20 year old Oscar
- Thread starter xenocide21
- Start date
very interesting if his given age is correct.
I'm curious as to his previous tank sizes and also if those were passed along with him. He might not like changes.
It'd be great to see video of him & those odd swimming habits.
I'm curious as to his previous tank sizes and also if those were passed along with him. He might not like changes.
It'd be great to see video of him & those odd swimming habits.
Sounds like a tortured soul. Coughing, mouth agape and swimming strangely? This fish is probably going to pass soon. But it would be good posterity to see what an old, stunted Oscar looks like.
Points to be made -
The Oscar may not, in fact, be stunted. Many Oscars are genetically predisposed to small sizes, some as small as 8". There's no way to say that he wasn't the perfect Oscar for a smaller tank to begin with. Photos will tell the tale.
Stunted creatures do not necessarily live shorter lives. They may be predisposed to a multitude of metabolic issues and deformities, and these ailments may do them in early. But smaller creatures, if not unduly stressed (OMG, the variables in this concept!!!), even if made small through malnutrition or overpopulation, spend LESS energy on tissue growth, require FEWER enzymatic activities for maintenance of body mass and digestion, suffer less cardiac stress (assuming the heart escaped the hazards of the stunting process) and outlive their fully developed counterparts --- the point is: Depending on HOW the fish was stunted, its lifespan (though not overall health) may be shortened, not affected at all, and even lengthened! Should anybody ever think they can stunt a fish on purpose without disastrous results? NO! Never mistreat an animal. Common sense should tell you that. The problem is that we can't ignore all of the examples of slightly stunted critters doing otherwise fine. And 10-12 inches isn't a whole lot of stunting for an O. Unless this thing is just a giant pair of eyeballs with a caudal fin...
Many fish survive IN SPITE of how they are treated. Some creatures are hardy beyond reason. You know how LD50 means half the population died at that exposure/dosage? Well, guess what? There will be a few at the extreme top. The LD90 (accurate usage of term?) population that is atypical for the species or population. This Oscar might have been born to thrive, to deny the elements and push on while the others around him dropped like flies in the face of pollution and stress.
These are all debatable points, and a lot of it is from research I did two years ago when studying longevity - so some of what I know might be different now.
Points to be made -
The Oscar may not, in fact, be stunted. Many Oscars are genetically predisposed to small sizes, some as small as 8". There's no way to say that he wasn't the perfect Oscar for a smaller tank to begin with. Photos will tell the tale.
Stunted creatures do not necessarily live shorter lives. They may be predisposed to a multitude of metabolic issues and deformities, and these ailments may do them in early. But smaller creatures, if not unduly stressed (OMG, the variables in this concept!!!), even if made small through malnutrition or overpopulation, spend LESS energy on tissue growth, require FEWER enzymatic activities for maintenance of body mass and digestion, suffer less cardiac stress (assuming the heart escaped the hazards of the stunting process) and outlive their fully developed counterparts --- the point is: Depending on HOW the fish was stunted, its lifespan (though not overall health) may be shortened, not affected at all, and even lengthened! Should anybody ever think they can stunt a fish on purpose without disastrous results? NO! Never mistreat an animal. Common sense should tell you that. The problem is that we can't ignore all of the examples of slightly stunted critters doing otherwise fine. And 10-12 inches isn't a whole lot of stunting for an O. Unless this thing is just a giant pair of eyeballs with a caudal fin...
Many fish survive IN SPITE of how they are treated. Some creatures are hardy beyond reason. You know how LD50 means half the population died at that exposure/dosage? Well, guess what? There will be a few at the extreme top. The LD90 (accurate usage of term?) population that is atypical for the species or population. This Oscar might have been born to thrive, to deny the elements and push on while the others around him dropped like flies in the face of pollution and stress.
These are all debatable points, and a lot of it is from research I did two years ago when studying longevity - so some of what I know might be different now.
It should be a happy thing that the oscar might really be 20 yrs old. At 17 years in one home, I doubt he was very mismanaged at all.
Where is anyone who has done better than that? how about even as well? geeze.
I'd love to see the O.. pics, whatever. video would be awesome!
Where is anyone who has done better than that? how about even as well? geeze.
I'd love to see the O.. pics, whatever. video would be awesome!
I want to see as well. If its age is legit it would be a sight to see, oldest I have seen before was a 17 year old pair.
Sent from my MOTWX435KT
Sent from my MOTWX435KT
flathead catfish will outgrow any of those tanks you mentioned, think of them as a North American Red Tailed Cat, only brown and slightly smaller. You'll need a very large tank for the flathead to live into adulthood, I'd say much bigger than 150 gallons, to house the Flathead to its Maximum potential size. 75 gall minimum for single oscar alone, at least 125 for 2... again only my opinion some say smaller some say larger, just make sure the tank is large enough.
It should be a happy thing that the oscar might really be 20 yrs old. At 17 years in one home, I doubt he was very mismanaged at all.
Where is anyone who has done better than that? how about even as well? geeze.
I'd love to see the O.. pics, whatever. video would be awesome!
Well I knew a lady who had an oscar for around 15 years in a 55 gallon alone. And she never did a water change either. Amazing it lived so long and all these guys on here baby their fish and change water constantly and they die within a year or 2.
