's are very interactive and quick to recognize you and establish feeding habits. Anything from going crazy when you get close to the tank expecting food, to learning how to bang on the lids or heaters for attention... and more food.

Personality wise its anyones guess what you will get. I've had really friend O's that got along with smaller and more delicate fish like Angel's. Or you can get a brute that will try to eat anything in sight. I had one that ate a whole Anubias plant just for fun, rubberband and all.... lol

Blood parrots in my experience are very fun and seem interactive. But in my opinion this stems more from an aggression/territorial standpoint. But then again most of them cant do any damage due to the shape of their mouths.

Thanks for the comment. I love the sound of your oscar. I really hope I don't end up with an oscar that would go after tankmates. If I do then at least I have the oscar anyway. I think I'll try some plants with mine when I get it, very much doubt they will do well.

I had heard that BP were quite aggressive. Someone I know has one that dominates two oscars. Not a fan of that personally, definitely not a fan of the aggression of FH. Those two just aren't for me.

 

[Nilsafeller]

I've kept all 3... by far my favourite was the flowerhorn... but! It all depends on their individual personality... I've kept a few flowerhorns.. all fun in their own way... Oscar's are great wetpets too.. never a dull moment and my one king kong parrot was interesting but not a wetpet in my opinion

 

[FINWIN]

I have both parrots and an oscar. All 4 of my parrots are interactive and aware, with completely different personalities. One BP is like an oscar but skitttish. My O is a true puppy with amazing range to his personality.

2 of my parrots are extrovert, two introvert. The introverts tend to focus on singular people and things, the extroverts focus on everything and everyone.

 

[Bub]

I've kept all 3... by far my favourite was the flowerhorn... but! It all depends on their individual personality... I've kept a few flowerhorns.. all fun in their own way... Oscar's are great wetpets too.. never a dull moment and my one king kong parrot was interesting but not a wetpet in my opinion

The flowerhorns I've seen have definitely been some of the most interactive fish. Interesting that the BP wouldn't be in the same "wet pet" category. Thanks.

I have both parrots and an oscar. All 4 of my parrots are interactive and aware, with completely different personalities. One BP is like an oscar but skitttish. My O is a true puppy with amazing range to his personality.

2 of my parrots are extrovert, two introvert. The introverts tend to focus on singular people and things, the extroverts focus on everything and everyone.

Good to hear. And it shows just how much they can differ from individual to individual. Thank you.

I'm definitely liking the sound of oscars more and more. Can't wait to get one!

 

[Nilsafeller]

The flowerhorns I've seen have definitely been some of the most interactive fish. Interesting that the BP wouldn't be in the same "wet pet" category. Thanks.

Good to hear. And it shows just how much they can differ from individual to individual. Thank you.

I'm definitely liking the sound of oscars more and more. Can't wait to get one!

That's my experience with just one bp... I'm sure their are more wetpet type out there... when I look for a flowerhorn.. I look for young ones that chase your finger around the tank.. the aggressive ones seem the funnest

 

[islandguy11]

Never had a BP and it's been many years since I've owned an Oscar, though have kept several quality Flowerhorns over the years. Between the last 2 my basic feeling is that Oscars have more overall personality. While FH's are usually very, if not more interactive, this mostly stems from hunger and territorial/aggression factors. With Oscars you're likely to have some more drama and acting stuff thrown into it all. That said my FH does make some pretty cool artwork lol, so I guess that counts as personality.

 

[Magnus_Bane]

I've had all 3 fish species and in my opinion I prefer FH's over the other 2. Oscar's would be a very close second for me. And with parrots I've only ever had the 2 and both were mean fish. Had a 10 year old King Kong and a baby polar parrot and the polar was definitely the worst out of the 2. Had 6 Oscar's before and half were just brutes while the other half were drama queens. Constantly acting like they were dieing, just to get some attention. I've had tons of FH's and all had their own unique personalities.
Now some people might think me crazy for suggesting this, but have you ever thought of a giant gourami? Pretty much just like an Oscar personality wise but will get far larger. Some even like to be pet. Definitely not as pretty as an Oscar but still gets that same pug-like face to them. Just another option to think about.